please post your fave vitamix smoothie recipes here

[lmh2402]

anxious to try out our new toy :D

thank you, santa

and thank you, BBB, for sharing your fave recipes

[ahisma]

Our standard go-to smoothie is banana, spinach, frozen berries.

I add wheat germ, flax seed, hemp seed, chia seeds, etc. as the mood strikes me. The kids love them!

[twowhat?]

You can make soft serve ice cream using just frozen bananas - make sure the bananas are overripe. Peel, break in half, freeze. Blend 2 bananas in the Vitamix, using the tamper and a lot of elbow grease. It comes out with soft serve consistency. You can add frozen strawberries, peanut butter, chocolate chips, whatever! Don't add sugar - overripe bananas are plenty sweet.

I love pina colada - frozen pineapple, cold coconut milk (canned), a little ice. I add just enough honey so that it's sweet enough.

I would LOVE recipes with veggies - either savory or sweet - that result in a consistency that isn't funky. Vegetable juice, fruit smoothies with hidden veggies, etc. Everything I've tried so far with veggies yields a funky gritty consistency except for spinach, and I think it's because spinach blends up practically into a liquid.

Roasted curry pumpkin soup is so good and it's a shame I'm the only one in the house who will eat it - roast a sugar pumpkin by cutting in half, scooping out seeds (save for roasting), coating cut sides in EVOO, and sticking in overn at 400, cut side down, until the peel is browned and wrinkly. Brown onions in large skillet, add a bit of garlic, then add roasted pumpkin flesh and a bit of ginger powder and a bit of curry powder (less than 1 tsp). Cook to combine flavors. Put everything into Vitamix, add a can of coconut milk, and blend. Add in vegetable stock until it's the consistency you like. Salt to taste. Even better then next day when curry has had a chance to sit (which is why you should be careful to use just a little - the flavor will intensify). I actually like to make this soup thicker than I want in the vitamix (using only the coconut milk as liquid), and then stir in some veggie broth before serving. The vitamix blends it up so well that this is possible - and that way I can make one giant batch of soup using the whole sugar pumpkin and it fills the vitamix container to the max and I get many many servings of soup. I imagine it would freeze well, too.

[wellyes]

Fresh spinach, banana, and frozen peach or pineapple or mango plus a little water. I add flaxseed sometimes. It's my go-to feel good drink. I use salad green if I'm out of spinach - just as yummy.

But these days I mostly use it to make waffles with hidden fruit.

Fresh lemon slush is excellent too. It's a summer-only drink for us, but if you're in a hot climate you might start to crave it every day.

[kaharris83]

My DH just uses berries, bananas, pineapple, mangoes, whatever fruit we can get organic. He uses a 60/40 mix of frozen fruit and fresh fruit. He puts carrots or spinich in and I've never tasted them or noticed a consistency issue. He doesn't add anything else when making smoothies.

[teresah00]

Kefir, Greek yogurt, a frozen banana, frozen strawberries and frozen blueberries


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[kristenk]

These are our favorites so far from the Vitamix recipe book:

Peachy Green Smoothie
1 cup milk
2 cups fresh spinach
1 medium apple, quartered
2 cups peaches (it tastes good if you use pineapple for some or all of the peach)
1 cup ice cubes

Mango Delight Smoothie
1 medium orange, peeled, halved
1/2 medium banana
1/2 mango
1/2 medium apple
1 cup ice cubes

[lmh2402]

Our standard go-to smoothie is banana, spinach, frozen berries.

I add wheat germ, flax seed, hemp seed, chia seeds, etc. as the mood strikes me. The kids love them!

thx! what are the proportions you normally use?


You can make soft serve ice cream using just frozen bananas - make sure the bananas are overripe.

yum! and thank you for the soup recipe too - that's right up my alley


Fresh spinach, banana, and frozen peach or pineapple or mango plus a little water. I add flaxseed sometimes. It's my go-to feel good drink. I use salad green if I'm out of spinach - just as yummy.

what are your proportions?


But these days I mostly use it to make waffles with hidden fruit. how?


Fresh lemon slush is excellent too. It's a summer-only drink for us, but if you're in a hot climate you might start to crave it every day.

please share! this would be my DH's dream

[amldaley]

1 cup yogurt or soy yogurt
2 giant handfuls spinach
1 banana
liberal amount of frozen blackberries
splash of milk - dairy or alternative

[wellyes]

I have never found it necessary to be precise with proportion for green smoothies. I would say roughly 35% spinach, a visually equal portion frozen fruit (anything but berries, for my taste), and 1-2 bananas. Maybe an apple too. Just a splash of water. 1/2 cup?

I've come to like 50% spinach, but, when serving others I use less.

For waffles, I use the recipes in the book that came with it.

Lemonade: 6 peeled lemons, 3 cups ice, 1 cup sugar and an inch or two of water.

[brittone2]

I don't really follow any recipes, but if you are doing something like strawberry with yogurt, etc. adding a half of an avocado improves the texture (nice and creamy) and doesn't really lend any taste IME.

[Melbel]

Our daily morning smoothie includes:
1/2 Banana
2 handfuls frozen strawberries
1-2 handfuls blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1-2 handfuls carrots
1 handful apples
1 large handful of spinach or kale
1 teaspoon Chia seeds
1 teaspoon flax seed
1 teaspoon coconut oil or coconut water
About 3/4 cup almond milk (to desired consistency)
About 1/4 cup orange juice


Our kids also love mixing frozen bananas, cocoa powder and almond milk for chocolate banana ice-cream (no sweeteners required).

We are dairy free, but regular milk would work fine.

The vitamix lady has great recipes on her site, including the 5 disappearing veggies: http://blenderlady.com/the-5-magic-veggies/

[lovin2shop]

I like a version of the Dr. Oz Smoothie:
Small Handful of Spinach
4-5 Baby carrots
1 stalk of celery
Parsley
1 Kiwi (peeled, Dr. Oz uses green apple, which is good also)
1 Lime (peeled)
Spinkle in some Chia Seeds
Ice

[m448]

I do about a cup of heavy cream, a scoop (2tblsp) of chia seed, a carrot broken in half and then fill the rest of the jar loosely with baby spinach. I blend that well for a minute or two then I fill the jar with the spectrum mixed frozen fruit from costco and maybe a tablepoons of honey. Blend again on high for a minute or two. Super yummy. Sometimes I add a spoonful of coconut oil and some vanilla. Tastes like a tropical drink that way.

It makes about 7 cups which is enough for me and the four kids on a weekday as breakfast.

[Melaine]

I love the Vitamix!!! We just got back in town and the oven is BROKEN. The kids are sick so I couldn't make it out to the store. I just made some soup with the stuff I had at random and I thought it turned out really well. I chopped up a whole bunch of onions, celery, carrots, and sauteed them with EVOO and fresh garlic in the Le Creuset. Then I added some chicken broth, and a bag of frozen squash and a bag of frozen broccoli. Brought it to a boil, then let it simmer for about 45 minutes. Added some salt, pepper, red pepper, and I can't really remember what other spices from the cupboard. Blended it in the vitamix until smooth and it turned out really creamy and yummy!

[LizLemon]

These recipes are great! My daughter really likes bananas, so breakfast smoothies might be good to get some more variability and nutrients in her diet. She's 14 months and really enjoys eating bananas like a monkey so hopefully a smoothie won't crimp her style!

I know vitamixes have the reputation of being awesome, but do you all find a noticeable difference between the Vitamix and your previous blender when your doing something like making a smoothie? Do they go in the dishwasher well?

[lmh2402]

thanks, everyone! excited to try so many of these yummy options! :)

[twowhat?]

These recipes are great! My daughter really likes bananas, so breakfast smoothies might be good to get some more variability and nutrients in her diet. She's 14 months and really enjoys eating bananas like a monkey so hopefully a smoothie won't crimp her style!

I know vitamixes have the reputation of being awesome, but do you all find a noticeable difference between the Vitamix and your previous blender when your doing something like making a smoothie? Do they go in the dishwasher well?

Oh totally - the vitamix gets things as smooth as they could possibly get and is so much more powerful. Our old blender would give us good smoothies, but they always had ice crystals and it took 3 times as long because you had to mix things up in the container to get it all to blend evenly if you wanted it thick.

And there's never a need to put the Vitamix container in the dishwasher - the place where the gears are is all sealed and you are actually not supposed to open it up at all. Clean by filling halfway with warm water, adding a drop or two of Dawn, and running at top speed for a bit. SO easy!!

[Melbel]

These recipes are great! My daughter really likes bananas, so breakfast smoothies might be good to get some more variability and nutrients in her diet. She's 14 months and really enjoys eating bananas like a monkey so hopefully a smoothie won't crimp her style!

I know vitamixes have the reputation of being awesome, but do you all find a noticeable difference between the Vitamix and your previous blender when your doing something like making a smoothie? Do they go in the dishwasher well?


Oh totally - the vitamix gets things as smooth as they could possibly get and is so much more powerful. Our old blender would give us good smoothies, but they always had ice crystals and it took 3 times as long because you had to mix things up in the container to get it all to blend evenly if you wanted it thick.

And there's never a need to put the Vitamix container in the dishwasher - the place where the gears are is all sealed and you are actually not supposed to open it up at all. Clean by filling halfway with warm water, adding a drop or two of Dawn, and running at top speed for a bit. SO easy!!

We also noticed a discernible difference with the Vitamix (much smoother texture with a much wider variety of ingredients). You can also freeze the smoothies as popsicles for a "treat" for any pickier eaters. We use ours at least 1x a day, often times more.

[jacksmomtobe]

I also got a Vitamix for Christmas (though it got delayed due to it being out of stock at the one store DH goes to buy me Christmas presents). I just tried the Emerald Green Smoothie from the Vitamix Lady (recipe below) and it is delicious!

“Emerald Ecstasy” Green Smoothie

Put Ingredients into the Vita-Mix in the following order:

1-2 Cups of Green Grapes
1/4 of a large Pineapple or 1/3 of a small Pineapple
One whole large Banana
Half of an Apple
2 big hand fulls of Spinach (at a show I add a touch of Kale and Parsley too)
2 cups of Ice

This will make 2-3 LARGE servings or 4-5 smaller (juice glass size) servings.

Other than that I've been experimenting but this is the first one where the texture was just right. Some that I've made ended up too watery tasting. I would love to also see more recipes. Thanks to the prev poster who posted the Vitamix Lady link!

[Tondi G]

we do vanilla yogurt, frozen banana, frozen strawberries, 2 handfuls of baby spinach (I sometimes add blueberries too)

another yummy drink is just a mix of frozen "tropical" fruits ... mango, pineapple, banana, strawberry and add lemonade to thin it. My kids love it. you could add some coconut milk if you wanted.

I have added flax to mine ... but we're out of it right now. I have also opened capsules of probiotics to boost the smoothies.

[lmh2402]

i've been making a "smoothie" every day. but it never comes out drinkable

it's way too thick, so i plop into a bowl and eat with a spoon

assuming i need liquid?...but what would you add to this that wouldn't be gross. (i'm not really a juice person, so would prefer not juice..."

- banana
- half avocado
- frozen berries (either strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or medley)
- a few ice cubes
- flax & chia seeds
- granny smith apple
- fill rest of way with spinach

it tastes very yummy. but the color is god awful and my son won't go near it because of that

and it's, as i said, not drinkable

so, what liquid might you add?

and, is there any way to get the color less gross...without eliminating the spinach?

thx

[twowhat?]

lmh, I'd add apple juice or white grape juice. And unfortunately I have not come across a way to make the color more appealing.

[lovin2shop]

I have started adding about a half cup of water to the similar recipe that I posted upthread. Also, for the color, adding more berries might help, but it depends on what color you are going for!

[vludmilla]

I add almond milk to make it thinner. I also add lots of frozen blueberries to improve the color (makes it purple). The color on the purple smoothies will change to a green-brown over time too so if I think DD is going to take a long time to drink the smoothie, I'll put it in her thermos straw cup so she doesn't see the color.


i've been making a "smoothie" every day. but it never comes out drinkable

it's way too thick, so i plop into a bowl and eat with a spoon

assuming i need liquid?...but what would you add to this that wouldn't be gross. (i'm not really a juice person, so would prefer not juice..."

- banana
- half avocado
- frozen berries (either strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or medley)
- a few ice cubes
- flax & chia seeds
- granny smith apple
- fill rest of way with spinach

it tastes very yummy. but the color is god awful and my son won't go near it because of that

and it's, as i said, not drinkable

so, what liquid might you add?

and, is there any way to get the color less gross...without eliminating the spinach?

thx

[brittone2]

I'm another almond milk user. I go with unsweetened. That way I don't get all of the sugar from several fruits combined with the sugar content of juice too.

[mariza]

If add more blueberries for their color and water to thin it out. It shouldn't take much.


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[Melbel]

i've been making a "smoothie" every day. but it never comes out drinkable

it's way too thick, so i plop into a bowl and eat with a spoon

assuming i need liquid?...but what would you add to this that wouldn't be gross. (i'm not really a juice person, so would prefer not juice..."

- banana
- half avocado
- frozen berries (either strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or medley)
- a few ice cubes
- flax & chia seeds
- granny smith apple
- fill rest of way with spinach

it tastes very yummy. but the color is god awful and my son won't go near it because of that

and it's, as i said, not drinkable

so, what liquid might you add?

and, is there any way to get the color less gross...without eliminating the spinach?

thx

I would skip the ice (frozen berries are all you need) and add almond milk (we use unsweetened vanilla from Whole Foods) until you reach the desired consistency. Limit spinach to a handful. Blueberries help camouflage the green color too.

ETA: our recipe has a nice pink/purple color. Our 4 year old loves the smoothies, particularly if the bananas are nice and ripe.

[daisymommy]

OP, please let me know how it goes with your DS and these smoothies. I've wondered if I could get some nutrition into sensory challenged DS that way, but worry about it being smooth enough for him.


Sent from my iPad

[inmypjs]

Not a smoothie, but tonight I made tomato sauce in the vitamix for the first time. I thought it turned out pretty well. I put 4 large tomatoes in and blended on high. I did not seed or peel them. I transferred them to a stock pot, added some onion and garlic that I sauteed, some Italian seasoning, and one can of crushed tomatoes to thicken and add texture. Then I simmered for a few hours. We had it with pasta and chicken. Everyone really liked it! Going to use the rest of it tomorrow for pizza sauce.

[ijopint]

i've been making a "smoothie" every day. but it never comes out drinkable

it's way too thick, so i plop into a bowl and eat with a spoon

assuming i need liquid?...but what would you add to this that wouldn't be gross. (i'm not really a juice person, so would prefer not juice..."

- banana
- half avocado
- frozen berries (either strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or medley)
- a few ice cubes
- flax & chia seeds
- granny smith apple
- fill rest of way with spinach

it tastes very yummy. but the color is god awful and my son won't go near it because of that

and it's, as i said, not drinkable

so, what liquid might you add?

and, is there any way to get the color less gross...without eliminating the spinach?

thx
I agree with the PP regarding skipping the ice cubes b/c you already have frozen fruits. I uses flltered water, coconut water/milk and almond,rice,oat bran milk as my liquid. Banana,Peach or avocado as my base fruit and some greens.

[infomama]

This one rocks

2 Tbs powdered peanut butter (we use this http://www.bettylousinc.com/products_detail.php?id=287&ref=9)
1c vanilla soy milk
1 med. frozen banana

Super healthy, low cal and delish!
Had this for a snack and dessert today!

[lmh2402]

OP, please let me know how it goes with your DS and these smoothies. I've wondered if I could get some nutrition into sensory challenged DS that way, but worry about it being smooth enough for him.


Sent from my iPad

thanks everyone! i ditched the cubes and started adding almond milk - we have unsweetened original here since DS and i use that instead of reg milk, so that's what i used

daisymommy - after multiple attempts each morning this week, i finally seemed to strike a combo that he accepted this morning

i had to reduce the amount of spinach to fix the color - not thrilled about that, but thinking we could work it back up again over time

also thinned enough to be easily drinkable with a straw

and voila...he tolerated. AND he asked for more. :47:

we'll see if i can do it again tomorrow!

[lovebebes]

my usual:

spinach and kale
1 banana
1 orange
frozen pineapple chunks
and a healthy helping of spirulina!

[lmh2402]

When you use whole oranges or lemons, do you seed the fruit first?