Date Smoothie Recipe

So I'm still experimenting with different flavors of smoothies so I'm not just alternating between the same two recipes ALL the time. I recently bought some dates from Trader Joe's because I love them and wanted to see what they might taste like in a smoothie. I looked up some recipes online and pretty much took bits and pieces from each to come up with my own recipe. I didn't make too much because I didn't want to waste it in case I didn't like it so feel free to alter the amount of ingredients used to yield more servings.

                         

-Pitted dates, chopped ( I didn't count or measure them so I really have no idea how many, sorry)
-1/2 cup of unsweetened vanilla coconut milk ( I may use more in the future)
-2 Tbsp of vanilla coconut milk yogurt (I added this mostly just to thicken it up a bit)

                         

Blend it together and boom! There you have it. My one issue is that there was still some date chunks in the blender that I just couldn't get rid of. Maybe I didn't chop the dates up enough? I'm not really sure what happened but for the most part everything blended together nicely. My taste buds are VERY happy.

Coconut Milk Smoothie Recipe

I recently decided to give coconut milk a try because of this health kick I'm on. A while back I tried almond milk but it was just gross. I've never been a fan of almonds so I don't know why I thought I'd like the milk but whatever. Usually I make my smoothies with yogurt but I decided to try looking up recipes that use coconut milk and I found this one. It's very simple and only has three ingredients.

This picture isn't mine but this is pretty much what my smoothie looked like.

-1 cup coconut milk
-1 banana
-2 cups of raw spinach

Mix it all in a blender and there you have it. My only "issue" with this smoothie is the very milky texture. By using yogurt all the time I'm used to the texture of my smoothies being thicker, almost like a milkshake but this wasn't a big deal. Anyway, try it for yourself and enjoy!

Banana-Pineapple Smoothie

This should be pretty brief but as I said it my last post I have two favorite smoothie recipes that I really like so far. Again, the recipe doesn't include measurements so I'm just going to tell you what I put in to give you a basic idea. Honestly the only thing different from this recipe and the previous one is the use of bananas instead of strawberries. If done correctly, this smoothie tastes like a virgin pina colada. In the future I may add my favorite rum into the mix for a little smoothie party.

                             

Banana-Pineapple Smoothie
-Frozen bananas (I tried using fresh but they ended up going bad from not using them so frozen works better)
-Crushed pineapple
-Coconut manna
-Goat's milk yogurt
-Vanilla extract (again, a little goes a long way)
-Honey
-Kale

Frozen bananas....

                                                

Looks gross I know lol. Yogurt, kale, pineapple, bananas on the bottom.

                           

And there you have it, one of my favorite smoothie recipes. Enjoy!

My Favorite Smoothie Recipes

As I mentioned in a previous post, I've started making my own fruit smoothies at home as a way to try to add some healthiness to my diet. Lord knows I don't eat anywhere near the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables each day. Right now I'm sticking with fruit but maybe someday I'll branch out into vegetables or mixing the two together. I haven't decided yet but we'll see.

                           

Let me preface this by saying that I never measure anything with my smoothies (or cooking in general for that matter) so I'm just going to give you the ingredients I use and a general idea of weather it's a good amount or just a pinch. Personally, I'd say to just add things based on your personal taste and preference. That seems to work well for me. After a bit of trial and error I've found two smoothie recipes that will be my staples. To be honest I haven't tried very many varieties and mixtures but I'd rather just stick with what I know I like for now. Check them out below:

Strawberry-Pineapple Smoothie
-Frozen strawberries (you can use fresh if you want)
-Crushed pineapple (I prefer to just buy cans and put the leftovers in the refrigerator)
-Goats' Milk Vanilla Yogurt (you read right, goat's milk...it's actually pretty tasty)
-Coconut Manna (after melting it I add a few tablespoons)
-Kale (I just take a few leaves and break them up into the mix)
-Vanilla Extract (less is more so I'd say no more than a teaspoon)
-Honey (no idea how much, just let it drip for a bit)

Coconut manna and goats' milk yogurt both bought from Whole Foods.

                                   

Like I said, I never measure anything. Just use your best judgement. Blend and taste test until you get your desired results.

Stay tuned for my other favorite smoothie recipe in the next post!