Drinking 1-2 liters of green smoothies is not only good for your health but tastes good too. For people who are unable to carry it to work or just get home late, most people only have morning to get their daily fix of fruit and green vegetables to rejuvenate their diets.
You may be thinking "Morning. I don't have time to be making smoothies first thing in the morning when I am trying to get out of the door and on my way to work." That's okay because with proper preparation mixing yourself a big refreshing glass of fruit and greens is as easy as pouring milk into a bowl of cereal.
In this episode of Slism, we will introduce a few really great green fruit smoothie recipes specially picked out by our staff bringing you the best of dieting in Japan.
Make your first fruit smoothie!!
Combining apples, bananas, and kiwis, a fruity combination that is not only sweet, but also easy to drink, this fruit smoothie recipe is fit for people just getting started dieting with smoothies.
Where do I get started making my first fruit smoothie?
In making their first green smoothie, there a lot of people who thing that it's grassy-smelling. Although the more green you put into your smoothie packs more nutrients into every glass, it is more important that you continue mixing. That's why you want to keep it fruity.
Japanese greens (Mizuna) taste less like grass, which is why it is recommended for beginners. People less adapt to eating green vegetables can cut down the amount of Mizuna added to their smoothie; and people who don't like their drinks chunky can just add water.
Ingredients for 1 Large Glass Serving of AKBM Fruit Smoothie
AKBM Fruit Smoothie Ingredient
| Ingredient(Amount) | Calories |
|---|---|
| Banana(1/2 large) | 50Cal |
| Apple(1/2 medium) | 81Cal |
| Kiwi(1/2 small) | 28Cal |
| Mizuna(40～60g) | 10～14Cal |
| Water(100㏄) | - |
TOTAL: 173Cal - Cook time:10 minutes
Mixing instructions: How to make an AKBM Fruit Smoothie
1. Cut up the fruit and greens and place in separate bowls.
- Peel banana and cut into suitable sized pieces
- Wash and shake off Mizuna, removing branches, cutting into suitable length
- Remove the prickly skin off the kiwi and cut in half
- Cut of the skin from the apple and slice into suitable sized pieces
2. Place ingredients and water into a blender and hit the switch. Don't stop mixing until an even consistency is reached.
Fresh AKBM fruit smoothie right out of the blender
A Touch of Beauty with Avocado in Your Smoothie
Here's a smoothie that using the fruit we all know and love, not to mention high nutritional value, avocado. Revered to as "The butter of the Forest" the avocado is perfect if you are conscious about your weight and are looking to trim down on fat. In that respect, there is no reason to worry if you are on a diet because the fat found in avocados is almost all made up of unsaturated fatty acids.
Hidden inside avocados are antiaging agents such as vitamin E and B vitamins to improve the condition of your skin, which serves as an excellent elixir for maintaining smooth and beautiful skin.
Ingredients for 1 Big Cup Serving of AKBS Fruit Smoothie
AKBS Fruit Smoothie Ingredient
| Ingredient(Amount) | Calories |
|---|---|
| Avocado (1/4 medium) | 94Cal |
| Banana (1/2 large) | 50Cal |
| Kiwi(1/2 small) | 28Cal |
| Spinach(7～8 leaves) | 3Call |
| Water(100㏄) | - |
TOTAL: 175Cal
Cold glass of AKBS fruit smoothie mixed up and ready to drink
Getting your kids to eat their veggies with this Easy to make Smoothie
The bittersweet smoothie that your kids won't know has vegetables in it. Even for people that don't like veggies, with the synergy between blue berries and banana taking over there should be no problem once you have a tip. "Hey that's really good!" you will say. It's not stretching it to say that it tastes much better than it looks. Don't let its brown mushy appearance fool you. This is a perfect opportunity to show your kids that you can't judge a smoothie by its looks.
The brown color doesn't resemble vegetables at all. There is no way your kids are going to know that it contains veggies. That's why you should expect them to drink without asking questions.
Ingredients for 1 Large Cup Serving of BBS Fruit Smoothie
BBS Fruit Smoothie Ingredient
| Ingredient(Amount) | Calories |
|---|---|
| Blueberry(50g) | 25Cal |
| banana(1/2 large) | 50Cal |
| Japanese Mustard Spinach – aka Komotsuna (about 5 leaves) |
7Cal |
| Water(100㏄) | - |
TOTAL: only 82 Calories !!
Cool Refreshing essences of BBS fruit smoothie out of the mixer
3 Tips to Keep on Smoothing
Tip 1: Find the smoothie recipe that fits your taste
Take time to note down the green smoothie recipes that you are making. This will not only help you to remember your favorite recipes, but serves as a good personal reference to where your tastes lie.
"How much green do I add until it starts tasting and looking like grass?"
"What proportions did I use that time to make it taste so good I can start selling it?"
These are questions you need to be asking yourself when deciding to mix up a new cup, not to mention it lets you avoid repetitive failure that could unsettle your confidence.
When making a green smoothie all you need to think about is what portions of fruit and vegetable you are going to add. There is no reason why you should have to think out hard at all. Find the smoothie recipe that is right for you and enjoy exploring different combinations is what's important.
Tip 2: Don't try too hard to be green
As much as packing as much nutritional value into your smoothies, people who tend to think only in nutrition end mixing the proportions up making drinks way to green. That's why it is more important on making the smoothies you make taste good first before trying to design an elixir that you think is going to save lives and make the world a better place.
Increases the amount of veggies you put in too much is like forcing yourself to drink something you don't want to like salt water. Unless that's what you like, people just getting started out should stick with the fruit : veggie = 6 : 4 ration to stay safe. In fact, most people would enjoy adding less vegetable. That's why you would treat this ration as a rule of thumb giving you a nice safe upper bound to work with.
Tip 3: Store away fruits and veggies properly
Fruits and veggies have feeling too. That's why it's important that you preserve the right way. I know there are a lot of people out there that don't get a chance to go to the grocery store everyday. That's why we are going to need to freeze our fruits and vegetables we are going to be using so that we can drink fresh smoothies everyday.
Freezing fruits and greens for long term storage
"Do storing fruits and vegetables in the freezer affect their nutritional value?" you may be asking yourself right now.
In fact, Storing goods in the freezer causes the flavor and nutrition to change slightly, but it still amount to more nutritional value than you would get out of cooking. Although it may not be perfect, having to sacrifice nutritional value for food preservation, raw vegetables are packed with more nutritional value than your body needs. That's why if you continue of a long period of time, you would be surprised what it can do for your health.
How to preserve vegetables
Although there are a lot of people who like to steam their vegetables before freezing them, when you are looking to preserve Mizuna and Komatsuna, you can just put them in the fridge in their store bought form.
Mizuna・Komatsuna Preservation
- Wash thoroughly and strain until almost dry
- Remove the roots, Cutting 3-4 cm of the ends
- Put into a Ziploc bag and place in the freezer
Tip: Lay out flat in bag and remove air for longer storage
How to preserve fruits
Kiwi
Remove the skin, cut into suitable size pieces, and place into Ziploc bag for freezing.
Banana
Peel skin, cut into pieces longwise, and place in side bag before placing into freezer.
