Smoothies...

[Garband]

I can't make a smooth smoothie. lol

I think I'm adding way too much liquid for the amount of solids I'm using... This is what I used a few minutes ago... Well, it's close. I just sort of glanced at the readings on the side of the blender.

1 to 1 1/2 cups of cream soda
1/2 to 1 cup orange juice
1 1/2 apples
3 handfuls of ice
16 ounces of yogurt (I started off with just 8, but it didn't do anything to thicken it)
About 3 to 4 tablespoons of honey

Looking at it written down I'm fairly sure it's too much liquid. What do you all say?

[GotGarlic]

I agree - too much liquid, and not enough fruit.

My favorite smoothie is strawberry/banana. I cut a banana into one-inch pieces and put them and 2 cups whole or halved (depending on size) strawberries on a cookie sheet and freeze. If you do this, you don't have to add ice, which is just water and dilutes the flavor.

When frozen, put in blender with 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt and 1 cup juice (orange would be too strong - apple juice would be good). Whiz till smooth. Makes two 1-1/2 cup servings. HTH.

[CharlieD]

Besides the point, but there was this place in Miami, just for smoothies, they guy only used fruits and berries, and plain water, no yougurt, nothing else. They were the best smoothies I ever had. Too bad he closed down ...

[Garband]

Originally Posted by GotGarlic

I agree - too much liquid, and not enough fruit.

My favorite smoothie is strawberry/banana. I cut a banana into one-inch pieces and put them and 2 cups whole or halved (depending on size) strawberries on a cookie sheet and freeze. If you do this, you don't have to add ice, which is just water and dilutes the flavor.

When frozen, put in blender with 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt and 1 cup juice (orange would be too strong - apple juice would be good). Whiz till smooth. Makes two 1-1/2 cup servings. HTH.

Lol, well, the apple isn't the only fruit. =P The yogurt was black cherry, and the honey is lime flavored, and I had some pineapple juice in it too. It's pretty fruit strong. lol

And that's actually what I thought about the ice.. I was putting it in and
I was thinking to myself "This is going to melt and it's going to be watered down." I was also wary of putting orange juice in it, but I was basing my recipe off of the "Sunrise Smoothie" thread. The orange is very overpowering at half a blender, so I dropped it off to this amount, and it's still strong.

And I'll have to try that Charlie. That'll require me buying a lot of fruit though. =P

[GB]

Way too much liquid. Also, I have never seen a smoothie with soda in it. If it were me i would leave that out. A smoothie can be a healthy drink with a great way to get some fruits (and even veggies) into your diet, but adding soda to it adds all sorts of unnecessary sugar and other junk that diminishes the healthy aspect.

[gadzooks]

I freeze vanilla soymilk in icecube trays. Also buy spotty bananas and cut up and freeze. Freeze strawberries, too, when I buy a flat. Blueberries always get used fresh. I also often incorporate some hemp protein powder. When I use that, pineapple juice or papaya juice is a must. If you're feeling heretical, try banana, frozen soymilk, cold coffee and chocolate syrup. Or, use frozen vanilla soymilk with boxed liquid chai, both Burning Man faves.

[GotGarlic]

Originally Posted by Garband

Lol, well, the apple isn't the only fruit. =P The yogurt was black cherry, and the honey is lime flavored, and I had some pineapple juice in it too. It's pretty fruit strong. lol

And that's actually what I thought about the ice.. I was putting it in and
I was thinking to myself "This is going to melt and it's going to be watered down." I was also wary of putting orange juice in it, but I was basing my recipe off of the "Sunrise Smoothie" thread. The orange is very overpowering at half a blender, so I dropped it off to this amount, and it's still strong.

And I'll have to try that Charlie. That'll require me buying a lot of fruit though. =P

Fruit and fruit juice and flavoring are not the same things. The juice doesn't include the fiber and some water-soluble nutrients, so it doesn't have the same health benefit: WHFoods: Is fruit juice as good as whole fruit?

And, I primarily said "not enough fruit" because less liquid and more whole fruit, including the fiber, would make the whole preparation thicker, as well as healthier.

[babetoo]

lately i have been making this for breakfast. 8 oz. 2% milk, one scoop slimfast choco powder, a whole banana, and hand full frozen strawberries. just a splash of vanilla. (take away the off taste of pwd. ).

it takes very good, is thick and fills me up. will branch out more the next time i order groceries.

babe

[stassie]

I'm wierd - I don't like banana in my smoothies. My favourite has a decent handful or two of frozen berries, a scoop of frozen yogurt, a couple of spoonfuls of normal yogurt, and a tiny bit of honey. I wiz all that together (sometimes with an ice cube or two) and then add a little milk until it's a consistancy I like.

[Garband]

Originally Posted by GotGarlic

Fruit and fruit juice and flavoring are not the same things. The juice doesn't include the fiber and some water-soluble nutrients, so it doesn't have the same health benefit: WHFoods: Is fruit juice as good as whole fruit?

And, I primarily said "not enough fruit" because less liquid and more whole fruit, including the fiber, would make the whole preparation thicker, as well as healthier.

Yeah, I figured that's what you meant. I was in a hurry, frustrated, and getting pretty mad at some people when I typed that, so I didn't catch that it would thicken it better until I came back and reread. Sorry. lol

Originally Posted by stassie

I'm wierd - I don't like banana in my smoothies. My favourite has a decent handful or two of frozen berries, a scoop of frozen yogurt, a couple of spoonfuls of normal yogurt, and a tiny bit of honey. I wiz all that together (sometimes with an ice cube or two) and then add a little milk until it's a consistancy I like.

What type of berries do you usually use? A lot of berries here are too expensive to buy enough for smoothies. lol