Back in the beginning of the pandemic, we started making a smoothie everyday. This daily smoothie routine has been an obsession of ours for about 2 years. Any member of our household is keenly aware of the obsession. Our blender swirls each and every morning like clock work around 9 am. Over the years, we have perfected our smoothie, especially the strawberry smoothie. These smoothies are not only delicious, but they keep you full for hours making them the perfect breakfast meal.
Out of all the smoothies we have created, this strawberry version is one of our favorites. Each summer, during peak strawberry season, we get bags and bags of jam berries from the farmer’s market. We hull the strawberries and spread them on a tray to freeze. After they have frozen, we store them in plastic bags to ensure we have perfectly ripe strawberries all year long. The frozen berries you get at the store are also often frozen at this stage: peak ripeness. It is when the berries are a little soft but extra sweet and ripe, making frozen berries our preference for smoothies.
When it comes to smoothies, we have made them just about every which way. We have made basically ice and fruit water to the opposite end of basically ice cream. At the end of the day, all we are looking for when it comes to a smoothie are two main qualities: 1. It tastes delicious 2. It keeps us full until lunch time. After failing on both of these fronts for quite a while, a friend of ours introduced us to the perfect combination. Inspired by our dear friend Zoe, Pint Sized Wellness, and her friend Kelly LeVeque, we have finally cracked the code on what we love in a smoothie.
Creating a Delicious Strawberry Smoothie:
- Protein Powder: In our smoothies we use a mixture of vanilla protein powder and collagen peptides. We find vanilla adds to most flavor and if we want a chocolate smoothie we just add cocoa powder or for a strawberry smoothie add strawberries, etc.
- Berries: Frozen berries are always what get tossed into our smoothies. They add thickness and are often the most flavorful! Berries get frozen at the peak of the season so don’t be afraid to leverage the freezer aisle.
- Almond Butter: Creamy almond butter adds the best flavor to smoothies. We put it in just about everything. You can make your own (details here) or use a creamy version from the store.
- Chia Seeds: Chia seeds add fiber and thickness to the smoothie. The fiber helps make this a filling breakfast while the gelatinous texture of chia adds thickness. We love our smoothies thick and creamy so these are our favorite seeds to use but hemp, flax, or other varieties can also be used.
- Spinach: Spinach is a great green to add into smoothies to get in greens without bitterness.
- Ice: we like our smoothies very thick so we add ice to help get the perfect texture. For a more liquidy smoothie, simply use less ice or omit the ice.
- Almond Milk: Our go to liquid is unsweetened vanilla almond milk. This adds creaminess, flavor, and more to the smoothie. We also love cashew and other nut milks, just make sure it is an unsweetened variety. In a pinch, you can also use water.
- The bonus is the combination of protein, healthy fats and fiber is the perfect, balanced meal that will keep you full until lunch time, making it our absolute favorite breakfast! You can read more on this winning combination here.
How to make the strawberry smoothie:
Making the smoothie could not be simpler. Simply add all the ingredients into the blender and blend until combined. Once everything is combined we like to continue to blend the smoothie for an additional 20-30 seconds. This creates the creamiest texture. Enjoy them right away for the best flavor.
Can I use other berries?
Yes! We make this smoothie with all kinds of berries. One of our other favorites is a peanut butter and blackberry version. Simply swap out the strawberries and almond butter for peanut butter and blackberries to make what we call the PB&J! Any combination will work well. Use your favorites!
What are other flavor combinations?
- Peanut Butter, Chocolate, Banana
- Peanut Butter, Blackberry
- Pistachio Butter, Strawberry with Rose Water and Cardamom
Can I use unflavored protein?
The vanilla protein powder is what gives this so much flavor. If you are using an unflavored protein, we recommend using a flavored protein powder in combination with unflavored. For instance, we use about half a serving of vanilla and half a serving of unflavored collagen peptides.
Strawberry Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup ice
- ½ cup frozen strawberries or ¼ cup if smaller berry
- ½ cup almond milk
- Vanilla protein 1 serving
- 1 tablespoon chia seed
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- Handful spinach
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon vanilla extract, and almond extract, optional
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients into a blender and pulse one medium high speed until creamy. Once combined give it 30 seconds longer for a creamier smoothie.
Entertainer’s Note:
When preparing to entertain, smoothies are the perfect, quick breakfast to keep you going while leaving maximum time for preparation and planning. There is a reason we eat one of these almost every day!
