Smoothie Improvisations

Smoothies Improvised

I'm not a slave to smoothie recipes. I like to read recipes to get ideas for ingredients, but I'll never attempt to follow one exactly, not like I would with, say, a banana bread recipe.  Lately, my smoothies are my opportunity to clear out fruit that is just about to turn (into zombies? Zombie fruit sets the right image for me.).  I almost always throw in some ground flax seed for a daily dose of omega-3 and some spinach or kale to get a serving of raw leafy greens... and usually a frozen banana for texture. Sometimes, the smoothies are delicious and sometimes... not.

Improvised Smoothie Roundup

Name	Ingredients	Overall Rating	Comments
Green Loupe	1/8 of a cantaloupe 1 T ground flax 1 cored pear 1/4 c cooked white beans 2 large handfuls of baby spinach pinch of dried coconut 1/2 c rice milk	2	Needed to blend this longer. Not thick enough for my taste. Had a gritty pear texture.  On the plus side, the beans are undetectable. Made 2 large glasses.
Orange Pumpkin	1/4 can of canned pumpkin 1/16 of a canteloupe 3 peeled clementines 1 banana 1/4 c cooked white beans 3 dates 1 T ground flax pinch of dried coconut shake of cinnamon 1/2 c almond milk	4	Really delicious.  I wish I had used a frozen banana for the frostiness.
Strawberry Watermelon	2 c chunked watermelon 2 c frozen strawberries 1 banana 1/2 c frozen mango 1-2 T ground flax seed	4	Very tasty.  My daughter said it was my best smoothie ever.  Would be especially refreshing in summer if I added ice cubes until it was a slushie.
Blueberry Cherry Chocolate	1c. froz blueberries 1/2 c. froz cherries big grab of fresh spinach 1 T flax 1 T cocoa powder 1 pinch unsweetened dried flaked coconut 1/2 unsweetened vanilla almond milk	4	Delish. I love frozen cherries.  I like them best right out of the bag.  I considered not even adding them to the smoothie so I could save them for a snack later, but the combination of cherry and a hint of chocolate is so good I'm glad I did.
Blueberry Cranberry Banana Chocolate	1/2c -1c. froz blueberries 6-7 froz cranberries big grab of fresh spinach half a banana 1 T flax 1 T cocoa powder 1/2 unsweetened light soy milk	4	NutritionFacts.org mentions that cranberries are exceptional cancer fighters so I thought I'd try adding some cranberries to a smoothie. With the banana and cocoa, they're almost undetectable, but add an occasional pleasant tang.  I will make this one again. Added bonus, cocoa is good for you too!
Blueberry Cranberry	1/2c -1c. froz blueberries 6-7 froz cranberries big grab of fresh spinach 1 T flax a few shakes a cinnamon 3/4 unsweetened light soy milk	3	Surprisingly good.  I intended to make another Blueberry Cranberry Banana Chocolate, but then I forgot the banana and chocolate!  Still delish.  I could add even more cranberries as this was not tart at all.
Kale Surprise	1 c. TJ's unsweetened coconut milk 1/2 c. TJ's frozen kale 1 carrot, broken into chunks 1 T chia seed 1 T flax seed 1 T almond butter 1 T honey	3	Not as bad as I was expecting! I would actually make this again. Made two glasses.
Green Apple	1 c. TJ's unsweetened vanilla almond milk 1 T. rice protein powder, vanilla 1 medium granny smith apple, cored 1/2 - 1 c. Frozen Kale (TJ's) half a banana, frozen 1 T flax seed	3	I could try adding a carrot or mango to this.