I have had an Oster blender/mixer/meat grinder system since 1981. It has been invaluable for all these years and I continue to use it today. However, several years ago, I witnessed a demonstration for a VitaMix and have been desperately wanting one because, it blends the roughest vegetables and fruit into silky, delicious smoothies. The investment was a little much since I already had a blender but, the results weren’t as smooth as I wanted. In July of 2013, I had an unbelievable surprise when I won a door prize for this beautiful VitaMix 750 Pro!
Obviously, I was beyond ecstatic. Thankfully, a wonderful cookbook was included and I was already stocked up on fresh produce so, I could begin blending up smoothie recipes right away. As you may have already guessed, the first recipe to try was the Green Pick Me Up smoothie. It is so refreshing and flavorful. We have it quite often and occasionally change it up a little according to what’s in season. Here is the recipe and a couple other favorites you may enjoy.
GREEN PICK ME UP SMOOTHIE
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (75 grams) green grapes
1/2 orange, peeled & seeded
1/2 green apple
2 cups (72 grams) Swiss chard
2 cups (480 ml) ice cubes
Directions:
Place all ingredients into the blender in the order listed, secure lid and process until smooth. For the Vitamix, select Smoothie program. Per 1 cup serving, this recipe has only 70 calories, 3 grams of fiber and no fat.
FRUIT SALAD SMOOTHIE
Ingredients:
1/2 cup green grapes
1/2 medium orange, peeled & seeded
1/2 slice pineapple, core included, cut to 1/2 inch thickness
1/2 cup (65 g) peeled and roughly chopped cucumber
1/2 medium carrot
1/4 medium apple, seeded
2 cups (480 ml) ice cubes
Directions:
Place all ingredients into the blender and process until smooth. For the Vitamix, select Smoothie program. Per 1 cup serving, this smoothie has only 83 calories, 3 grams of fiber and no fat.
PEANUT BUTTER BANANA SMOOTHIE
Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp. JR Watkins Original Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp. JR Watkins Peanut Butter Extract
1 medium banana
1 Tbsp. peanut butter
1 cup ice cubes
Directions:
Place all ingredients into the blender and process until smooth. For the Vitamix, select Smoothie program. For the Vitamix, select the smoothie program. This recipe contains only 177 calories, 3 grams of fiber and 1 gram of fat.
Options:
JR Watkins Extracts impart incredible flavor without adding additional calories or fat.
Various herbs and spices can be added for additional health benefits such as ginger, turmeric, cayenne powder and cinnamon.
To increase the protein in smoothies, we like to add one or more of the following:
1/4 cup soft tofu
1-2 scoops of whey protein powder
1 Tbsp. Peanut or Almond Butter
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
Here are a few items you may find useful for preparing your favorite smoothie recipes:
We would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment telling us about some of your favorite smoothie recipes.
