In getting prepared for your daily smoothie, here is some information about essentials to have before you get blending

Here are some essentials to have on hand so you are ready to start enjoying your smoothies right on Feb 1^st! Do a big grocery shop, and get blending!

Blenders

A regular blender such as an Oster or a Hamilton Beach will work fine, but you may find you need to stop frequently and stir the ingredients to allow for better blending, especially if the ingredients are frozen. You may also need to add more fluid then suggested in the recipe to get a good blend

The NutriBullet is a good option to make blending easier, and isn’t overly expensive. The container is a little on the small side, so you may have to adjust ingredient amounts to fit, but otherwise will definitely get the job done

The Ninja is a very powerful and functional blender that is similar to the Vitamix without the same price tag. It will definitely get the job done without too much difficulty

The Vitamix is the Cadillac of blenders. It could probably blend a car if you needed it to! While it does boast a hefty price tag to go with the hefty blending, you can purchase it with payment plans from The Shopping Channel. You definitely won’t have any problems blending ice, frozen fruit, or any combination of ingredients we might slap together

Ingredients

Frozen Berries – You can use fresh, but the frozen kind add a nice texture and smoothness to your smoothie. If you purchase flash frozen, all the nutrients are maintained in the fruit

Frozen Mangoes – Mangoes are a pain in the butt to peel and de-stone, so this makes it quick and easy for rushed mornings. Plus, this way, they are always ripe!

Ripe Bananas – Bananas are often added to smoothies to give natural sweetness, they help the smoothie blend nicely, and add creaminess and thickness to the finished smoothie. To prevent them from going overripe, peel the bananas and cut into chunks and freeze. Then pull out the frozen bananas to use in your smoothie

Fresh Fruits – Whatever you like here. Oranges, kiwis, grapes, apples, pears, pineapple, melons – the sky is the limit! The recipes I’m giving you will often have only a few ingredients, but feel free to add any additional fruits or veggies

Fresh Veggies – Spinach, kale, cucumber, and lettuce are popular veggies to add to smoothies, and you will rarely be able to taste them. You can also add carrot if you have a blender powerful enough to blend them. As above, feel free to add extra veg to your smoothie, even if it’s not indicated in the recipe

Avocado – This can be a great way to add healthy fats to your smoothie, and it will make it smoother and creamier

Fluids – There is tons of variety that can be added here. Most of the time, the recipe will give you the fluid to use, but feel free to use your favourites. It could be plain water, rice or almond milk, coconut water, or a juice such as orange or carrot juice. For your juices, make sure there is no sugar added and they are not from concentrate i.e. Ceres, Simply Orange, Bolthouse Farms Juices, etc.

Protein Powder – This is definitely optional. Most of the recipes do not include a protein powder, but if you want to crank up the protein of your smoothie, feel free to add a scoop of your favourite protein powder to the blender. Be sure to blend up all your ingredients first, and then add in your protein and blend for just a few seconds to combine.

Nuts – Some smoothies may call for added nuts like walnut or almond, or nut butters such as peanut butter or almond butter. They enhance the flavour of the smoothie, make it more filling, and provide protein, healthy fats and fibres

Seeds – Some of the recipes will include flax seed, hemp seed, and chia seed among others. They often add a nutty flavour, but nutritionally they add healthy oils, fibre and protein. You can substitute for your favourites, and you can add them to any smoothie whether it’s an ingredient or not, so a good ingredient to keep around

Liquid Sweetener (NOT the artificial kind!!!) – some of the recipes call for some added sweetness to make it more palatable, to enhance the flavours, or to mask some of the veggie flavours. This is optional, you don’t always have to add something, and conversely, you can add some to smoothies that don’t call for it if you need the added sweetness. You can also substitute between the sweeteners if you want. Just remember that it will add some calories to your smoothie. Common options include honey, maple syrup, stevia, xylitol or coconut nectar.

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