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Fruit smoothies: blenders and recipes (1 Viewer)

offdee

Footballguy
I need to get into the world of fruit smoothies.  Don’t eat enough fruit and would like to replace a meal a day with a good smoothie. Looking for thoughts on 2 things..

1) recommendations for blenders…just making them for myself.  Easy to clean, easy to use, etc  

2) solid recipes or best way to make the best fruit smoothies.  I’m not into coconut…I’m a raspberry, blackberry, strawberry kinda guy.     Also into chocolate smoothies if there’s any healthy mix options  

Keep it smooth fellas 

 
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Clean my teeth and Timberlands with the same brush

I stretch your body out like Jack Lalanne does

 
I need to get into the world of fruit smoothies.  Don’t eat enough fruit and would like to replace a meal a day with a good smoothie. Looking for thoughts on 2 things..

1) recommendations for blenders…just making them for myself.  Easy to clean, easy to use, etc  

2) solid recipes or best way to make the best fruit smoothies.  I’m not into coconut…I’m a raspberry, blackberry, strawberry kinda guy.     Also into chocolate smoothies if there’s any healthy mix options  

Keep it smooth fellas 
Vitamix will make the smoothest smoothie, soup, sauce, etc. you can imagine.  I've also heard good things about Blendtec but no personal experience.  

 
In all seriousness, smoothies are great. Get your daily fix of fruit in one swell drink. Nuts and bolts of the anti-oxidant system. Have at, friends! 

 
Incorporate some veggies in there ideally. Can be too much sugar with just fruit. 

I do carrots, spinach, plain yogurt (Siggi's), celery, strawberries, raspberries. 

 
Re: cleaning

I have a vitamix. Usually just run it with warm water and dish soap to clean, then rinse it out. I assume you can do this with most blenders.

 
Vitamix will make the smoothest smoothie, soup, sauce, etc. you can imagine.  I've also heard good things about Blendtec but no personal experience.  
I vouch for the Blendtec. Thing has dull blades by design. It's a pulverizer. No idea if it is better than Vitamix, but they seem to be the two top choices. My sister loves a Ninja I gave her when I found out she didn't own a blender. To gadgety for me. Blendtec is simple power. Most smoothie shops use Vitamix or Blendtec. 

 
Big fan of the Ninja blender. I make a smoothie every day with Costco frozen fruit (strawberries, mixed berries) along with a banana, a cup of Greek yogurt and a splash of milk. 
This is the kind of recipe that sounds really good to me.  Do you freeze all the fruit and banana? Do you add ice or no? 

 
Big fan of the Ninja blender. I make a smoothie every day with Costco frozen fruit (strawberries, mixed berries) along with a banana, a cup of Greek yogurt and a splash of milk. 
This is the kind of recipe that sounds really good to me.  Do you freeze all the fruit and banana? Do you add ice or no? 
The fruit is frozen - sold in big bags from Costco. I pour hot water over the fruit to break it up before I blend. As for the bananas, I like to use really ripe ones for the sweet factor. Normally not frozen unless they get too ripe and want to avoid them getting spoiled.

ETA: no ice needed 

 
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Vitamix will make the smoothest smoothie, soup, sauce, etc. you can imagine.  I've also heard good things about Blendtec but no personal experience.  


Yeah, invest in a good blender, either a Blentec or Vitamix that will last you a lifetime and blend just about anything.  You can occasionally find them on sale for the same price as a pair of jeans.  

For smoothies, frozen fruit is the way to go for berries etc.  Generally cheaper, won't spoil and no need ice.  Bananas and Avocados are the only thing I add in fresh.  

Current daily smoothie - 8 oz water, 4 oz coconut water, frozen strawberries, Sambazon Acai, handful of spinach, half a avocado and a scoop of Isopure vanilla protein.

Note:   I'm pretty sure there's a similar thread somewhere in the FFA archives about smoothies.  

 
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I love a good mango lassi.

I like using mango pulp (you can buy cans of it from most ethnic grocery stores), but you can certainly use fresh mango.

Plain yogurt, mango pulp, milk, honey. 

This is a quick easy breakfast and the kids love it too.

 
Have a Vitamix. About 6 years old. Thing is a beast. Would def recommend. Pay a bit extra and get one of these premium mixers, think there’s a few brands. Will last forever and will blend anything easily. 

Pretty much every morning drink, I’m boring: 

Frozen spinach, blueberries, some water, a banana, some collagen protein powder stuff. Sometimes a chocolate protein shake in there too.

 
Yeah, invest in a good blender, either a Blentec or Vitamix that will last you a lifetime and blend just about anything.  You can occasionally find them on sale for the same price as a pair of jeans.  

For smoothies, frozen fruit is the way to go for berries etc.  Generally cheaper, won't spoil and no need ice.  Bananas and Avocados are the only thing I add in fresh.  

Current daily smoothie - 8 oz water, 4 oz coconut water, frozen strawberries, Sambazon Acai, handful of spinach, half a avocado and a scoop of Isopure vanilla protein.

Note:   I'm pretty sure there's a similar thread somewhere in the FFA archives about smoothies.  
That’s funny, as I think frozen bananas or avocado are key to making smoothies smooth. Definitely don’t need ice.

 My typical smoothie - two frozen bananas, açaí smoothie pack from Costco, enough almond milk to cover the fruit, a couple shakes cinnamon, and cacao powder. Occasionally I’ll sub frozen avocado for the bananas, or leave out the açaí and add a handful of fresh blueberries or PB2 powder instead.

 
Have a vitamix here. Love it.

1 cup oatmeal 

1 banana

1 avocado 

1 cup spinach

1 cup wild frozen blueberries 

1 cup whole fat kefir 

1/4 cup chia seeds 

1/4 cup hemp hearts

1/4 cup pb fit

2 squares 90% dark chocolate 

2 scoops whey protein 

2 cups water

 
This one sounds gross, but its really delicious and hits all the high spots for fruit and veggie intake.

400ml coconut water

2 tbsp lemon cod liver oil

1 carrot

3/4 cup frozen spinach

3/4 cup frozen blueberries

2 scoops vanilla protein powder

 
4 oz smoked brisket point (CAB+)

4 oz pulled pork (duroc or berkshire best)

4 oz vintage aged cheddar cheese

1/2 cup slow sauteed sweet onion

3 oz favorite BBQ sauce (Stubbs Spicy or Rudy's)

1 Serrano pepper

1/2 cup espresso

AFTER blending smooth throw in some creamed corn for texture.

Deeeeelicious! And believe it or not, just this for breakfast will fill you up pretty good on most days until lunch.

 
That’s funny, as I think frozen bananas or avocado are key to making smoothies smooth. Definitely don’t need ice.

 My typical smoothie - two frozen bananas, açaí smoothie pack from Costco, enough almond milk to cover the fruit, a couple shakes cinnamon, and cacao powder. Occasionally I’ll sub frozen avocado for the bananas, or leave out the açaí and add a handful of fresh blueberries or PB2 powder instead.


They're great frozen as well.  Before they get old, I'll put them in the freezer to preserve so it really depends. 

Also, throw in a scoop of matcha to the mix for a nice boost instead of coffee.  

 
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$700 ?!!?!

And sounds like I'm gonna have to make room in my freezer to now fit both fruit and jeans.


Some go even higher but I think you're good in the $250-400 range.  I have the Blendtec 575 and can't complain.    If you're patient, you can find Vitamix and Blentecs on sale for under $300.  

 
Some go even higher but I think you're good in the $250-400 range.  I have the Blendtec 575 and can't complain.    If you're patient, you can find Vitamix and Blentecs on sale for under $300.  
Just looking on Amazon found a Blendtec for $380 (list price $599)

Blendtec Total Classic Original Blender (75 oz), Professional Grade Power- 6 pre-programmed cycles- 10 speeds

** I saw the 575 too for only $7 cheaper ($373) with a list price of $525....so seems like the upgrade above is worth the slight difference?

Is that $380 version a decent price?

 
Just looking on Amazon found a Blendtec for $380 (list price $599)

Blendtec Total Classic Original Blender (75 oz), Professional Grade Power- 6 pre-programmed cycles- 10 speeds

** I saw the 575 too for only $7 cheaper ($373) with a list price of $525....so seems like the upgrade above is worth the slight difference?

Is that $380 version a decent price?


There's so many models and not having experience with the other, I really couldn't tell you.   Just checked Amazon and I purchased the 575 for $264 from them last summer.  Looks like it's $310 now:  https://www.amazon.com/Blendtec-Wildside-Professional-Grade-Self-Cleaning-Pre-programmed/dp/B01FHQVZJ6

 
Wow, I might have to step up my game after looking at these recipes. I always do simple smoothies. 

  • Water
  • Banana
  • Frozen fruit
  • Plain Greek yogurt
That's it. Just finished one. Blueberries and cherries this morning. Frozen strawberries seem to always be sold out at stores recently.

I refuse to do blackberries. I love blackberries, but don't like the seeds in my smoothie.

I use a single serve Ninja blender.

 
I have a Ninja and love it.  Vitamix and Blendtec are better, but the price is much higher too.  Any of these three will handle smoothies with ease.

I also get the frozen bags of fruit from Costco(Hi Zamboni!).  A regular grocery store has them too.  

Here's my go to breakfast blend:

1 cup frozen fruit of choice

1/2 cup walnuts

2 tablespoons Chai seed, Hemp hearts, or freshly ground flax seed

1 banana

2 cups fresh spinach or kale

Blend to smooth.

Let's get this out of the way now:  no need for yogurt or milk or any dairy really.  It is pretty smooth on it's own.  There is plenty of protein in the walnuts, chai/hemp/flax, and spinach/kale that your body needs.  

 
Used this 600 watt Nutibullet for about a year. It does the job, would recommend.

Upgraded to this 1000 watt unit. Like it better, it’s able to chew up frozen fruit easier.

My daily 32 oz smoothie:

1/2 to 2/3 cup frozen berries - typically buy 3lb bags of Wymans from Amazon Fresh, either blueberries or mixed berries

1/2 to 1/3 cup fresh berries / rotate raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries 

(for most products presume it’s organic except for bananas)

1 avocado (Haas? Hass? the big ones) 
1 banana     
1 lemon
1 red apple (Fuji or Gala)   

optional - 3 to 5 ounces kale or blend of super greens 

2 tablespoons MCT3 oil (coconut oil)
2 tablespoons Organic raw apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Vital Proteins collagen & peptides powder
1 tablespoon Organic raw hemp seeds mixed with Organic flaxseed + Organic black chia seeds

2 cups Organic plain yogurt (personal preference - see below)
1 cup organic coconut milk

or if you prefer non-dairy an organic juice blend and/or water in lieu of yogurt

***************

So if you’re like me, you’ll look at that and think what the af. This recipe is based on something my fiancé makes every day - I skip the greens & use yogurt/milk instead of juice. She has some chronic pain issues in her joints and most of this stuff is designed to help with that.

Before I began starting my day with a smoothie, I went over this with a nutritionist I have access to at the VA. She went through each ingredient and explained the benefits of every single item. Listen, I’m not an expert, and I didn’t write down everything she told me, but it gave me a level of comfort. This helps regulate my digestive system while providing basically all of my daily nutritional needs.

Thus has replaced my breakfast. I have a light lunch and/or snack in the afternoon. I have been losing weight (mainly through exercise), I’m sleeping better - less insomnia  and more sound, deep sleep. My energy level is WAY better.

****************

I’m a combat veteran who struggles with depression and PTSD. It takes like ten different things to effectively manage it. But diet, for me anyway, has massive influence on moods and the level of effort required to manage emotions.

This is by no means a cure all, but I’ve experimented with a lot of different types of diets over the years. Making this smoothie my consistent daily regiment has absolutely transformed my life.

ETA:

forgot 1 lemon

which leads to a question for which I’m not 100% sure of the answer: when to buy organic?

I’ve read a few articles & discussed this with my nutritionist so I think I have this correct 

but if I’m wrong please LMK

if it has a rind or a peel, I’m buying non-organic 

I don’t eat the banana peel or the outside of the avocado or the lemon - the pesticides & growth chemical may don’t penetrate to the food we consume 

for apples & berries I want organic

so that’s fruits & veggies 

what I don’t fully understand (& just sort of blindly follow others recommendations) - I buy a ton of organic products. IOW, I don’t think I could explain it to a 5 year old in under  2 minutes. I don’t understand it as well as I should.

 
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My go-to smoothie is a banana, about 4oz water or milk, whatever berries I have on hand, peanut butter, a scoop of protein powder (chocolate or vanilla), and a couple ice cubes.

Tastes like a PB & J

 
My daily 32 oz smoothie:

1/2 to 2/3 cup frozen berries - typically buy 3lb bags of Wymans from Amazon Fresh, either blueberries or mixed berries

1/2 to 1/3 cup fresh berries / rotate raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries 

(for most products presume it’s organic except for bananas)

1 avocado (Haas? Hass? the big ones) 
1 banana     
1 lemon
1 red apple (Fuji or Gala)   

optional - 3 to 5 ounces kale or blend of super greens 

2 tablespoons MCT3 oil (coconut oil)
2 tablespoons Organic raw apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Vital Proteins collagen & peptides powder
1 tablespoon Organic raw hemp seeds mixed with Organic flaxseed + Organic black chia seeds

2 cups Organic plain yogurt (personal preference - see below)
1 cup organic coconut milk

or if you prefer non-dairy an organic juice blend and/or water in lieu of yogurt


That is a beast of a smoothie.  Thinking it would run you around $50 at a Manhattan juice shop.  

I used the Vital Proteins collagen powder before and definitely noticed improvements in my skin.  The only thing I'd consider adding to your smoothie is a mushroom extract powder which has all sorts of benefits (I've been using Sacred 7) .

 
I had that blender prior to my Vitamix. I promise you, the Vitamix makes far superior smoothies, sauces, and soups. There is no comparison. Have you ever used a Vitamix?
I have not. At 5-7X the price, I'm sure it makes superior smoothies. I doubt it makes 5-7X superior smoothies.

 
I had that blender prior to my Vitamix. I promise you, the Vitamix makes far superior smoothies, sauces, and soups. There is no comparison. Have you ever used a Vitamix?
Ninja:  $109 - makes decent smoothies.  micro chunks, but still can be considered a 'smoothie'.

Vitamix:  $289 - makes very good smoothies.  Velvety smooth drinks.

I have a Ninja.  I understand the Vitamix makes much better smoothies.  I'd rather have ok smoothies and spend the $180 on other things.

 
That is a beast of a smoothie.  Thinking it would run you around $50 at a Manhattan juice shop.  

I used the Vital Proteins collagen powder before and definitely noticed improvements in my skin.  The only thing I'd consider adding to your smoothie is a mushroom extract powder which has all sorts of benefits (I've been using Sacred 7) .


:lol:

There's a new bakery on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights (first neighborhood to be landmarked, lots of blueblood money around there.) Became super popular during the pandemic lockdown when they did everything in their apartment and sold only online.

Among other things, L'Appartement 4F* is famous for the mini-croissant breakfast cereal. Price?

$50 per box.

Breakfast cereal.

***************

My fiancé tells me I am duty bound to let everyone know yogurt (or ANY dairy product) is superfluous to my smoothie recipe. Use organic blended juices which are low in sugar instead. Or water if it comes out too thick.

My smoothies are so thick the straw never falls over lol.

*115 Montague - in the old Connecticut Muffin storefront

 
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This is the kind of recipe that sounds really good to me.  Do you freeze all the fruit and banana? Do you add ice or no? 


When fresh blueberries are on sale I buy 10lbs at a time and freeze them.  Also cut bananas into 2 inch slices and freeze. Be care though if you add too much banana it gets too thick.

I make a number of smoothies but right now after a workout my go to is.

Frozen blueberry, banana, fresh ginger, hemp and chia seeds, crushed almonds, Combat Whey protein from Costco and unsweetened almond milk.

I bought a Ninja blender on sale at Costco for 99.00 last year and it works great.  Was going to buy a Vitamix but it was 4 times as much and all I use it for are smoothies and margaritas for my wife.

Just thinking about it.  I I eat around 75lbs of blueberries a year just by myself maybe more.  No ownder they are expensive. :)

 
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Ninja:  $109 - makes decent smoothies.  micro chunks, but still can be considered a 'smoothie'.

Vitamix:  $289 - makes very good smoothies.  Velvety smooth drinks.

I have a Ninja.  I understand the Vitamix makes much better smoothies.  I'd rather have ok smoothies and spend the $180 on other things.


Nutribullet 24 oz personal (you can buy a 32 oz to use with it) 600 watt

$59 on Amazon

Nutribullet blender 1000 watt 32 oz blender

list $89 currently $74 (same price we paid months ago) on Amazon

These are the two I have used. There's also a Nutribullet 1200 watt for $85. 

The first one is not the greatest but it does the job. The latter is more than sufficient in pulverizing any fruit/veggie or frozen ingredients. 

IME

 
Big fan of the Ninja blender. I make a smoothie every day with Costco frozen fruit (strawberries, mixed berries) along with a banana, a cup of Greek yogurt and a splash of milk. 
I have a Ninja something as well. Used to be big into smoothies but the 700 calories and excess sugar just weren't worth the proverbial squeeze. I've found better ways to ingest fruits & vegetables than the smoothie. That said, my old recipe:

1 - banana

1 - cup almond milk (30 cal, unsweetened)

3 - tbsp oatmeal

1/4 tsp Turmeric

2 1/1 - tbsp Chia seeds ground to a fine powder

2 - tbsp Bragg's Apple Cider vinegar

1 - cup frozen blueberries

1 - cup mixed frozen berries

1 - cup cranberry juice

1 - scoop Whet protein

3 - drops Vitamin D

 
Big fan of the Ninja blender.


I shouldn't be surprised bc FBGs but I had no idea people spend so much on smoothie blenders.

The thing about Manhattan apartments is you learn to be minimalist. Bringing something in (anything)? OK, fine, what are you throwing out / taking to Goodwill?

Any single use appliance is pretty much an automatic no. Most NYC apts/condos/co-ops are not designed to have a dozen countertop appliances. That's the biggest reason I like the Nutribullet (or something similar), they're compact.

 
The Lists

Dirty Dozen™ – buy organic from this list:

  1. Strawberries
  2. Spinach
  3. Kale, Collard and Mustard Greens
  4. Nectarines
  5. Apples
  6. Grapes
  7. Cherries
  8. Peaches
  9. Pears
  10. Bell and Hot Peppers
  11. Celery
  12. Tomatoes
Clean Fifteen™ – choose non-organic:

  1. Avocados
  2. Sweet Corn
  3. Pineapple
  4. Onions
  5. Papaya
  6. Sweet Peas (frozen)
  7. Eggplant
  8. Asparagus
  9. Broccoli
  10. Cabbage
  11. Kiwi
  12. Cauliflower
  13. Mushrooms
  14. Honeydew Melon
  15. Cantaloupes
EWG shopper's guide

 
Wow, I might have to step up my game after looking at these recipes. I always do simple smoothies. 

  • Water
  • Banana
  • Frozen fruit
  • Plain Greek yogurt
That's it. Just finished one. Blueberries and cherries this morning. Frozen strawberries seem to always be sold out at stores recently.

I refuse to do blackberries. I love blackberries, but don't like the seeds in my smoothie.

I use a single serve Ninja blender.
i've found that, on the internet at least, when asking for "quick", "simple", "easy" recipes you're only going to get 37 step, 3-day prep times and get called an idiot or lazy for questioning if those recipes are really "simple".

i'm here for the smoothie recipes, though

 
I shouldn't be surprised bc FBGs but I had no idea people spend so much on smoothie blenders.

The thing about Manhattan apartments is you learn to be minimalist. Bringing something in (anything)? OK, fine, what are you throwing out / taking to Goodwill?

Any single use appliance is pretty much an automatic no. Most NYC apts/condos/co-ops are not designed to have a dozen countertop appliances. That's the biggest reason I like the Nutribullet (or something similar), they're compact.
I don't remember what it was called, but we had a $10 single serving blender from Wal Mart. The first one broke after maybe six months. I went and got another one and that broke in a few days. So, I then spent about $80 on a Ninja single serve blender. I've had that for about six months now. Hopefully it lasts. I like the compactness. Works well in our townhouse.

 
Current daily smoothie - 8 oz water, 4 oz coconut water, frozen strawberries, Sambazon Acai, handful of spinach, half a avocado and a scoop of Isopure vanilla protein.
 @Major 

- I hate coconut flavor...does that come through in the coconut water or no?   If yes, anything I could replace that with?

- for the Isopure protein...could I also do chocolate flavor or is there a benefit to vanilla?

- why is this your current daily smoothie over others you have tried?   

- I notice you said you tried collagen powder and it helped your skin but you don't use it now...reason for that?

--

I don't really eat breakfast ever and not a coffee drinker.   I usually wake up and have a Monster white (no sugar or calories)..I know, I know...full of poison....I get it.  Just my morning vice.   Then what I'm thinking is a staple smoothie for lunch.   Afternoon workout 5x a week (M-F) and then a full dinner (air fryer salmon, etc).     Is this a solid plan?

 
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I bought a Blendtec about 8 years ago and still works like new. Doesn't have the tamper thing that vitamix has either. Just sucks the food down to the blades because the design. And It can blend i-phones. I don't think a ninja can do that.

 
I don't remember what it was called, but we had a $10 single serving blender from Wal Mart. The first one broke after maybe six months. I went and got another one and that broke in a few days. So, I then spent about $80 on a Ninja single serve blender. I've had that for about six months now. Hopefully it lasts. I like the compactness. Works well in our townhouse.
The older I get I have found buy more expensive and then you only buy once. 

Quality costs. 

 

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