What's in your real fruit smoothie?

This morning I made smoothies for our family for breakfast. Typically we always have cereal, or if my husband doesn't work that morning we have eggs and toast and any kind of meat we may have bought at the store (mmm...veggie sausage...) But I bought a ton of fruit at the store the other day so I wanted to try something a little different. Smoothies it was! But as I was concocting what it was that I was going to put in the blender, it made me start wondering about what other people put in their blenders when they make their smoothies. Or even worse, what restaurants, like McDonalds "real fruit smoothies" put in their blenders when they make their smoothies! Too many times have people said the word "smoothie" and meant "ice cream sugary strawberry flavored calorie bomb".

This morning's smoothie was 1 1/2 cups of frozen blueberries, 1 cup fresh strawberries, 2 bananas, 1 bolthouse farms vanilla chai late drink (I usually use greek yogurt, but I had this and it was yummy) Blended it up, then I added my own "additives" which is what you see on top. 2 scoops of soy vanilla protein powder (any kind will work, this is what I had) about a Tbsp of cinnamon, a few Tbsp of fiber powder. I am a HUGE fan of fiber powder and add it to most things liquidy, then blended it up, poured me and my husband 2 big glasses and our son 1/2 a glass assuming he wouldn't want it. He didn't like it for a minute, but I told him to drink half, and by the 3rd sip he said very matter-of-factly "I do like it. I just have to get used to it." (sounding awfully like me) Then slammed the entire thing. 

*One thing I like to do with Corbin is when he eats something he normally thinks he doesn't like, blueberries in this case, is to read about them while he is eating them. I have a huge book called The Worlds Healthies Foods that we like to reference a lot. Its like a food bible. I think understanding WHY we eat certain foods is important to the experience to trying new foods. 

But when thinking about smoothies, and what they are and their purpose (besides, to be delicious) I want to make a little list of what TO put in your smoothies, and what not to. 

First and foremost, if you are trying to be and eat healthier, you need to understand that eating smoothies at any location that isn't your own home can be extremely misleading, so it is VERY important that you learn how to research your foods and read labels before you eat anything you don't make yourself. Many fast food chains add way too many additives including ice cream, sugar, and artificial flavorings that are pointless, and often harmful to our health. 

What to put in your smoothies!

This is where it is fun. Smoothies are so versatile that you could really put just about anything you want in them and they will probably taste amazing. 

Great things to add include:

-1-2 cups of any fresh or frozen fruit (I recommend at least 1 frozen fruit, or freezing your fruit beforehand to take away the need for ice) *note- try not to use fruits with skins like grapes. The skins will not break up entirely and be chewy in the smoothie.

-veggies! If you have veggie juice, like your own fresh juiced or store bought. I also love adding frozen spinach to my smoothies. It blends up really nicely. The fruit flavor will over power the veggie flavor.

-1 cup dairy. milk, greek yogurt, regular yogurt (i highly suggest plain. It has no added sugar, the fruit will provide enough sweetness)

-OR 1 cup non dairy alternative- 1 cup of juice (this will provide more sugar, so keep that in mind), soy milk, almond milk, ect. 

-protein powder- if you are making this your meal, I highly recommend adding a scoop of the protein powder of your choice. If this is a snack, nix it. 

-extras! Whatever your in the mood for. cinnamon, fiber powder, vanilla, ginger, pumpkin pie spice, flax seed, chia seeds, ect. Honestly, you could throw in any type of spice  that you were in the mood for and it would just give you an extra flavor and health boost. You can't go wrong here. 

What NOT to ever include in your smoothies. 

- sugar. We like things way too sweet as a society. But by adding sugar to a smoothie that is already so full of natural sugars, your setting yourself up for disaster here. Stay away. If it doesn't taste sweet enough to you, give it some time. Your taste buds will adjust soon. 

-ice cream. You have officially just turned a low cal fat free smoothie (depending on your dairy) into a high calorie sugar laden fatty dessert. Stay away, you wont even be able to taste the ice cream anyways. 

-Juice from concentrate. IF you are going to add juice to your smoothie for a vegan version, stick to 100% juice. Less sugar

-candy. Its not a McFlurry people.

Basically, if its natural, throw it in and blend it up. Its sooooo good.