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10 + 1 Delicious Smoothie Combos You Can Make In A Pinch

posted in Breakfast and Brunch by Lisa Freeman

If you're looking for a filling, healthy and delicious breakfast or snack, a smoothie cannot be beat. I sometimes make one the night before, so all I have to do is grab it and run in the morning.

The key to a good smoothie is usually yogurt — that's what gives the drink its thickness and substance. But some of the smoothie recipes below contain interesting alternatives to yogurt.

Selecting the right combination of fruit (you can use fresh or frozen) is also part of concocting a good smoothie. Start with a favourite flavour base — mine is strawberry — and build on that with other flavours. You can experiment with your own combinations or try some of the following:

  1. Apple: Here's a recipe that is perfect for the holiday season, with apples and a dash of cinnamon. Tastes like you're sipping an apple pie.
  2. Kiwi: Yes, it's that fuzzy brown fruit with the green inside. Don't be afraid of using some of the more unusual fruits. This recipe has a hint of honey and uses crushed ice as a thickener. You'll need to drink it right away, otherwise the ice will melt and it will go runny.

  3. Mango: I adore this smoothie, because it has most of the flavors I love. I don't hesitate to use frozen fruit when I'm in a rush. If you don't enjoy the taste of fruit with all those seeds, substitute a yogurt with raspberry on the bottom, which is seed-free.
  4. Chocolate/Espresso: Now you can get your morning coffee fix in smoothie form! This recipe calls for a shot of whey protein powder (available at health food stores) for those that are into building muscle. Of course, you can just omit this ingredient if you're a couch potato like me.
  5. Peach: Peach can easily be overpowered by other fruit, so the key here is to use peaches that are ripe and at peak flavor. If it's not peach season, you can use canned peaches.
  6. Pomegranate: I'm into fruit that contains anti-oxidants, and pomegranate is one of them. No need to deal with the messy fruit here; I recommend using the pom juice.
  7. Strawberry Squirt: Feel free to omit the shot of chocolate if it's not something you want, but I have to say it sure as heck doesn't hurt. This is a super-easy morning drink that takes minutes to whip up.
  8. Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake: You read it right — I did say cheesecake. It's divinely delicious and you'll swear you're gulping cheesecake. In this recipe, a bit of cream cheese thickens things up. I've subbed the low-fat variety without any harm.
  9. Green Tea: Whether you're on a green tea kick for health reasons, or you just love the taste, here's a variation that makes sipping easy. Tossing in some fruit puts a spin on things.
  10. Oatmeal: It may sound unusual, but oatmeal is a no-brainer in a smoothie. It's a great thickener and leaves you feeling like you've had a nice, hearty breakfast. It also doesn't hurt that it is heart healthy, too.
    Last, here's a more unusual idea that ups the ante on being healthy:
  11. Veggie & Fruit: Green smoothies are by no means freaky, and if you blend them with a bit of fruit, you won't even notice you're getting your daily allowance of veggies. If you enjoy a Bloody Mary, this smoothie will certainly remind you of that.

Tips: If you're being adventurous and concocting your own smoothie recipe, try to keep things simple and choose no more than 2 or 3 fruits at one time. And, if you think what you've created is too overpowering in flavor, yogurt is definitely going to cut that heaviness out—so just add a bit more of it in to thin out the flavor.

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26 comments

Wanda

Smoothies are an absolute winner as a start to the day.

Hadn't thought of doing this with my green tea though. So thanks for the tip.

Wanda

www.only-cookware.com

Lisa Freeman

Do let us know what you think! I've tried it a few times and think it's totally worthwhile! Enjoy it!

Lisa

Jennifer

Oatmeal- I love that, what a great idea and heart healthy too!!

bhaktapurgirl

nice article

thanks for sharing

bhaktapurgirl

mazzako.blogspot.com

Smoothie Guy

Thanks for the link to my smoothie site (www.smoothieweb.com). It is nice to get noticed and seeing a mention of my site on other sites makes it all worth it. Best of luck to this cooking site!

Kathy Maister

When making smoothies, what sort of blender does everyone prefer: the hand held stick blender or the jug that sits on a motor type of blender?

eoin

Kiwi is terrible in a smoothie, the small  seeds all smash and the whole thing becomes very bitter and peppery, I don't like it at all, but if it floats your boat.

Lisa Freeman

It's a good point, eoin! I do cut a circle around the center seed portion, and leave an outer ring of just the kiwi meat sans seeds--sort of like cutting a ring around the hard part of a pineapple, which I also wouldn't include in a smoothie.

Seeds are definitely an aquired taste in a smoothie. Many folks don't like blackberries in smoothies, for example, because of all the little seeds. I generally don't mind them, however.

You are correct, it's whatever floats your boat!

Kathy Maister

Thanks eoin,
My niece just introduced me to Smoothies.  I love adding the sliken Tofu - it makes them so rich and creamy.  I have yet to add Kiwi, when I do, I'll be sure to remove the seeds.  Who knew?

Lisa, I will proceed with caution when I add the blackberries!

steve

Thanks for linking to my chocolate/espresso smoothie.

I like the look of the pomegranate one too....might try that soon!

--Steve

food gal

i like the kiwi and chocolate the best!

 

Kathy Maister

Foodgal, I'll have to give that a try!  I've never actually eaten kiwi and chocolate together.

austin

I'm a master at making smoothies lol. I put 2 and a half bananas, some ice, one container of frozen strawberries and occasionally blueberries but not very often. Then i blend them all together. its delicious.

Kathy Maister

Sounds great Austin, but I must say that sounds like a lot of fruit!  How many smoothies are you making???
My smoothie recipes now includes 1/3 cup of silken tofu, 8 ounces of coconut water, and 1 small banana,( and a packet of fake sugar!) - it's delicious!

Mollie

KIWI is the wrong name for this fruit. The official name is KIWIFRUIT.
A kiwi is a flightless bird from New Zealand and the nickname for someone who comes from New Zealand.

Kathy Maister

Hi Mollie,
Well technically it is actually a Chinese Gooseberry!
History has a way of sometime re-naming lots of things!
Cheers,
Kathy
BTW - My brother-in-law is a Kiwi and I have had the wonderful pleasure of spending quite a bit of time in NZ touring and visiting with family!

Paulette

I found a good trick is to freeze the fruit before using it. Then you can just use milk instead of yogurt and still have that thickness to it. 

Melissa @ Sustain Design

I love smoothies! Thanks for the list. My personal favorite is peanut butter and banana. I just add a tablespoon of peanut butter to my banana smoothie and i'm good. 

Barbar

How do I sign up for emails on recipes

Thanks, Barbara

startcooking

Barbara,
Click on the horizontal yellow bar at the top of this page where it says "get startcooking e-mail updates" and you should be all set!
Cheers,
Kathy

Barbara

Thanks Kathy

ikram

Hey, I  loooooooooove  smoothies!  They are so delicious!

Bobby

Great list of recipes.  I, like you, love the taste of Mango -- I grew up in a mango grove down in South Florida where we had several different types of varieties.  Man, I miss those days! 

Can't wait to try the Mango smoothie recipe!

Aldo Mc Bride

From this article I found the truly power of eating fruits. Especially when it comes with smoothies.

Sarah

This is a great site with very simple step by step instruction. I am hungry/greedy just looking at those pictures.Keep up the great information.

Piper Nelson

I love smoothies and made some research to find more sites with this kind of info about smoothie makers and recipes.
Thanks
Piper

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