smoothies 3 ways

It's not an over exaggeration to say that buying a vitamix has changed my life. I have used it at least twice a day, every day. I've made sauces, vegan cheese, pesto, peanut butter, almond milk, etc, but mostly, I've made smoothies. Today I bring you 3 of my favourites:

This is my staple; I make some kind of green smoothie every day. I make sure to always have a big bag of spinach or kale in the fridge, and then I just add whatever else I have kicking around. I always use a base of water, and usually throw in some chia seeds for extra creaminess/nutrition. For this particular green smoothie I blended up:

- a big bunch of kale
- half a frozen banana
- half an orange
- 1 date
- 1 small apple
- small handfull organic frozen blueberries
- small pear

Did you know that you can also make juice in a high powered blender? Revolutionary, I'm telling you. To make juice instead of a smoothie, you need to add water (otherwise it won't blend), and then you have to strain out the pulp. After blending up my ingredients here, I poured the contents into a nut milk bag over a big bowl. You squeeze gently using your hands, and then you can compost or toss the pulp and drink up the juice. Yum. Here I used:

- a cup or so of water
- 1 yellow carrot
- ginger
- half a passionfruit
- 2 small apples

Lastly, my dessert smoothie. I am a chocolate and peanut butter fiend, so this is just a glass full of my favourite things. I made this one slightly healthier with the ingredients listed below, but you could also use a spoon full of nutella instead of the cacao and honey and it's delicious. Perfect for an afternoon snack. The cast of characters:

- 1 frozen banana
- big scoop of peanut butter (I used peanut butter we made in the vitamix)
- 1 heaping teaspoon raw cacao
- 1 teaspoon honey (or maple syrup if you're vegan)
- a cup or so of milk (dairy, nut, soy etc)

Some other smoothie making tips... I always make sure to have at least a few frozen bananas in the freezer. Once a banana has some brown spots on the peel I peel it, break it in half and throw it in a freezer bag. Frozen bananas will make all your smoothies (especially the green ones) extra creamy and yummy. To wash your blender after, it's easiest to fill it up halfway with warm water, a splash of soap and then turn it on high for half a minute or so. What's your favourite kind of smoothie?

p.s. this isn't a sponsored post, I just love my vitamix