Ever ended up with a green smoothie that was bland and watery? Yup, we’ve all been there.
But with a little bit of thought and prep, you can always count on whizzing up the perfect smoothie every single morning.
Get the right balance of fruit and greens. We usually go by a 2:1 rule at Sparkle HQ — two cups of fruit and one cup of greens. Two cups of fruit can be a combination of one large ripe banana (makes one cup) and one cup other fruit ( berries, peaches, apple, orange, mango etc.).
Freeze ingredients. With more frozen ingredients, the thicker your smoothie will get. You don’t have to freeze every single thing but you should have at least 50% frozen ingredients to fresh ones. Freeze fruit, greens (great for when they are about to go bad but you want them to last longer), and even almond milk!
Use less water and ice. If you are making a smoothie for two, start with 1.5 cups of water because your other solid ingredients will increase the volume of smoothie you end up with. If you don’t have any frozen ingredients, go with one cup water and one cup ice.
Thicken smoothies with protein powder, oats and flax seeds to make them more filling and satisfying. Don’t overdo these as you don’t want your smoothie to be too grainy. Use a tablespoon of each max.
Add a little sweetener if you feel your fruit is on the tart or mild side (e.g. pears, mandarins, kiwis, grapefruit). Try no-calorie sweeteners like stevia or monk fruit or xylitol. If you don’t have those on hand, try a bit of maple syrup, honey, or brown rice syrup. Don’t go overboard and turn your healthy drink into a dessert!
Boost your smoothies with supplements like probiotics (liquid or powder from capsules), acai for its delicious antioxidant properties, and Sparkle Skin Boost with Verisol (sweetened with stevia) for its beautifying power.
Chia seeds also help to give smoothies a thicker texture without being powdery. To get the most of the gel-like consistency these little babies can give, fill your blender with water and put a tablespoon of chia seeds first thing while you put the other ingredients in. The chia seeds will then have more time to gel with the water.
Healthy fats like coconut oil, avocado, and flax oil will make your smoothie more satiating. You’ll be amazed how one big smoothie with a bit of good plant-based fat can take you from breakfast to lunch without you needing a snack.
Invest in a good high-speed blender. There is nothing worse than drinking a chunky smoothie. Spend a little more on a good quality blender that has sharp blades to blend smooth and thick drinks.
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