It’s Finally Summertime!

In the summer, one of the biggest nutrition switches I make (besides gorging on ridiculously large bowls of fruit) is eating more smoothies. I am not one of those people who have them year round. I am very particular about how I like my smoothie, and the way I like it is ice cold with loads of ice cubes and frozen fruit. Of course, I usually have a shake every day, year round…but to me a smoothie involves a lot more ingredients than a shake. Shakes are for siphoning nutrients quickly into your body after a workout, whereas smoothies are more of a meal replacement, at least when I make them anyway. Today I am going to share with you some of my all time favourite smoothie recipes, plus a brand new one I have created inspired by my mother. I am also sharing with you the Silk Summer of Smoothies Sweepstakes! Every week from now until July 27th, one lucky Canadian resident (excluding residents of Quebec…sorry!) will be winning a prize kit from Silk that includes a Vitamix blender, a $350 Visa gift card, a Silk tumbler, eight Silk coupons (each good for one free 1.89 L Silk of any variety), and five recipe cards. One prize will be awarded each week and readers can enter once daily! 

Readers can enter and find Official Rules here: http://bit.ly/1kLvMY4

 Pear and Ginger Smoothie (NO BANANAS!) 

Some of my favourite smoothie recipes are very simple. I throw in some Silk Almond or Coconut Almond milk (the only brand I buy for various reasons), then some banana, a protein powder, some flavourings (vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, etc.) and then some ice cubes and blend it all up until it’s perfectly smooth. The key to creating the best smoothies? PLacing the ingredients into the blender in the proper order. Anyone who has ever made bread in a  bread maker knows the importance of ingredient placement. It works much the same way in a blender, because blenders all work essentially the same way. From How Stuff  Works:

To explain what happens to your food when you blend it, let’s follow the path of a strawberry that you drop into the jar with other­ ingredients to create a delicious smoothie. You push a button to start the blender, and the motor begins to turn the blades. The circular whirring motion creates a vortex, defined as a spiral movement in a fluid. In the blender, the fluid includes both liquid ingredients and air. The vortex causes a vacuum at the center of the jar, which pulls the strawberry toward the middle, much like a tornado. Unlike a tornado, though, a blender jar contains the vortex.­ As the strawberry combines with the other ingredients and begins to liquefy, the liquid follows the blade in a whirling motion around the container, forming a well near its center. The well in the center of a blender’s vortex is shallow, so it displaces the blender’s contents as they’re drawn toward the axis at the center of the blade. The whirling motion and lack of space below the blades forces the liquefied strawberry up and out the sides. This circular pattern continues, whipping air into the contents, which helps mix the ingredients more quickly, until you stop the blender. The final result is a frothy strawberry smoothie with a homogenized blend of ingredients and a consistent texture.

So there you have it. Vortexes create a whirling tornado of awesomeness (which when you overload the blender cannot get any air, creating what is known as cavitation, which leads to burnt out motors and unhappy smoothie eaters.) that when treated properly create all things wonderful and frothy. One year ago: Dark Chocolate Bark with Candied Maple Bacon and Sea Salt
Two years ago: Raw, Vegan, Gluten-Free Cashew Dip
Three years ago: Szechuan Noodle Salad
Four years ago: Strawberry Shortcakes
Five years ago: Wineries, Cideries, Ice Cream, and a New Beginning

And now, one of my alltime favs. I have finally perfected it’s gloriousness. This is actually modelled after a Blizzard that used to be served at Dairy Queen but is only available now if you ask…one of those secret menu type things. Essentially it is a chocolate lovers dream come true…and cherry lovers too!  I do have some must haves when it comes to ingredients I always have on hand for creating out-of-this-world smoothies:

• Protein powders (whey is good, but I also like egg white protein and paleo protein) in vanilla or chocolate
• Fresh or frozen fruit
• Bananas for adding thickness and creaminess without the dairy
• Unsweetened almond or coconut milk
• Vanilla extract
• Ground cinnamon
• Chilled coffee or frozen cubes of leftover coffee
• Ice cubes
• Super greens powder, such as Skoop
• Avocado for creaminess and healthy fats

So with that, I hope you have a smoothie-rific summer and don’t forget to enter the Silk Summertime Smoothie Contest

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