'Tis The Season For Healthy Smoothies

I hope you all have enjoyed the festivities that came with Christmas and New Years. Quite often, we all start the New Year wanting to change something for the better. While I'm not one to make New Years Resolutions, it never hurts to have some goals to better yourself! Even if it's something small.

What's your goals for 2016? Me - Well, I'd personally like to eat a little healthier, and one of my favourite ways to get all those fruits and veggies into my diet is a good old smoothie. And that's how I like to start my mornings.

There's nothing complicated about it, really. According to Yuri Elkaim on Your Tango, the perfect smoothie consists of 70% greens, 15% liquid, 10% fruit, and 5% booster.


Image Credit: Yuri Elkaim at YourTango.com

Keep it simple! Too often people add so many different things to their smoothies that their flavors become muddled. Try to keep your smoothies down to five ingredients so that each flavor that you add will really shine through.

Try some of these delicious smoothies below!



Instead of adding ice to your smoothies, try using frozen fruit! I always make sure to have some frozen berries and bananas on hand. And here's a frugal tip: You'll often see fruit for bargain prices when it's approaching it's peak ripeness. Why not freeze them! Wash and chop your ripened fruit and then spread in an even layer on a cookie sheet, then freeze. When they have frozen, just throw the fruit into a reusable container or zip top bag. Freezing the fruit prior to storing it in bags and containers makes certain that it stays in individual pieces and doesn't freeze into a giant fruit clump.

My favorite smoothie? A few handfuls of spinach, half a frozen banana, and a half cup of frozen berries. I also like to add some protein like plain Greek yogurt or hemp seeds. For some extra zip, I might add some lemon juice or a chunk of fresh ginger. Then I top Another tip: Ginger freezes great! Buy it fresh, cut it into chunks, and freeze. When you're ready for a smoothie, you can simply throw in a chunk of ginger or grate some ginger into it before blending.

My blender really isn't anything spectacular - just one of those Magic Bullets that I acquired from a friend of mine when they bought a Nutribullet. It gets the job done!

I'd love to know - what's your favorite smoothie ingredient? Share below! Happy 2016, everyone!