Smoothie maker
June 24th, 2009
A while ago I was sitting in my neighbour’s kitchen and spotted some brown bananas. Thinking of Courtney’s delicious banana bread recipe, I asked her if I could have the bananas if she was planning to throw them out (I knew she wouldn’t make banana bread herself – it’s not common at all here in the Netherlands)! She kindly refused, explaining that they had a family addiction to smoothies, so every over-ripe banana was very much needed!
Smoothies? It started to make me think:
- Smoothies are yummy
- Smoothies are healthy
- I finally found the excuse to buy one of those cool blenders!!!
So, the next weekend I convinced my husband that for the health of our family we needed a KitchenAid blender. (I admit, I completely went for the look of it; I didn’t read one review and didn’t compare prices!) And I love it.
Now, having just entered the world of smoothie making, I’ve discovered it’s an art by itself! There are a million recipes to find; you can use fruit, (soy)milk, yogurt, frozen berries, nuts, tofu, cereal, even egg whites!
A search on Google proved that smoothies are not always that healthy: stay away from sugar (honey is better), too much frozen fruit (less healthy and too cold for your body) and too many of them a day (makes you fat). I guess the ice-cream I was using is better left out as well.
Do any of you have good tips for great smoothies?
xxx Esther
Entry Filed under: Food, For Ourselves, Gadgets, Health, Home, Kitchen, Utensils
9 Comments Add your own
1. Sara | June 24th, 2009 at 7:10 am
Hi Esther!!
I have one of these Kitchen Aids and could not live without it! We make smoothies several times a week and usually include mango, mixed berries (in winter we will opt for frozen organic as fresh either unavailable or cost a small fortune), fresh banana, a dash of honey, LSA (ground linseeds, sunflower seeds and almonds), ground flaxseed, wheat germ and some plain yoghurt. Mmm! Delicious and so, so healthy! My kids love it! Gives me such pleasure knowing they are starting the school day with this in their bellies. Sometimes of course we vary it and include bonsoy milk! I have a friend who sneaks bok choy into her kids smoothies! She claims it has no flavour!! xx
2. Maraka | June 24th, 2009 at 10:04 am
I love my kitchen aid blender. My husband got me one when our daughter was moving onto solids. I admit I was like you and wanted it for the look but have not regretted it. I use it to make our daughter smoothies or pink milk like Lola as she calls it. I also use it a lot in winter for soups. My darling husband went one step further and bought me the kitchen aid stand mixer to match for Christmas. Obviously we are big fans of Kitchen Aid.
Maraka
3. Morgan Chapman | June 24th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
I love smoothies for a cool summer breakfast! I often use frozen fruit so I can avoid having to add too much ice. Bananas are always my key ingredient because they make the smoothies so thick and frothy.
One of my favourites incorporates almonds and bananas – something not everyone is a fan of (I found out when living in Switzerland that our North American habit of eating salty with sweet is a tad bizarre)…. but it is delish.
1 banana
couple spoons of natural almond butter
plain yoghurt
honey
milk or soy
Happy Smoothie making!
4. Esther | June 24th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
I’m not sure where to find natural almond butter in the Netherlands, but it sounds delicious! I love sweet and salty combined!
I will also look for LSA, maybe the health stores??
5. Riley | June 24th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Hi Esther!!
You can find almond butter at any naturewinkel, the biomarkt on the Weteringschans, markt, or the Saturday farmer’s market at the noordermarkt. We also love smoothies in our house and have one almost every day for breakfast, it is a great way to get in all kinds of good stuff. My daily shake includes;
Banana
almond milk
pear and or blueberries
almond butter
coconut oil (it is supposed to be amazing for your skin and digestive system)
flax seed
Protein powder
I have a couple of liquid vitamins for the whole family like D and A that I put a couple of drops in
I sneak a greens powder in, it has every kind of fruit and vegetable and barley greens, wheat grass etc… you can find it where you find protein powders and my son never notices the taste.
It ends up tasting like banana/ peanut butter ice cream-which is weird, but very very tasty.
Enjoy your beautiful blender!!!!
6. Amanda | June 24th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
My favorite smoothie recipe is to take the too ripe bananas, peel them, and pop those in the freezer. When the mood strikes, as it often does on hot summer afternoons, I cut up the frozen banana and toss in the blender with milk and voila. The frozen fruit eliminates the need for ice which I find dilutes the flavor. Could not be easier but is so delicious and filling that everyone in our house gets excited. Sometimes I will add berries but straight banana is the best I think!
7. Michela | June 25th, 2009 at 6:52 am
I do not like smoothies with milk, so I typically add freshly squeezed orage juice.
Frozen berries and bananas are nice, but i often put pear and apples too.
Ours is not kitchen aid but it’s pretty sturdy and had the crushed ice features which is fantastic for mojitos…. and we have used it also for pina coladas!
8. Emilie | June 25th, 2009 at 7:34 am
I reckon blueberries are a key ingredient and I also prefer natural yogurt to milk. I like the way it makes it slightly tart which is nice with the sweetness of the fruit….
9. Belinda B | June 25th, 2009 at 9:21 am
Innocent – who do lots of yummy smoothies in the UK, have a book out which i have had for a few years and there are some really yummy recipes in it! You can buy it on Amazon. I bought the book and then the blender!
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