Growing up, I’m sure your mom told you to eat your veggies. Maybe you enjoyed them as a kid or maybe this was one of those areas that you struggled with.
Whatever the case was, you still need to eat your veggies, especially if weight loss is your goal. But, let’s be honest, who has time to count their veggies every day? I know I don’t.
And I tried the whole salad-a-day route and found myself hating salads and veggies even more, which, I’m pretty sure is the opposite of what was supposed to happen.
After all, if you don’t have time to hand select interesting ingredients, you’re pretty much left with a traditional cucumber, tomato, and carrot salad with a dressing that may or may not be fattening.
Don’t get me wrong. You should still try to eat your veggies in their whole, unprocessed form, and salads can be a great way to do this, but, for me, they just became a little too time-consuming which meant it was even harder to stay consistent.
That’s when I decided to check out another just-as-good alternative: smoothies.
Buyer Beware
My first experience with buying a green smoothie did not go well. Not only did I pay about $8 for a small size, but, it also got me sick. It literally went right through me…sorry if that’s TMI!!
After that, I was super skeptical to jump on the green smoothie bandwagon.
Fast forward to three years later, and I’m totally hooked. I have a smoothie a day and I make them myself in less than 10 minutes.
So what changed?
Before I jump into the good stuff, I want to warn you about buying smoothies versus making them yourself.
For starters, store-bought ones can be expensive and packed with sugar. By making it yourself, you can control how much sugar (i.e. fruit and added sugars) is in each and you won’t spend nearly as much money doing this.
I know it may seem like it’s more convenient to just buy one, but, trust me, your wallet and your health will thank me on this one. You don’t need to spend $8/cup and you don’t need all of that added sugar, even if it’s “natural” like the kind found in fruits.
That brings us to making your smoothies at home. Thanks to this amazing book, Simple Green Smoothies, I’ve become a smoothie making expert. I wanted to share some of my favorite tips from the book, although, I encourage you to check it out for yourself. It’s amazing.
Let’s jump in.
How to Get Started Making Smoothies at Home
All you need is a blender, a few ingredients and 10 minutes of your time.
I also recommend this bestselling Simple Green Smoothies book which helped me like you wouldn’t believe girlfriend. In fact, most of the tips in this article are from that book (you’re welcome for the sneak peak).
One of my favorite tidbits from that book is their easy formula for getting started. Use this to create two smoothies in no time:
- 2 cups of greens (kale, spinach, romaine, etc.)
- 2 cups of fruit
- 2 cups of water (or coconut water)
My favorite Simple Green Smoothie inspired combination especially for picky eaters is this one below:
- 2 ½ cups of spinach
- 2 cups of water (filtered is best)
- 1 medium banana (can be frozen or fresh)
- 1 cup of cubed pineapple
- ¼ cup of chia seeds*
- 2 tbs of coconut or avocado oil*
[**You can leave off those last two ingredients in the beginning and add those when you get used to this whole process]
For me, this smoothie is on the sweeter side so if you’re already a smoothie connoisseur, then this one is probably too basic for you. And if you’re too scared to try the green smoothie rage, then this is the perfect one for you.
Here’s how you’ll make your smoothie:
- Add the liquid (water) in the blender first
- Next, add the spinach or leafy greens of your choice
- Plop the fresh or frozen fruit on top
- Add ice
- Blend 🙂
If you’re playing around with the advanced version (chia seeds + coconut oil), use these steps:
- Add chia seeds to 2 cups of filtered water and let soak for 10 minutes
- Follow the order from the first recipe while the chia seeds are soaking (minus the liquid): leafy greens > fresh/frozen fruit > ice > coconut oil.
- Once the 10 minutes have passed, pour the water and chia seed mixture into the blender and it will sink towards the bottom.
- Blend and enjoy!
When trying the advanced version, you really can’t skip the chia soaking step. Not only does this help the chia seeds to expand but it also makes them easier to digest. The expanding properties of chia are what’s going to keep you feeling full for longer, meaning you won’t need those tempting (and sometimes fattening) snack.
Another awesome tip from that Simple Green Smoothies book is to make the same smoothie for a week. This means you won’t have to buy extra fruits and veggies that you’ll never use and you won’t have to waste your precious moolah (you know, dinero, money, that cashola).
Now, before you start worrying about getting tired of drinking the same smoothie everyday for 5-7 days, consider this: the other alternative is to conjure up an entirely different (or close relative) smoothie using more of your resources, time and will power.
For me, I’ll suck up the same flavor for a few days over having to create too many options and wasting excess fruit and veggies.
Why This Method Works & Best Times to Enjoy Your Smoothies
Unlike juicing, you’ll consume the entire fruit or veggie that you blend, including the nutritious skin on some items. This gives you fiber, minerals and vitamins that your body needs in order to lose those unwanted pounds.
The fiber’s also going to keep you full while the vitamins and minerals are going to give your body the boost it needs to power through your day. Plus, it’s equivalent to eating a small salad and a piece of fruit (yay for being healthy and efficient!) and it only takes a quarter of the time to eat.
Enjoy a smoothie (or two) a day and you’ll start to see your energy levels soar and those pesky pounds will soon disappear.
I do want to warn you that I’m not advocating any type of juice cleanses here. I personally will not take part in a juice cleanse and will never recommend it. I’m only suggesting that you supplement your existing diet with a smoothie a day. We’re not living off of these things people!
You can replace one of your meals (breakfast is your best bet here, read: enjoy at breakfast) with the advanced smoothie I mentioned above, according to Simple Green Smoothies. According to the gals there, the chia seeds plus the coconut oil are enough to keep you satisfied like a light meal would, and I couldn’t agree more. It’s the perfect jumpstart.
That leads me to my next point. The best times to enjoy your new found smoothie affair is before (or instead of) breakfast or in the afternoon to combat your post-lunch slump.
I cannot tell you how many afternoons my smoothies have saved. In the past, I was a sucker for afternoon sugar cravings and having absolutely no energy to finish my day. Smoothies have saved this timezone for me.
Before you enjoy your smoothie, give yourself a break from solid foods for around 30 minutes before and after your smoothie intake and go easy on the ice (5-6 cubes should suffice) for your tummy’s sake. Adding too much ice will make your smoothie more like a frozen slushie which is not good for digestion.
Time Saving Tips
Since I know you’re short on time, you’ll want to take full advantage of these time saving tips (some of which can be found in that smoothie book. Can you see how much I’m obsessed with it?)
1. Prepare the Night Before
If mornings are not your friend, make your entire smoothie ahead of time and keep it nice and cold in the refrigerator.
Keep in mind, the nutrient potency goes down the longer it sits in there and it shouldn’t go longer than 24 hours. You’ll still reap the benefits of a smoothie a day, but, you’ll be missing on the full power boost.
To keep your nutrients in tact, you can always make yourself pre-made smoothie packs. Combine all of your ingredients (except for the liquid and ice) into a ziploc baggy and freeze overnight. When you wake up the next day, add the liquid, ice, and smoothie pack to your blender and you’ll be done in less than a minute. With this option, you can make enough packs to last you a few weeks.
2. Clean Your Blender (IMMEDIATELY!!)
Sorry for shouting, but, this point is important. As soon as you pour your smoothie, rinse out your blender, add soap and give it another whirl. Keep the suds powered on for at least 30 seconds before you rinse it out and BOOM!! you’re all done with clean up.
Don’t let it sit!
As tempting as it is and as short on time as you might be, the longer you let it sit, the harder it will be to clean later on. This is one of the downsides of juicers. But, with a blender, you won’t have that problem. Clean it immediately. It takes less than a minute.
Now that you understand how awesome smoothies are, it’s time to get moving. I challenge you to try a smoothie-a-day for the next seven days. See how you feel. I bet you’ll notice a difference.
I want you to really commit to doing this; no excuses!!
Make sure you have all of the ingredients handy and if you hate mornings, prepare your smoothie the night before. Once you recharge and get your energy levels up, then you can move on to making fresh smoothies before work.
*Author’s note: most of the tips found in this article are thanks in part to the Simple Green Smoothie gals, so fair credit is due. I absolutely loved that book and highly recommend that you get your hands on a copy today. This article serves as a sneak peak into their helpful tips and includes my personal experience with smoothies. I hope you’ll find what works for you!*
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