If you’ve been reading my blog – or are on my insider email list – you know I love smoothies.
Especially green smoothies. They’re a simple way to get greens into your body first thing. (Hint: use spinach or swiss chard instead of kale to keep the flavor neutral.)
It’s easy to get stuck in a smoothie rut, though. Banana + blueberries + almond butter + almond milk + ice. Repeat.
BORING!
So because it’s summer – and every health coach MUST, of course, talk about smoothies at least once this time of year – I share for your consideration some of my favorite ways to spice up a smoothie.
- Cinnamon. Great with summer berries (like raspberries and blueberries) and cherries.
- Cardamom. Gives smoothies a kick of exotic citrus-y flavor. I like it with mangoes and bananas.
- Ginger. Oh how I love ginger. (If you’re an athlete of any level, here’s why you should eat more ginger.) Try my Cherry Banana Ginger Smoothie to start experimenting. (The recipe is in my “making the perfect smoothie” tutorial – linked to at the bottom of this post.)
- Dates. Add sweetness to your smoothie without overdoing it; AND get a kick of iron, potassium, and B vitamins to boot. I add dates to almond milk and banana smoothies most often (per Gwyneth Paltrow’s Cleo’s Afternoon Shake.
- Pumpkin. In the fall, there’s nothing tastier than a Pumpkin Pie Smoothie. I’ve seen lots of variations – my favorite is pumpkin (cooked or canned) + almond milk + dates + pumpkin pie spice. Play with the proportions until you get the flavor just where you want it.
- Sweet Potato. See “Pumpkin.” Same flavor, different veggie. And sweet potatoes do a body good.
- Avocado. To be honest, I’m not a fan of avocado in my smoothies. I don’t love the creamy texture that it adds; but I have friends who love it! And I’m obsessed with avocados otherwise, so I had to at least give them a shout out.
- Coconut (Coconut Manna). Nutiva’s Coconut Manna is seriously one of the most brilliant products ever created. Add it to banana, mango or pineapple smoothies and feel like you’re having a fancy umbrella drink on a far away, tropical beach. For breakfast. Yay!
- Tahini. No one ever thinks to put tahini – essentially sesame seed butter – in a smoothie. I’m telling you – it’s yummy!
- Cherries. I live in Washington state, where most cherries are grown in this country. Cherries rule my life in the summer, and they make a mean smoothie.
- Cacao. Make your smoothie a chocolate milkshake, all in the name of adding this “superfood” to your diet. Go on. I won’t judge.
If you’re new to smoothie making, check out my video tutorial on how to make them perfect.
If you’re a smoothie master, share your favorite concoctions in the comments. A girl can never have enough smoothie flavors!
My bottom line on smoothies: They’re a great option for weekday mornings when you don’t have time to make anything more complicated. Just be mindful of how much stuff you put in that blender – it’s easy to go overboard and end up with a ginormous, 1000 calorie breakfast!
xo,
