[recipe-show recipe="chocolate-cherry-green-smoothie"]

Two things worked to my disadvantage: first, I was out of vanilla soy milk, so I used regular skim milk. I did not realize just how much flavor I actually get from the soy milk – it’s much more dense, maybe a bit more sweet, and… well, it’s vanilla. Second, the fruit combo I chose was not sweet or powerful enough to mask the taste of the greens – so this tasted more like cucumbers than anything else.

The mix:

1 cup skim milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
2 carrots
1 handful baby spinach
1/3 of a cucumber
1 whole apple
1 whole pear

So… it seems like fruits with stronger or sweeter flavors are required to mask out the taste of the greens. Strawberries are a standard component of my smoothies, and even when I only use 3 or 4 strawberries, they make a huge difference. I was just trying to mix it up today, and even though I used a whole pear and a whole apple, they weren’t sweet enough to be noticeable. I couldn’t even taste them.

The end result was incredibly bland and tasted mildly of cucumber. I won’t be making this combo again!

Tip: stick to 1/2 cucumber. I tried a whole cucumber in the smoothie today (along with 2 carrots, 3 strawberries, and a handful of blueberries, plus vanilla soy milk and vanilla protein powder), and I could taste the cucumber. Good thing I like cucumbers!

Have a great day, everybody!

I suppose it could be called a “green” smoothie, if by “green” you mean, it contains vegetables (or, 2 culinary vegetables but 1 botanical vegetable and 1 botanical fruit). That whole fruit-or-vegetable thing will confound me for life. But anyway….

It’s a delicious, cool, crisp drink full of strawberry vanilla goodness!

As I tossed everything (including 2 carrots, half a cucumber, and 5 strawberries) in the blender, I thought to myself, “That looks wonderful!” I should have run to grab my camera but I was too excited to mix it all up.

Behold:

The verdict: delish! Absolutely wonderful!

[recipe-show recipe=cool-pink-smoothie]

With my 2010 resolution to try 10 new foods, an unspoken subtitle to that quest is to eat more vegetables. To help my cause, I’m seeking ways to sneak in vegetables where I won’t notice them. Enter: the Green smoothie.

I’m not new to the smoothie world; I described my typical morning smoothie earlier this year (though, personally, I do prefer to call them shakes). I am, however, completely new to putting vegetables in my blender. After reading many reports that it is in fact possible to add spinach to a smoothie and not be able to taste it, I thought that would make an excellent experiment for my “eat 10 new foods” resolution.

This Green smoothie isn’t much different from my typical morning smoothie, aside from the obvious addition of baby spinach. I added the flax seed meal and yogurt for some added health benefits (in the form of omega-3′s, antioxidants, and live cultures/probiotics). The blueberries were added mostly because that’s all I had left of them. (Blueberries also add a nice dose of Vitamin C – you can’t have enough weapons in your arsenal to fight off cold and flu season).

This smoothie tastes like vanilla and bananas. It looks green, but I certainly can’t tell that there’s spinach in it (and I’m a fairly picky customer!). It was delicious, and I’ll be adding baby spinach to my future smoothies!

Use this smoothie as a quick breakfast or a great post-workout nutritional shake.

[recipe-show recipe=green-vanilla-banana-smoothie]

The solution that allows me to both sleep in and have a nutritious breakfast: smoothies.

Throw some stuff in the blender, cover my ears for a few seconds, and voila. Morning goodness.

I’ve been making smoothies for years. It’s the one healthy thing I’ve managed to continue doing for myself, even when other habits haven’t been so healthy.

Today’s smoothie is based on the Nature’s Way Alive! Soy Protein shake mix, vanilla flavor. I got this mix at Whole Foods Market for around $18. It contains non-GMO soy and is more than just a soy protein shake, but a whole foods shake, including nutrients from 24 different fruits and vegetables.

I like this mix. I’m not sure its flavor is exactly vanilla – it almost has a fruity tang to it – but it tastes good. It doesn’t taste “green,” even though its coloring is such (a big surprise to me the first time I mixed it!)

The Alive! shake mix blends easily – no clumps – though I do use a blender instead of a spoon to mix it up.

My basic smoothie recipe is to mix 8 oz. of organic soy milk (usually vanilla flavored) with a scoop of whatever mix I’m using that day. Then, I throw in some fresh or frozen fruit. If I’m using fresh fruit, I also throw in 2 or 3 ice cubes – otherwise, the shake comes out too thick. Mix in the blender for 30 seconds or so, and enjoy!

Today, I used frozen pineapple. I typically throw in 3-5 chunks of whatever frozen fruit I’m using (pineapples, strawberries, blueberries, mixed fruit, etc).

Smoothies are a great way to start the day, and help to get me out the door quickly!

I’m hoping to add a Vita-Mix machine to my kitchen arsenal with this year’s income tax refund. My plan is to start incorporating more fresh fruits and vegetables into my smoothies. My current blender (the classic beehive Osterizer) is powerful, but can’t fully liquify leafy greens and some of the tougher vegetables like carrots.

Until then, it’s mix-based smoothies for me!