Recipes — Smoothies

If you're trying to live a healthy lifestyle and drink green smoothies, it's always best to make your own at home. Smoothies at cafes or smoothie shops tend to be loaded with sugar and other unnatural ingredients.

To ensure that your smoothie is truly green, we've created this simple recipe that can be prepared in seconds to give you a healthy start to any day. The key is to purchase all organic ingredients. 

Why Choose Organic Smoothie Ingredients

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), organic produce must be grown without synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or genetically modified organisms. This designation means organic food is generally better for the planet and healthier for humans to ingest. 

Exposure to the pesticides commonly found on non-organic produce has been linked to several health issues, including cancer and Parkinson's. 

Pesticides are used to keep harmful insects away from produce as it grows. There is wide debate over whether agricultural workers use enough pesticides on fruits and vegetables to cause harm to the consumers who eat them. It's more clear that pesticides harm to the environment by damaging soil health. 

Guide to Buying Organic Smoothie Ingredients

Unfortunately, buying organic is generally more expensive. You may notice a big difference in your grocery bill if you abruptly switch all of your items to organic. But there are ways to cut costs, starting with knowing which produce items have been found to contain the highest amounts of pesticides. 

The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit that puts together a list of fruits and vegetables with the most pesticides using data from the Department of Agriculture. 

EWG's Dirty Dozen for 2019: 

1. Strawberries
2. Spinach
3. Kale
4. Nectarines
5. Apples
6. Grapes
7. Peaches
8. Cherries
9. Pears
10. Tomatoes
11. Celery
12. Potatoes

If you are trying to buy organic smoothie ingredients on a budget, start by purchasing these produce items with organic labels first. 

Another tip to save is to buy organic produce that is in-season. Items will be priced higher when they aren't currently growing naturally. 

Finally, look for sales and coupons on the organic smoothie ingredients that you need. It may take some extra time, but the health benefits and reduced environmental impact will be worth it. 

Blendtec's Organic Green Smoothie Recipe

You'll notice that three of the ingredients in our organic smoothie recipe are on the EWG's "Dirty Dozen" list. You can always choose the conventional version of those ingredients if your budget requires, but be sure to at least thoroughly rinse and clean your non-organic produce. 

Once you've gathered all of your ingredients, this unique organic smoothie recipe takes less than one minute to make, and keeps you going with three grams of protein and 48 grams of carbs. And don't let those 33 grams of sugar scare you — that's all natural sugar! 

Let us know how you like this organic green smoothie in the comments below! 

Who says you can't have chocolate for breakfast? A good chocolate peanut butter smoothie is packed with the protein and deliciousness you need to start your day right. We'd like to thank whoever was the first person to realize that chocolate and peanut butter go together even better than bacon and eggs. 

Your Ingredient Options

Some chocolate peanut butter smoothie recipes include all sorts of expensive ingredients and flavored protein powders. If you're more of a "less is more" person, here are a few ingredients we recommend switching around to meet your personal taste buds and health goals: 

• Liquid. Don't get stuck thinking that 2% milk is your only option for making a delicious chocolate peanut butter smoothie. There are plenty of fat-free, non-dairy milk options, and many people even love adding coffee as the main liquid ingredient for their morning caffeine boost. Try mixing it up with sweetened or unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk until you find your favorite.
• Powder. If you simply must have a protein powder in your smoothie, it doesn't have to be chocolate flavored. You could experiment with a vanilla protein powder and cocoa powder for a similar chocolate peanut butter flavor. Also check out our Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Shake recipe.
• Fruit. While we think a banana is the best fruit to round out a perfect chocolate peanut butter smoothie, we won't be offended if you swap it out for something crazy like pineapple chunks or blueberries. It's your life. You do you. 

That said, here is our favorite version of the ever-popular chocolate peanut butter smoothie, ideal for your breakfast fuel or satisfying that afternoon chocolate craving. Let us know how yours turns out! 

If you are living an active lifestyle, it can be hard to keep the refrigerator stocked with enough healthy ingredients that keep you full. Protein shakes are a quick and tasty way to fill up on nutrients that will keep you going for hours. While some protein powders result in an unpleasant, chalky flavor, there are a few simple tricks to making your protein shake taste so good, you'll look forward to it every day. 

There are tons of protein shake recipes out there, but if you love chocolate, a chocolate peanut butter protein shake is a great way to curb the craving without reaching for the cookies or peanut butter cups. 

Ingredient Options

• Customize your base. The milk you choose for your protein shake can make a big difference in the flavor and nutritional value. Have fun with all of those milk options at the grocery story. You don't have to be dairy-free to enjoy a smooth soy or almond milk.
• Craft Your Powder. If you already have some vanilla protein powder in the cupboard instead of chocolate, you can still make a delicious chocolate peanut butter protein shake. Try adding some cocoa powder along with your vanilla protein powder for the same effect.
• Choose Your Peanut Butter. Just like milk, not all peanut butter is created equally. You have many options to experiment with such as PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter and unsweetened peanut butters, not to mention deciding between smooth and crunchy. Of course, you could also opt to switch up the flavor entirely with almond butter. Imagine the possibilities.