Zingy Blueberry Lemon Smoothie

Introduction

After making daily smoothies for a couple of years now I have learned a few things along the way which I am sharing here, including my easy smoothie formula.

Since I generally try to eat whole-food, plant-based, the recipe also happens to be vegan and contains gluten-free options.

While this recipe is specifically for a blueberry lemon smoothie, the tips provided are applicable to any fruit smoothie combination.

Smoothie Formula

When making smoothies, I prefer to use whole foods instead of expensive powders.

As an overview my general smoothie formula is:

• ½ cup cooked grains & beans
• ½ cup soaked nuts & seeds & dried fruit
• 1 ¼ cup fresh/frozen greens
• 1 ½ cup fresh/frozen fruit
• 1 tbsp flavorings (zest, ginger, spices)

To better understand the recipe and formula, I will split it out into two parts:

1. the smoothie base and
2. the greens and fruit flavoring

The Smoothie Base

The smoothie base consists of healthy carbs, protein and fiber.

Each ingredient has important benefits as discussed below.

Boiled Whole Grains

Whole grains add healthy carbs that digest slowly thanks to their combination with fiber.

In this recipe, I am featuring boiled triticale berries because triticale is the grain of the month in this series on Whole Grains 101.

Triticale also happens to be a high protein and high fiber whole grain with a delicious mild sweet flavor.

Therefore it is a good option to include in a sweet smoothie.

While any cooked whole or flaked grain can be used, some are milder than others.

As an alternative to triticale which contains some gluten, other mild flavored grains (or pseudograins) that will work well are:

• Cooked whole or rolled oats (considered gluten-free), also high protein
• Cooked soft wheat berries (contains gluten)
• Cooked quinoa (gluten-free), also high protein
• Cooked barley (contains gluten)
• Cooked fonio (gluten-free), lower fiber
• Cooked millet (gluten-free)
• Cooked teff (gluten-free), also high protein

Note: If you are interest in buying whole grains in bulk, be sure to check out this post which includes a FREE PDF download of online whole grain vendors.

Cooked Beans

My first choice for cooked beans is extra firm tofu because it is high in protein and calcium (when set with a calcium based coagulant).

If soy doesn’t agree with you, feel free to add some other cooked mild flavored beans such as white beans or navy beans.

Tofu is not technically a whole food since it is made from straining boiled soybeans, thereby removing the fiber.

But typically, tofu will have a short list of ingredients (soybeans, water, calcium chloride and/or magnesium chloride) which I am comfortable with.

I highly recommend organic or non-GMO tofu to avoid any herbicide residues.

Tip: I have also found that blending tofu in a high speed blender is a very convenient substitute for soymilk in many applications, without all the fillers and additives soymilk typically contains.

For me, that’s a win-win.

Soaked Nuts

I like to include soaked almonds in smoothies to boost the protein content of the smoothies as well as increase the creaminess.

Soaking the almonds makes them more easily digestible than raw dry almonds.

While you may have seen recipes for making homemade almond milk using soaked almonds, I don’t bother with those extra steps.

What I normally do each week is soak about a cup and a half of almonds in water with a pinch of salt.

I keep the soaked almonds refrigerated and they easily stay fresh for five to seven days.

Then, each morning, I simply scoop out a portion of the soaked almonds to add to my smoothie.

Almonds are the mildest and most cost effective option for me.

However, you could switch out or rotate with other soaked nuts such as walnuts or pecans, especially when combined with stronger flavored fruits.

Soaked Seeds

My go-to soaked seeds are a combination of chia and flax seeds.

Both chia and flax seeds are known for their high omega-3 fatty acid content.

Flax seeds also contain phyto estrogens which are considered very beneficial, particularly for menopausal and post-menopausal women.

While I don’t have issues with using raw dry seeds when I blend them in my smoothies, my husband does as they appear to wreck havoc on his gut.

After the seeds have been soaked overnight however, they are more easily digestible.

Just like with almonds, each week I typically will blend in a jar a combination of chia seeds and flax seeds, about a cup’s worth, to last me for the next 5 to 7 days.

I add double the amount of water, close the jar and shake to make sure all the seeds are moisturized.

Other seeds to consider in your rotation would be hemp or sunflower seeds.

Soaked Dried Fruits

My favorite dried fruits to use are medjool dates.

Medjool dates are rich in trace nutrients and add extra sweetness to smoothies.

Soaking the dates insures they blend well.

Again, at the beginning of the week, I will typically soak enough dates for the next 5 to 7 days.

In order not to run out of dates and for them to stay fresh, I like to keep some as backup in my freezer.

This ensures I have all my smoothie ingredients on hand.

As an alternative to medjool dates, consider using prunes, dried apricots or even dried figs.

Greens and Fruit Flavoring

Each day, I will use different combinations of greens and fruit for my smoothies.

For this recipe we are using a combination of frozen kale, blueberries, lemon, banana and ginger.

Greens

Freezing greens has been the game changer for me.

I used to always be concerned about my greens going bad or running out.

These days, whether I buy prepackaged, pre-washed greens or I wash them myself, I will freeze them once dry.

Among my favorite options are pre-washed kale and baby spinach which often can be found in bulk packages.

Salad greens and beet greens are good options as well.

Keep in mind however that some people may have issues with oxalate rich food like spinach and beet greens, particularly if consumed in large quantities.

If that is a concern for you, then you may want to focus on lower oxalate greens such as kale.

Another option which I currently don’t follow, is to lightly steam or boil your greens as oxalates are water soluble.

Steaming is particularly useful when dealing with tougher leaves such as the ones on collard greens.

If you opt to go the steaming route, keep in mind steamed greens should keep in the refrigerator for at least 4 days.

Otherwise, consider freezing them.

I usually aim for 1 ¼ cup of loosely packed frozen greens which would translate into about ½ cup of compact steamed greens.

Fruits

I try to aim for about a generous cup and a half of fruits per smoothie.

For the current recipe I used frozen blueberries, lemon, banana and some ginger as my fruit flavor combination.

Often, I will freeze my lemons, banana and ginger whole.

The way I see it, the outer skin of the fruit is a protection against freezer burn.

It also makes it very easy to put away groceries after I go shopping.

On the flip side, it does mean that in the morning, I need to devote a little more time to processing the fruits.

Usually, I will simply soak the banana and citrus in some water for about a minute while I assemble the base of the smoothie.

Once soaked, the banana cuts up quite easily.

If you also freeze citrus, that does mean there will be the extra step of cutting it in half and manually removing pits.

I don’t mind doing that but if that is too much trouble for you, then just keep your citrus refrigerated instead as they typically will easily keep for a couple of weeks and removing pits from fresh citrus is much quicker.

If you want to batch this process, then you couldalso cut your citrus in half, remove the pits and then freeze for later use.

Note that I like to add a little zest to the smoothie as well as ginger to give the sweet mix extra zing – feel free to scale up or down to your preference.

In terms of fruit combinations, it took me a while to find ones that worked well for me.

A book that I have found helpful for tasty combinations is Simple Green Smoothies by Jen Hansard and Jadah Sellner.

They also have a website where you can check out their free recipes but I found the book very comprehensive and worth buying.

Serving Size

This recipe makes for one very large meal replacement smoothie portion of about 28 oz and 550 calories with estimated chronometer macros of: 13 grams protein, 60 grams net carbs, 22 grams of fat and 20 grams of fiber.

It can also be divided into two smaller 14 oz smoothies.

Storage

Smoothies can be kept up to 48 hours in the refrigerator but typically are best consumed within 24 hours.

It is also possible to batch prep and freeze smoothies, in which case they can be thawed the night before in the refrigerator.

That is a very convenient option if you are preparing food for someone who is sick or recovering from surgery.

In that situation, I can recommend these convenient disposable freezer bags.

Conclusion

Well, that’s it for my basic smoothie formula as illustrated with this zingy blueberry lemon recipe.

I hope the tips provided will help you incorporate smoothies into your week more easily.

Wishing you a smooth, grainlicious experience!

All information in this post is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute nutritional, medical or health advice.

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