Smoothies are a wonderful addition to meals and snacks when you are eating clean. You can have smoothie during any time of the day, from breakfast to a post-workout snack, and there are an endless amount of combinations.
Take a look at some of these easy smoothie tips and some ideas for putting it all together.
Basic Formula for Making Smoothies
Before starting, here is an easy formula for putting your smoothie together:
Frozen banana or ice + fruit + greens (optional) + yogurt + liquid + optional flavorings
This is a really simple formula that will help you when creating your own smoothies. Of course, there are many variations on this as not all smoothies need yogurt, and you may have just fruit and juice in your smoothie. However, this works great when you really aren’t sure what kind of smoothie you want to make.
Simple Green Smoothie
A green smoothie is ideal for clean eating if the smoothie is replacing a meal because it helps to give you more fiber, increases the nutrients, and makes you fuller for longer. A good green smoothie includes about a cup of greens, a cup of frozen fruit, ½ frozen banana or a handful of ice, and some liquid. You can also choose to add a little yogurt, but since you have a banana in there, it isn’t required.
Here is a fun green smoothie recipe:
1 cup of kale and spinach
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup almond milk
½ frozen banana
All Berry Smoothie
To simplify it even more, you can have a smoothie with just frozen berries. Bananas that are frozen are often used in most smoothies because they not only thicken it up and make it to where yogurt isn’t a requirement, but if it’s frozen, you don’t actually need ice. That way, if you are using fresh berries, but a frozen banana, your smoothie is cold even without the ice.
So for a berry smoothie, try this simple combination:
½ cup strawberries
½ cup raspberries
½ cup blueberries
½ frozen banana
1 cup liquid – milk or juice
Breakfast Smoothie
This is where you can really get creative with it. When your smoothie is for breakfast, and you don’t think fruit and veggies is enough to keep you full, add in some other ingredients that turn it more into a filling breakfast. For example, you can use oats or peanut butter in your smoothie.
Try a simple smoothie with:
1 frozen banana
½ cup oats
½ cup peanut butter
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 cup milk