My top tips for the perfect smoothie
Smoothies can be awesome, or genuinely terrible. Whilst they are super quick and easy, occasionally you can get it oh so wrong and end up with 500ml of liquid that you wouldn't even wish upon your worst enemy. Believe me, I have done it so you don’t have to.
I have fortunately learnt from my mistakes and have compiled a list of tips to help you achieve the perfect smoothie.
High speed blender
This is the very first key to making yourself the PERECT smoothie. A high speed blender is vital, especially for that smooth and creamy consistency, no one likes the lumps and if you say you do you're lying to yourself. It’s in the name…SMOOTHie. I use a Sunbeam Cafe Series Blender which is 2000 watts. I wouldn’t be going for anything under 1500 watts at the very least. Once you get lower then that you will find that your smoothie just wont be as lump-free as what you would like, and adding things like nuts or ice to your smoothie just doesn't get broken up and blended in.
2. Freeze your banana
This is such a simple thing but it makes such a difference to your smoothie experience. By freezing your banana it takes away that over powering banana flavour and leaves you with all the best bits of the banana flavour, as well as making your smoothie extra creamy! It works a bit like adding ice cream to your smoothie in that it thickens up the consistency and makes your smoothie at least 10 times better than what it would of been if you had used fresh banana. To freeze your banana peel it, cut it into a few large pieces and then wrap it up in some cling wrap and freeze.
3. Keep your ratios right
This is a big one, especially if you're using veggies like spinach in your smoothie. If you're just blending fruit then go for it, but if you are using veggies you have to get the ratio right. If you are new to veggies in your smoothies then I would do a 2-3 pieces of fruit for every one veggie, if you're used to drinking your veggies, then 1-2 pieces of fruit for every veggie will get you by. I do encourage you to add veggies though, because they are easily disguised within the smoothie and can add a lot of extra nutrition to your smoothie. Spinach and avocado blend in really well and can hardly be detected in a blend with banana and berries. Trust me.
4. Add the right amount of protein
I must stress, if you are using smoothies as a meal replacement or snack, you MUST add some form of protein in. This protein will keep you feeling fuller for longer and the nutrition from the smoothie will be increased, making it a much more well rounded meal or snack. Protein doesn't have to come just from protein powder, it can all be in the form of nuts or seeds, or even tofu, yep tofu. Silken tofu blends straight into a smoothie without any detection and provides a great source o protein, as well as isoflavones from the soy. LSA (ground up linseeds, sunflower seeds and almonds) is another way to boost the nutrition of your smoothie without compromising the taste !-2 tablespoons of LSA will again blend straight in and provide your body with protein, fibre and plenty of beneficial fats.
5. Keep it cool.
Fact: smoothies taste better chilled. They really do, so if you haven't got any frozen fruit of veggies in your smoothie then adding a handful of ice will make your smoothie experience better.
