My Berry Box Smoothie

Yes, I know the title of this post sounds kind of strange, but I will explain!  

This past summer I invested in a NutriBullet, and it has been a terrific addition to my kitchen, and for better healthy living.  After having the NutriBullet now for several months, I have played around with different recipes and concoctions for smoothies, and have pretty much now settled on a favorite.  I've also learned a couple of things along the way that works for me.  I will share those too.

 First I try to gather all the ingredients for the smoothie in one place so I don't forget anything.  Since I make a smoothie every morning for breakfast, I have my routine down pretty good.

Let's get started by adding into the cup the greens that I am using, which is usually kale.  Spinach can be used, but after trying both, my preference is still kale.  I usually add about 2 cups kale, or enough to fill the bottom 1/3 of the NutriBullent container.

Then I had about 1 cup of fresh or frozen berries.

And this is why I call my smoothie the Berry Box Smoothie.  I keep a tub with a lid in my freezer in which I place frozen berries and fruits that can be kept all in one place.  When I find fruit on sale, such as strawberries, bananas, pineapple, (and during the summer blueberries and raspberries), I then combine a mixture of the frozen fruit in my fruit tub, which are then very handy to measure out and scoop into my smoothie cup each morning.

I simply flash freeze berries and fruit separately, after washing them, and then when completely frozen, I add them to my berry tub.

Some days there are frozen blueberries in my scoop, and some days there will be more pineapple, and some days more raspberries or strawberries.  It all depends on what my scoop brings out for the smoothie that day, and I find that a mixture of any of these fruit go rather well together.

It is a great help to the budget too. Finding fresh fruit in the winter is harder to do.  So by freezing fresh fruit throughout the summer when it is on sale, I have a great supply of frozen fresh fruit for my smoothies during the winter months.

Here I have added the fruit from my scoop into the cup. 

Next I usually add a bit of yogurt.  I buy yogurt when I can find it on sale.  (I have not yet gotten brave enough to try to make my own.. yet!)

Next I add in about 1 tbsp chia seeds, and 1 tbsp flax seeds.  Both of these help to "gel" the smoothie together, as well as add extra fiber and omega 3 for your daily needs.

So here is the flax seed and chia seed.  Some people use nuts, and other types of seeds in their smoothies.  I have tried different things, and have settled on using the chia seeds and flax seeds.  They seem to add the best texture and flavor to my liking.

Then I added a fresh banana broken into thirds on top of that mixture, along with about 1-1/2 cups milk. I like to use almond milk when I have it, but it so happened that today when I was snapping pictures of the smoothie, all I had was regular whole milk.

Then I always add in some orange juice.  I don't quite know the "scientific" reason why, but if I don't add orange juice into the mix, the smoothie just tastes like something is missing!   It really brings all the flavors together in a great way.

Last but not least, I also usually add some vanilla extract, about a teaspoon or so.

Now it is time to whip this baby into action!

You can see how all the liquid falls to the bottom and now, the kale is on top.  This is a good thing. You want the berries all crushed first before the kale (or your greens of choice).

Now I've started the Nutribullet, and it is whizzing away.  It takes about 30 seconds to 1 minute to get the mixture to a smoothie texture.

Now, the NutriBullet has finished, and it is time for the taste test!

A perfectly lovely green smoothie!  So fast, easy, and far far more nutritious than what most people consider  a "breakfast" meal!  I usually share this smoothie with my daughter.  So far my son and husband, while they say they like the smoothies, prefer to continue with their bacon and egg breakfasts, lol!

So here is the recipe ... with ingredients approximated because I find that I use whatever I have on hand each day.

About 2-3 stalks kale, washed (can flash freeze very nicely!)
About 1 cup fresh or frozen fruit which can include: blueberries, raspberries, pineapple, strawberries, melon, pineapple, apples etc.
1/2 cup yogurt
1 small banana (I usually have fresh bananas, but do freeze some too when they are on sale)
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp flax seed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup orange juice

Blend all together in whatever blender you have.  Drink and enjoy!

I have found that traditional blenders leave little pieces of kale and fruit that, while they aren't terrible, certainly more of a smooth smoothie texture is achieved with the NutriBullet, or other similar blenders. I've heard that the VitaMix is the best blender out there especially for smoothies, and have watched videos online about them, and also watched a demonstration at Costco about them.  They seem like pretty amazing blenders, but for the $350 to $400 + price tag on them, I am quite content with my $70.00 NutriBullet!  It comes with extra cups, as well as a milling blade that will blend nuts and grains into a fine powder.

Whatever blender you have though, you most likely can make do, by just experimenting with your favorite greens, fruit, milk, and juice, and see what works for you!