How I Make My Smoothies

When I wake up, the first thing I think about is coffee. Once that’s taken care of, I spend time with my daughter then I go work out. After, at this point, I’m ravenous but I also want something healthy because I don’t want to undo all that good exercise work, so it’s smoothie time! Our current favorite is the Peanut Butter Banana Berry Smoothie. At this point in my life, I feel like I’ve perfected the art of making smoothies so I thought I’d share with you all my method for making them. Here’s how I make my smoothies…

I start with about a half-cup to a cup of liquid (water, milk, plant-based milk or juice – although I tend to stay away from juices unless a specific recipe calls for it) to my Vitamix. Starting with the liquid gives a base for the ingredients. When there’s not enough liquid the blender starts sounding like a jet engine because there’s not enough liquid to easily puree the solid ingredients. It becomes a difficult mass to process.

Then I add raw oatmeal, a banana, yogurt and/or a nut butter (depending what my tastebuds are calling for) and other fresh fruit – usually whatever is on hand. Because it’s summer, lately it’s been blueberries and peaches and melon. Next I add a handful or two of something green, like spinach or kale.

I top the liquid and fresh fruits and veggies off with some frozen fruit. I usually buy an organic brand of mixed berries or tropical fruits. Lately I’ve been using a frozen berry mix but I’ve also used frozen pineapple and mango.

I flip on the Vitamix and slowly let it ramp up before switching to high power. I watch carefully as all the ingredients mix and process and puree. Then I add about a glass of crushed ice while it’s blending so it doesn’t get all stuck at the top.

I let it run, usually about a minute, sometimes more, until I notice it looks smooth and silky. As it’s blending, you want all the chunks to blend out and the smoothie to look silky-smooth. Silky-looking is key because I know there aren’t any chunks or pieces left. When it looks silky, the smoothie lives up to its name.

After all this, the smoothie is all done! It’s time to pour, relax and enjoy! 

How do you make your smoothies?

I want to know! I hope this helps to inspire you to make some of your own smoothies. Leave a comment below to let me know how yours go. ~xoxo~ Deb