Some Thoughts on Smoothies

Mr. Laelaps and I have been trying to eat healthier lately, and part of this plan involves the daily smoothie breakfast (or mid morning snack). I am a smoothie purist… I don’t mess around with ice and sugar. Fruit, juice, and yogurt – that’s it. I love my smoothies and I love to experiment with different fruit combos, especially exotic ones. I find it cheapest and healthiest to buy whatever fruit is seasonal/cheap at the market, cut it up, and freeze it in containers for future smoothies (this is usual quite a savings over purchasing frozen fruit).

My typical smoothie recipe goes something like this:
1 fresh banana (the riper the better)
1.5 c of other frozen fruit (pineapple, strawberries, blackberries, mangoes, etc – I try to make sure at least 1/2 c of that is blueberries, my favored superfood)
3/4 c plain yogurt or kefir (I prefer kefir for health reasons but sometimes it is difficult to find near me)
Just enough orange or apple juice to allow everything to blend (usually 1/2-3/4 c)

This makes two large glasses of smoothie for two people. I probably should make less, actually, but I’m not good at scaling down and at least it’s healthy. Given that I leave for work between 5:30-6 am, I usually make the smoothies the night before and put them in thermoses in the freezer, which I’ve found keeps them at something resembling the correct consistency overnight.

Recently, as yet another part of my health kick, I began adding 1/4 c ground flaxseed (for omega-3’s, healthy lignans, and fiber) and 1/4 c wheat germ (for vitamin, foliate, other vitamins, still more fiber, and protein). I must admit it changes the taste of the smoothie a bit, but it’s still yummy and I think I will probably get used to the new additions. The first time I tried this was over the weekend and the smoothies were drunk immediately. No problem!

Enthusiastically, I added the flax and wheat germ to the ones I made last night for today’s consumption. The result, when I tried it around 9am this morning was slightly less appealing. While it wasn’t actually bad, the wheat germ seemed to have glutenized (is that even a word?) the whole drink, making it thicker and with a wheaty aftertaste. After drinking one had the vague sensation of having consumed a thick slice of fruitcake that had gone through the blender.

I’m hoping I have a solution to this problem that will let us have our nutrients and drink them too. Perhaps if I make the smoothie the night before as usually, but add the wheat germ at work when I pour it, it might prevent any unpleasant bready resemblance. Anyways, now you know – if you want to add wheat germ to a smoothie, drink it right away!

~ by lycaon on January 12, 2009.