How to Make a Healthy Fruit Smoothie

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Smoothies aren't just summer fun anymore -- they're key to making your tastebuds start toe-tapping any time of year. And now they come in a plethora of flavors that are scrumptious and good for you. Here's a few to try!

Ingredients

Apple Cinnamon Peanut Butter

• 1/4 cup (25 g) uncooked whole oats
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 g) dried chia seeds
• 1 cup (8 oz) skim milk
• 1/4 cup (2 oz) low-fat Greek yogurt
• 3/4 cup (6 oz) applesauce
• 2 tablespoons (30 g) peanut butter or PB2
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) cinnamon
• 1-2 teaspoons honey (7 g) (or sweetener)

Cherry Vanilla Oat

• 1/4 cup (25 g) uncooked oats
• 1 tablespoon (15 g) flax seeds
• 3/4 cup (6 oz) soy milk
• 1/2 cup (4 oz) cherry juice
• 1/4 cup (2 oz) Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup (4 oz) dried cherries (or 1 (8 oz) cup fresh, frozen, or canned)
• 1/4 teaspoon (pinch) vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
• 1 teaspoon (5 g) honey (or sweetener)

Raspberry Banana Coconut

• 1 cup (8 oz) ice
• 1/2 cup (4 oz) frozen raspberries
• 1/2 cup (4 oz) plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup (50 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon (15 g) honey (or sweetener)
• 1 cup (8 oz) coconut water

Steps

Apple Cinnamon Peanut Butter

1. Put the oats and chia seeds into the blender. Grate 'em up until you get the consistency of flour -- in other words, till they're near powder.
2. Add milk and yogurt. Then blend it up! Occasionally stop the blender to get all the oat-chia powder unstuck from the bottom of the blender.
3. Add the applesauce, peanut butter, and cinnamon. Turn it on again until you get the consistency you're looking for in a smoothie. If it's too thick, add a bit more liquid. Mix it manually if necessary.
   • Adjust the apple or peanut butter-ness of the smoothie by adding more or less of one ingredient. However, too much peanut butter and you lose the healthy descriptor for this smoothie.
     • PB2 is a peanut butter substitute that's a bit healthier (tastes like it as well).
4. Taste it. If you'd like it a little sweeter, add honey or sweetener. However, if you have neither of these, don't sweat it. The smoothie will be good without it! Then, pour it in a glass and start relaxing.
   • If you can't drink it all now, throw it in the freezer for later! It'll keep for a few days.

Cherry Vanilla Oat

1. Blend up the flax seeds and oats. Get it to a very thin consistency. Think about how textured you like your smoothies -- if you like it a bit chunkier, blend it a bit less.
2. Add the milk, juice, and yogurt. Grab a spoon and mix it up to make it a little easier on the blender -- or else the flax-oat powder may not combine well.
3. Throw in the cherries and vanilla. Blend until the smoothie looks ready. Take a small taste test and see if you'd like it any sweeter. If so, add honey or sugar substitute and blend a bit more.
   • Fresh cherries are going to taste very different than dried or canned. And if you use fresh, don't throw them in with the pits!
4. Pour in a glass and enjoy! Complete the look with a straw and umbrella for summer in a glass. Keep it cold in the fridge or freezer if you'd like to have it later.

Raspberry Banana Coconut

1. Add ice and raspberries to the blender. Blend it up for 20 seconds or so to make the whole process go a little bit faster. It doesn't need to blend all the way; just break it up a bit so you're not left with ice cubes in your drink.
2. Add in the oats, banana, yogurt and coconut water. Cut the banana into pieces beforehand, of course. Blend it up until it reaches the texture and thickness you desire.
   • Greek yogurt is great, but low-fat regular is tasty, too. And really any flavor works!
3. Try it out. This smoothie is great without the honey or sugar substitute, but if you have a sweet tooth, a bit of honey will do the trick.
   • If you like this smoothie, try substituting different yogurt flavors for a subtle yet noticeable flavor difference.
4. Pour into glasses. This recipe will make two regular-sized smoothies. One for breakfast and one for lunch! Now that was easy math. Put it in the freezer to keep it cold and thick -- if there's extra, of course.

Tips

• Don't use a wooden spoon in the blender to mix it up. You could end up up with a tree-flavored smoothie.
• Use half of an empty coconut for a glass if you want to get creative!
• If you are lactose-intolerant, removing the yogurt is fine -- your smoothie will just be thinner. Substitute a banana for thickness if desired.
• Add some creative toppings. You can add a drizzle of chocolate on top of it or some parsley, mint or raspberries!
• Experiment with different combinations! Work with a certain recipe until you have it perfected.

Things You'll Need

• Blender or food processor
• Cutting board
• Knife
• Measuring tools
• Glass

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make a Healthy Fruit Smoothie. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Make a Banana Smoothie

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Banana smoothies make excellent breakfasts, mid-day snacks, and hangover cures. Since bananas blend so well with other flavors, it's easy to create a smoothie to satisfy your particular tastes. Read on for directions on how to make four types of banana smoothies: pure banana, berry banana, health nut banana, and dessert banana.

Ingredients

Pure Banana Smoothie

• 1 banana
• 1 tablespoon honey, or sugar
• 1 cup milk
• Ice (optional)

Berry Banana Smoothie

• 1 banana
• 4 large strawberries, stems removed
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• Ice

Health Nut Banana Smoothie

• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup almonds
• 2 cups spinach
• 1 teaspoon peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar
• 1 teaspoon chia seeds

Dessert Banana Smoothie

• 1 banana
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Steps

Pure Banana Smoothie

1. Peel the banana and put it in the blender. You can also use a food processor if you don't have a blender. Break the banana into large chunks to make it fit.
2. Add the milk and honey, or sugar. If you like thick smoothies, reduce the milk to 1/2 cup. For a thinner smoothie, add more milk or water.
3. Top it off with ice, if desired. Place about 8 ice cubes on top of the banana, milk and honey mixture. Either crushed or cubed ice will work equally well.
4. Blend the ingredients. Put the lid on the blender and choose the "smoothie," "blend," or puree option, depending on what your blender offers. Pulse the mixture a few times and blend it until it reaches your desired consistency.
5. Pour the smoothie into a glass. Drink it with a straw or straight from the cup.

Berry Banana Smoothie

1. Place the fruit in the blender. Peel the banana, break it into chunks, and place it inside. Wash the strawberries and blueberries, then add those as well.
2. Add the juice, yogurt and sugar. Pour in the orange juice and scoop in the yogurt. Add the sugar if you like your smoothies on the sweeter side.
3. Top it off with ice. Fill up the rest of the blender with cubed or crushed ice.
4. Blend the ingredients. Put the lid on the blender. Use the pulse feature to help grind up the ice, then blend the smoothie to your desired consistency. The presence of the berries will cause it to turn a lovely shade of red.
5. Serve the smoothie. Pour it into a clear glass and serve.

Health Nut Banana Smoothie

1. Make almond milk. Place the almonds in the blender along with a cup of water. Blend them together until you have a smooth, white, frothy milk. This is a healthy substitute for dairy milk.
2. Add the spinach. Put the spinach into the blender and puree it with the almond milk. You may have to work in a few batches, since spinach leaves can be tricky to blend. Keep pulsing until the leaves are completely blended with the almond milk.
3. Add the remaining ingredients. Peel the banana, break it into chunks, and put them in the blender. Add the peanut butter, agave nectar, and chia seeds. Cover the blender and blend the ingredients until the smoothie reaches your desired consistency.
4. Serve the smoothie. Pour it into a glass and drink it for breakfast. This health nut smoothie will keep you full until lunchtime.

Dessert Banana Smoothie

1. Blend the banana and half and half. Peel the banana, break it into chunks, and place it in the blender. Pour the half and half over the banana chunks. Blend the two ingredients together until they are smooth.
   • For an even richer dessert smoothie, use cream instead of half an half.
   • For a lighter version, you can use whole or skim milk instead.
2. Add the remaining ingredients. Put in the maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Blend until the ingredients are silky smooth.
   • Add some cocoa for a subtle chocolate flavor, or sprinkle in some mini chocolate chips.
   • Make a spicy-sweet smoothie by adding 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne.
   • Try another sweetener if you aren't a fan of maple syrup. White sugar, molasses, honey, jam, and all other types of sweeteners taste good in this smoothie.
3. Serve the smoothie. Pour it into a glass and put a squirt of whipped cream on top. Add a cherry to make the smoothie truly dessert-like.

Tips

• Freeze the fruit before using if you like your smoothies icy.
• Banana smoothies don't store well, so drink up!
• Kiwis, mangoes, papayas, and all other fruits blend well with bananas.

Things You'll Need

• Blender
• Cutting board
• Knife

Sources and Citations

1.  http://www.inspiredtaste.net/19907/simple-banana-smoothie-recipe/
2.  http://cookieandkate.com/2013/oaxaca-chocolate-banana-smoothie/
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Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make a Banana Smoothie. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.