Sipping on Smoothies
Warm weather is officially here and that means taking a trip to smoothie city! Does anyone else only drink smoothies when its hot outside? I’m definitely a warm weather smoothie person. Smoothies are a fantastic way to ingest substantial servings of fruit and vegetables. Many people prefer juices and view them as a legitimate source of consuming fruits and vegetables. I think smoothies are the more wholesome and nutritious beverage out of the two, but that’s just my personal preference and opinion. I like making smoothies because you can truly be creative when creating them. Smoothies are so versatile, nutritious, and refreshing. Plus, I always feel so good inside after drinking a smoothie. I think smoothies can be a daily addition in your diet if you don’t like eating raw fruits and vegetables, if you struggle to get your daily servings of fruit and vegetables, or if you’re just lazy and want something healthy, fast, and easy. As a self-proclaimed lazy person, the words ‘easy’ and ‘healthy’ almost always resonate with me.
I have a couple of smoothie recipes that I frequently make, they never fail me. I don’t always combine vegetables and fruit, sometimes it is a combination of just fruit. My base for smoothies is typically homemade yogurt, however I’ll use almond milk occasionally. The simplest smoothie I like to make consists of solely fruit, no vegetables: strawberry, banana, mint, a dash of raw organic honey, and almond milk. I love making this one because the mint adds a refreshing zing to the overall fruit taste of the smoothie; it’s quite tasty. For an extra nutritional boost, sometimes I add chia seeds. Chia seeds are packed with protein and fiber, definitely an easy addition to any smoothie.
Another favorite smoothie I like to make consists of cucumber, spinach, mango, peach, and yogurt. When I make a smoothie that contains vegetables, my rule is to make sure the fruit to vegetable ratio is two to one or there’s an equal amount of vegetables and fruit. I prefer the taste of fruitiness as opposed to an earthy vegetable taste, like the kind you get from a kale green smoothie, for example. Everyone’s smoothie palette is different, mine is definitely on the fruitier side.
Furthermore, before I took pre-workouts I used to make a matcha smoothie before going to the gym. Since I’m a tea fanatic, I will always have a lot of love for matcha. Matcha gives you energy and provides the benefits of ten cups of green tea, in one cup. I started incorporating matcha in my diet when I heard that fun and unbelievable fact. Anyway, my matcha smoothie consists of only three ingredients: matcha, a banana, and almond milk. The first time I made this smoothie I was actually making matcha. I wanted it to get in my system fast, I wanted it to be iced basically. Then it hit me, instead of making a regular iced matcha latte, how about I throw it in the blender with a banana? The results of my matcha smoothie were amazing. So simple and so delicious, if I do say so myself.
The newest smoothie I’ve been making lately that I’m kind of obsessed with is a moringa smoothie. It consists of spinach, pineapple, banana, yogurt and of course, moringa. Moringa is a great addition to incorporate in smoothies because it contains almost ten essential amino acids and a ton of other nutrients. Moringa also strengthens your immune system; I’m all about that! Anyway, if I’m at home and have time, of course I make one of the smoothies listed above, but if I’m out and constantly on the go all day, sometimes I stop by a smoothie shop for a delicious and nutritious pick me up. If you’re into making smoothies, get creative with them, you’ll be surprised and pleasantly surprised with all the wonderful combinations you come up with. Happy sipping!
