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Before focusing on all the easy ways to make smoothies at
home, it’s important to check that you are increasing
your nutrition and not just increasing calories. For
example, a quick comparison of two menu items at a fast food
restaurant show many differences in the nutrition content of
a fruit smoothie and a fruit-flavored milk shake.
On one hand, the milkshake does offer more calcium than the
smoothie but the flip side is that the milkshake offers no
dietary fiber and it has many more total calories as well as
calories from fat. Check your size of the smoothie, the
ingredients and the nutrition label to make your best
choice. These same tips can be used for making your own
smoothie.
In order to keep the calories down use low-fat or soy milk
rather than whole milk. Try nonfat yogurt instead of ice
cream. Don’t add extra sugar or sweeteners until you sample
the smoothie first. Common ingredients in smoothies include
combinations of fruit and often either milk or yogurt. Ice
might or might not be added. If someone does not usually
drink milk, other options include soy milk or silken tofu.
There is no wrong way to make a smoothie although some tips
help make it easier:
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Any fruit can be used from canned or fresh to frozen.
One advantage of frozen fruit is that it helps thicken
the smoothie as it adds flavor and sweetness. Purchase
frozen fruit or freeze your own.
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Bananas are a common ingredient to add sweetness as well
as to thicken a smoothie.
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To increase the amount of calcium in the smoothie, use
milk or yogurt and add nonfat dry milk powder when
mixing.
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To increase the fiber content, some choose to add ground
flaxseed, wheat germ or wheat bran.
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For different flavors, consider adding mint, vanilla,
cinnamon or cocoa. Start with a small amount, sample and
add more if needed.
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Vegetables! Although fruit is a more common ingredient,
some vegetables to add to a smoothie are spinach and
other fresh greens, red beets, sweet bell peppers and
carrots.
The only kitchen equipment needed to make a smoothie is a
blender. There are smoothie blenders on the market and have
a couple features to make the job easier but they are not a
requirement. One difference in a smoothie blender is that
they tend to have a narrower bottom on the blender jar. This
makes it easier to make a single serving compared to a
traditional blender with a fairly wide bottom.
A couple other tips include using smaller pieces of ice and
frozen fruit. Large pieces of ice and fruit might make the
blending harder. Also, it is fine to make a smoothie and
store it in the refrigerator to drink later but the color
might change if it stands too long. Most smoothies look
nicest immediately after they’ve been blended.
As you try different combinations of ingredients, they might
not always look beautiful but they might taste great! The
following recipe from Super Healthy Kids (online) is a great
example of using fresh fruit that might be just beyond its
peak for fresh snacking. Instead of sitting in the
refrigerator, toss the grapes in the freezer and then pull
out later for this easy, sweet treat.
Sweet and Sour Grape
Smoothie Recipe from Super Healthy Kids
2 cups
frozen grapes
1/2 cup
vanilla yogurt
2/3 cup
water
Blend
until smooth. Enjoy!
Smoothie Samples in the Community! Have you ever seen a Blender Bike in
action? A Blender Bike is a blender in front and it’s
powered by the person on the stationary bike. Join students,
family and community members at Pickett Academy at 1144 Blum
Street, Toledo, 43607 on Saturday, May 13, from 11:00 a.m. –
1:00 p.m. as the school partners with Food for Thought for
Free Groceries and with Ohio State University Extension,
Lucas County and the Pickett Elementary School Cooking Club
for a Blender Bike demonstration and smoothie samples.
Information from NC Cooperative Extension, Randolph and
University of Nebraska Lincoln, Extension, Super Healthy
Kids and Food Hero by Oregon State University Extension.
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