Smoothies are a trend that never seems to stop increasing in popularity. For starters, they are a great way to begin your day in a healthy way. Secondly, they’re a meal-in-one that can be made in a jiffy and consumed on the go.
Need proof of their popularity? Vitamix, a family-owned blender company founded in 1921, recently surveyed American consumers and concluded that about 7.4 billion smoothies were downed in the U.S. in 2014 alone.
Anne BralyPerhaps more interestingly, about 39 percent of those smoothies were prepared at home a statistic that speaks to the ease and convenience of preparing blended beverages.
Summer is one of the best times for smoothies. The fresh fruits and vegetables, many of which can be plucked from the garden right before blending, offer amazing flavors.
Maria Price makes smoothies on a fairly regular basis. It all started when her mother-in-law, Judy Price, began participating in a Green Smoothie Challenge, an online site (thegreensmoothiechallenge.com) that encourages people to change their eating habits and follow a more healthful diet.
“We’ve had a really nice Vitamix blender for a while and kept meaning to make them, but I wasn’t sure where to start,” Maria says.
So when her mother-in-law asked them to be a part of the Green Smoothie Challenge, she accepted.
“The challenge sent out weekly emails containing recipes, tips, tricks and shopping lists,” Maria says. “We made them every day on the challenge, thus began the smoothie phenomenon in our house.”
And they aren’t just for breakfast, though that’s the main time the Prices enjoy them.
“During the challenge, we made them for dinner, too, when we were short on time. My mother-in-law makes them by the blenderful and drinks on them for a couple of days. We tend to drink larger quantities of it, so we have to make a new one each day.”
It’s all about the greens, something of which Price, a civil and environmental engineer at Passpointe Engineering, isn’t terribly fond. With smoothies, the greens go down much more smoothly.
“You get your greens and never know it,” she says.
And somewhere along the way, Price noticed a marked improvement in the way she felt.
“The original challenge was just for a month, but we extended it for another two months. And we got to feeling better about ourselves – feeling healthy, and we noticed a rise in our energy levels.”
One favorite smoothie is known as Hawaiian Breeze, but was renamed by her family as Oscar the Grouch Ice Cream. “We make it with so much frozen fruit that you need to eat it with a spoon,” she says.
But her personal favorite is one made with kale and cherries that actually tastes like chocolate cherries. Her husband, Lee, likes Oscar the Grouch Ice Cream. Here’s how to make them both.
Kale and Cherry Smoothies
2 cups fresh kale
2 cups almond milk, unsweetened
2 cups cherries, pitted (see note)
1 banana
1 tablespoon cacao powder
1 tablespoon chia seeds
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth. Serve immediately or freeze till ready to eat, then blend again till smooth.
Note: Can substitute cherries with berries.
Hawaiian Breeze (aka Oscar the Grouch Ice Cream)
2 cups fresh spinach
1 cup unsweetened coconut water
1 orange, peeled
1 cup pineapple
1 cup mango
1 banana
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth. Serve immediately or freeze till ready to eat, then blend again till smooth.
Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com.