The post Put a Creamy Twist on Your Smoothies With These Five Ingredients appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.
]]>Avocados
Avocados are one of the best sources of healthy fats on the market, and they’ll do wonders for your smoothies, helping you achieve the smooth and silky texture you’re aiming for.
Dairy Milk
Most people use milk as the liquid base when making smoothies, and that’s not a coincidence. You’ll have an easier time achieving a creamy texture with dairy milk than you would with water.
Frozen Fruits
Frozen fruits are one of the most popular smoothie ingredients, and not just because they’re delicious. They can also help you make your smoothies instantly creamy without watering them down.
Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt can also help you thicken the texture of your smoothies without overpowering the flavor of other ingredients, in addition to being a great source of protein.
Nut Butters
Nut butters will give your smoothies a smooth and velvety texture in the blink of an eye, and they’re more gentle on your blender blades than nuts.
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]]>Loading the Blender at Random
The order in which you load the blender makes more difference than you think. The proper order is to first add the liquid base before following up with powder, leafy greens, and fruit and veggies. This way, the blades of the blender will move more freely and provide better results.
Overfilling the Blender
This might be the most common mistake people make when preparing a smoothie. When you overfill the blender, you are essentially making it less efficient. It will have a harder time blending the ingredients and you’ll end up with a chunky drink. If you want a tall glass of smoothie, prepare it in separate batches with moderate filling of blender.
Trying to Rush the Blending
One of the draws of smoothies is that they are quick to make, but that doesn’t mean you should rush them. Instead, take your time and make sure you get an even consistency before pouring the drink out. You will achieve the best results if you start at a low speed and gradually increase it.
Adding Ice
There are a lot of people who add ice to their smoothies but while it might chill them, it is actually making them worse. The ice will not only water down the smoothie but it will also take away from the taste. If you can’t live without a cold smoothie, then adding frozen fruit is a much better alternative.
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]]>Con: Tough on Blades
Many blenders can’t handle ice, and even the ones that can won’t benefit from it. Ice can be very hard on the blades, and it can cause wear and tear over time, shortening the lifespan of your blender.
Pro: Zero Calories
One of the best things about ice is that it essentially contains zero calories, so it’s a great choice if you’re trying to make your smoothies as healthy and light as possible.
Con: Diluted Flavor
Despite lowering the calorie count of your smoothies, ice usually won’t do its flavor any favors because it can lead to a watered-down, diluted taste.
Pro: Thicker Texture
Many people swear by ice because it can give your smoothies a smoother texture by instantly making them thick and frosty.
Con: Better Alternatives
If you’re using ice to make your smoothies thick and cold, it’s a good idea to turn to other alternatives that aren’t as hard on your blender, such as frozen fruits and veggies, cold milk and other liquid bases.
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]]>Soy Milk
You’ll have to ditch dairy if you’re trying to make vegan smoothies. Luckily, there are many plant-based alternatives on the market, and soy milk is one of the very best.
Silken Tofu
Tofu is another soy-based food that happens to be a great vegan source of protein. It may not be the most obvious smoothie add-in, but you won’t even feel its taste when mixed up with other ingredients, especially if you opt for silken tofu.
Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt is a great smoothie add-in because it happens to be very protein-rich—just make sure to always pick a non-fat, plain variety to keep your smoothies on the healthy side.
Hemp Seeds
You can add all sorts of seeds to your smoothies to up their protein content, and hemp seeds happen to be one of the best options since they pack 10 grams of protein per three tablespoons.
Nuts and Nut Butters
Nuts happen to be a great source of protein, but you can also use any nut butter in their place if your blender isn’t powerful enough to handle them.
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]]>This smoothie recipe from I Love Vegan is not only healthy for you and packed full of nutrients, but it’s also plant-based and full of healthy fats and protein to give you energy and keep you satiated until lunch. Plus, smoothies are super easy to make, so you can get your day started quickly. Here’s how to make it happen.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250 ml) unsweetened almond milk
- 1 ripe banana, frozen
- ½ cup (125 ml) chopped mango, frozen
- 1-2 large handfuls of baby spinach
- ¼ cup (60 ml) pumpkin seeds (Pepita seeds)
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) hemp hearts (hulled hemp seeds)
- Optional: ½ scoop (approx. 30ml) vanilla protein powder + ¼ cup (60ml) water
Instructions:
- Throw the banana, spinach, pumpkin seeds, mango, and hemp hearts into a blender. Add almond milk and blend until smooth. That’s it!
- This recipe makes about two cups, which is a good serving size for one person, but it’s very easy to double or even triple if you want to make enough for multiple people.
- All in all, it’s a great source of vitamins B6, C, E, A K, protein, calcium, iron, zinc, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, potassium, and healthy fatty acids. Yum!
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]]>The freezer is a very effective tool for preserving fruit. Almost all fruits—from melon, banana, plum, peach, apple to strawberries and berries—cope well with freezing, with the exception of citrus fruit.
The home freezer works at a very low temperature. Low enough, to turn water to ice. Fruit that freeze and thaw will always be more soggy than their fresh counterparts. This is because of the process of freezing water in the fruit freeze in the form of crystals, which cause fluid loss during thawing.
VOTE!
⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀So, freezing fruit means the most appropriate use of them should be chosen in advance. To get the most of frozen fruit, group pieces of fruit you like into several bags, with each bag containing enough fruit for one serving of smoothie.
Freeze the bags and just pull one out and grind in a blender every morning with water, orange juice, yogurt—or any liquid that will help you get a yummy start to your day.
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]]>Step 1: Add Frozen Fruit
In order to keep your smoothie bowl from turning into a smoothie, you need to use frozen fruit. Choose your favorite fruits and add them to a blender. Add some frozen bananas to give your smoothie the creaminess. If you don’t like bananas, you can use avocados, but you’ll need to add more honey/maple syrup in the next step.
Step 2: Add Milk & Honey
Add 3 tablespoons of the milk of your choosing and 1-2 tablespoons of honey, depending on how sweet your want it. For a vegan option, use maple syrup instead of honey.
Step 3: Blend
Start on a low speed and then increase the speed to high. Make sure all the ingredients get down into the blades. Turn off the blender and use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the container and to push the ingredients into the blades. Keep blending until the mixture is smooth and thick.
Step 4: Add-Ins
If you want to put add-ins like chia seeds, protein powder, nut butter, or acai powder, put them in now.
and then tap on this exact photoStep 5: Toppings
When the smoothie reaches the consistency you want, pour it into bowls. Now’s the time to add the toppings which set smoothie bowls apart from smoothies. Some topping you can use are granola, nut butter, fresh fruit, nuts, seeds, and flaked coconut.
) – 3 frozen very ripe bananas – 1-2 tbsp açaí powder (I use @theorganiclab.eu , you can use my code MEMYSMOOTHIES20 to get 20% off your order) – 1 tbsp peanut butter – A splash of almond milk to get the blender going ? Mix it all in a high speed blender (use a tamper/stick to push the ingrediens towards the blades) until smooth, serve in a bowl and top it up with whatever makes your soul happy. Eat with your eyes closed and have the best day ever…??The post Your Step-by-step Guide to Making a Smoothie Bowl appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.
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]]>Leafy Greens
As a result I’m craving those cooling, refreshing breakfasts and snacks ? Something like this Tropical Greens smoothie with my fave greens powder from @indigo_herbs just hits the spot on warm summer days! Green smoothies have a little bit of a bad reputation but this one is a dream ?? It contains banana, pineapple AND mango which makes it really sweet, fruity and exotic tasting Leafy greens are one of the best sources of calcium and iron, two important nutrients to keep your body strong. To make sure you eat enough of these greens, make sure you put in things like chard, kale, and spinach. Since they are all neutral flavors, you can put them in any type of smoothie without altering the taste.
Beets
Beets are not only a gorgeous color, but they are full of manganese and potassium. Since they are naturally sweet, pair them in a smoothie with a tart green apple and whatever other fruits you like to add.
Celery
Although this is not something you would ever think to put in a smoothie, if you make a smoothie that is on the sweeter side, like with strawberries or mango, you really will not be able to taste it at all.
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]]>Ingredients:
To prepare this hangover smoothie you will need basics that you probably have in the freezer. As the name suggests, get one cup spinach and 1/2 cup blueberries. Also get one banana and 1/4 cup of either coconut milk, water, orange juice, apple juice or almond milk to your choice. The last thing you need is four ice cubes. The simplest ingredient list ever.
Preparation:
Put the banana, blueberries, the juice or milk, and ice cubes together in a blender. Blend them until you get a creamy mixture. This is the time when you add the cup of fresh spinach and blend again. You won’t be needing any sugar, but if you feel like you want the hangover smoothie to be sweeter, simply add some stevia to it. This is literally the best eye-opening recipe ever.
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