It’s summer, it’s hot, and I want to nourish my body with anything cold and delicious. Enter: the smoothie. Today I’ll share some tips on how to achieve the smoothie texture of your dreams, ways to store your smoothie ingredients, and how to make smoothie-making a breeze with a little prep. Plus, I’ll share the smoothie recipe I’m currently obsessed with to give you some blender inspo. Here are my favorite how-tos when it comes to making the perfect smoothie.

Make it creamier:

-1-2 cubes of frozen sweet potato, pumpkin, or butternut squash. Freeze canned pumpkin, sweet potato, or butternut squash in individual cubes using an ice cube tray. These will each add a creamy texture without adding an over-powering flavor.

-Frozen banana. Peel and slice or halve the fruit before you put your banana in the freezer to get smoothie-ready. ½ a banana is all it takes, but if you want the whole one, go for it!

-Avocado (1/4 to ½). Surprisingly, adding avocado to your smoothie won’t change the flavor, but it will make it creamy, dreamy, and nutrient-dense!

-1/2 cup frozen cauliflower. I know, I know. You’re thinking, “um…she is insane”. Believe me, I didn’t think it was a real thing until I tried it! You can use frozen cauliflower rice or frozen cauliflower florets, but either way you’ll give your smoothie a great thick texture without adding a bunch of calories or any hint of cauliflower flavor (I promise!!).

-Use full-fat coconut milk. It’s like drinking a milkshake. Enough said.

-Add Greek yogurt. This will definitely add a thickness to your smoothie with some protein as well!

-It’s important to note that your liquid to frozen ingredient ratio will impact how thick your smoothie gets. If you just barely cover your ingredients with liquid, it will be more thick than if you cover them with 1-2 inches of liquid. Find what suits your taste!

Sneak in some veggies:

Some veggies that blend well into smoothies without adding any extra flavor are:

-Spinach

-Frozen cauliflower

-Other leafy greens are great but bitter greens like kale might change the flavor

Ingredient storage tips:

If you spend a few minutes prepping ingredients when you first buy them, you can save yourself some time when you’re ready to make your smoothie. Chop and freeze your ingredients, store them in individual baggies or containers, and keep them all together in the freezer for easy access. I keep all of mine together in a drawer so they’re easy to grab and go.

Prep your smoothies ahead of time:

Think about keeping 1 serving of smoothie ingredients (other than the liquid) in a baggie so that you can just dump them into your blender when you’re ready. It’s food prep for smoothies!

Mind your portions! It’s easy to add ALLOFTHETHINGS to your smoothie and end up with a calorie count north of 400-500 calories. It’s always easier to drink that many calories than it is to eat them, so you might not even realize that it happened! If you pack your smoothie with mainly veggies, 1 serving of fruit for a little sweetness, a serving of protein, and a healthy fat, then you’ll have a complete smoothie that’ll fuel you up for whatever your day brings.

Here’s my current smoothie obsession:

Turmeric Ginger Smoothie

Photo cred: mylifecookbook.com

  • ½ frozen banana
  • 1 cube frozen pumpkin
  • ½ cup frozen cauliflower
  • 1 tsp Maca root (hormone balance and energy booster)
  • 1 inch each turmeric root and ginger root (hello anti-inflammatory benefits!)
  • Pinch of black pepper (to increase bioavailability of the curcumin in the turmeric)
  • Heavy shake of cinnamon
  • 1 scoop Vital Proteins collagen peptides (protein source)
  • Almond milk or coconut milk to cover the ingredients
  • I top my smoothie with:
  • 1.5 T cacao nibs (these are not chocolate chips! It’s ground up cacao bean loaded with magnesium)
  • 1/3 cup Purely Elizabeth grain-free granola (banana nut butter is my favorite! This is loaded with nuts and seeds for my healthy fat source)

Give it a try, or create your own delicious concoction. Either way, let us know how it turns out! We’d love to hear from you.