Five Things to Put in your Smoothie (and one to avoid)

found via weheartit

Smoothies are pretty much the best way I know to get a big strong dose of veggies and fruits to start your day off right. You can use whatever you have in your fridge, but here are a couple of things I've found to be extra great.

Frozen bananas

While bananas aren't the greatest "diet" fruit out there, putting a frozen one in the blender will give your smoothie the best creamy texture. And as a bonus, bananas are the best source of potassium, and a good way to get electrolytes if your smoothie is post workout!

Berries

and LOTS of them! Blueberries and raspberries and strawberries, oh my! Blueberries are the latest and greatest cancer preventing superfoods - and on top of that, they are absolutely delicious! They will easily mask any bitter taste that ends up in your smoothie, bringing us to...

Leafy greens

This may be a shock to some, but all the raw foodies out there know that adding some spinach or some kale to your smoothie is the best trick in the book for sneaking the much needed veggie nutrients into your day. Seriously, with delicious fresh berries you won't even taste them. I'm incapable of eating kale any other way - yuck! Don't freak out if your smoothie is green, it's still probably super tasty.

Greek yoghurt

This also adds some creamy texture to the smoothie, and packs a LOT of protein for very little calories. Don't add too much, though, or you'll end up with more of a sour cream taste than you bargained for.

Honey

Honey is definitely higher in calories than all of the others, and you don't want to put in TOO much, but it actually has benefits for the body galore - see here for details. Besides that, there's the obvious yum factor.

And the one to AVOID: ICE

I have seen many a good smoothie totally ruined by huge ice chunks you have to chew to get down. And then when it melts, it makes everything watery and gross, leaving only a small window of smoothie drinking open. Seriously, unless you have the greatest blender in the world, don't bother. It's not worth the trouble!

Finally, if you're having trouble getting started, here is a GREAT resource for smoothie recipes of all kinds. But don't worry about ratios and measuring cups, guys. It's pretty hard to go wrong. Let your imagination be your guide!