A huge number of people drank smoothies several times, not suspecting that this is the name they drink. He is often called mousse, jus, fresh and deeply mistaken. Because of the ignorance of the difference between smoothies and other fruit and vegetable drinks , errors in its preparation also occur. And this is very sad, since it is not difficult to make smoothies at home, and the benefits of its use are much greater than the use of other derivatives of nature's gifts.
What are the benefits of smoothies?
This drink is made from all parts of vegetables and fruits that make up its composition. Everything is wrung out: both the peel, and the seeds, and the pulp itself. In this regard, the smoothie is saturated with fiber, all vitamins and microelements that were in the original products pass into it - and at the same time, useful substances are in the state most favorable for assimilation. Therefore, smoothies are much more useful than juices, even just squeezed.
This drink is also good for its cheapness, since it is possible to make smoothies at home using quality, but not quite presentable products. They have already lost their appearance, but the beneficial substances remained. At the same time, they are sold much cheaper than looking beautiful.
The way how to make a smoothie is also attractive: grind the ingredients - and you can use it. The drink does not require any complicated culinary skills; it does not need additional and lengthy manipulations.
Mashed potatoes
Given that the structure of the smoothie is very close to mashed potatoes, it can be used instead of food. Especially if the composition includes milk and nuts - quickly and hearty enough. Many ladies taking care of their figure replace smoothies for breakfast and dinner. True, for dietary use, cream and nuts are considered too high in calories.
Than smoothie can hurt
A drink cannot cause any harm to health, unless, of course, you eat only it. Nevertheless, the fiber in it is not enough for the normal functioning of the stomach, so in the absence of other food, digestion problems (in particular, constipation) can begin. Yes, and teeth still need to chew, if you do not want to become a regular customer of the dentist. Another drawback of the drink is a partial loss of vitamins. Since it is easiest to make smoothies at home in a blender or mixer, fruits, vegetables and berries are forced to be crushed with their knives, which is why nutrients are partially lost. But such a loss is not too significant - it is much less than with heat treatment. The main thing is not to harvest smoothies, but to drink it right away. Otherwise, vitamin loss will be much more noticeable.
Well, the last possible damage - if you are allergic to any components of the drink. However, problems can easily be avoided if you prepare delicious smoothies from other products that you don’t have a negative reaction to.
Cooking basics
Naturally, before preparing a smoothie at home, all the fruits must be carefully washed. Remember that no heat treatment is foreseen, which means that flushing should be especially thorough to avoid indigestion. If you introduce non-fruity fruits into your smoothie, dilute it with cream, yogurt, milk, water or juice (it is better to use squeezed yourself). Hard vegetables (for example, beets or carrots) before laying in a blender will be reasonable to cut. The most successful smoothies at home are obtained from a combination of vegetables and fruits with dense pulp and especially juicy fruits and berries.
Varieties of smoothies
The first one is refreshing drinks. They are always made without sugar, and in order not to turn out to be too acidic, they combine sweet ingredients with acidic ones. For example, a banana with juicy black currants. It turns out a very light smoothie. How to make it less sweet if you come across a very sugary currant? Add the juice of orange or lemon.
The next type is saturating. Such smoothies should be extremely thick, almost reach the consistency of mashed potatoes. You can add eggs and some hearty components to them - the same nuts or granola.
Dessert smoothies are naturally sweet. To increase the sweetness they add chocolate, sugar, honey, peanut butter.
The next subspecies is vegetable. They are in special demand among vegetarians and supporters of raw food diet. These are savory, similar to regular smoothie dishes. How to make them? An example is gazpacho, the famous Spanish soup.
Breakfast smoothies
If you provide for something substantial at least for lunch, a puree drink may well replace the first meal. The question remains how to make a smoothie that is nutritious for breakfast. As an option, you can consider the "puree" with oatmeal and mango. For it, you need to take 150 ml of yogurt (always natural, and choose the fat content and taste yourself), 1 mango fruit and 2 large tablespoons of hercules (or other instant oatmeal). Then everything is simple: flakes are poured with yogurt, insisted for about half an hour until softened and whipped with a blender along with mangoes cut into pieces and without stones. If the weather is hot, you can add ice.
Good for breakfast and smoothies with muesli. The latter, in fact, are eaten by so many in the morning. We just offer a more delicious option. Making a smoothie is similar to the previous recipe: a glass of yogurt (for this dish - low-fat) is whipped with half a glass of strawberries and the same amount of milk. Muesli, preferably with nuts and raisins, is poured with a mixture - and please eat.
Green smoothie
Required: half a banana, one peach, one mango fruit, a handful of spinach, half a glass of water. We remove the peach and mango seeds, peel the banana, and wash the spinach. We put all the ingredients in a blender and beat well.
With milk
Smoothies with milk have a unique taste! They can be made both sweet and neutral, both hearty and light. With milk, this blessed drink used as a base, miracles can truly be done. Also, all types of yogurts, and yoghurt, and other dairy products can be used to make smoothies. The only thing to consider when preparing drinks with a milk base is that milk is usually curdled by combining it with acidic ingredients. Therefore, sweet or neutral ingredients should be used.
Invigorating Coffee and Chocolate
We will need: one banana, a cup of strong coffee, 50 grams of dark chocolate, a teaspoon of sugar, half a glass of milk, cardamom and nutmeg - to taste. Three chocolate graters, peel and cut the banana. Put everything in a blender, add the remaining components, whisk.
With egg, apple and carrots
Raw eggs are a good source of energy for the whole day. The main thing is to keep them fresh. It is also recommended that you thoroughly wash the shell on top before breaking the egg into a blender. This will protect against pathogens that can be found on fresh eggs. Some use quail. They are even healthier and tastier. But they need more to make a drink. We will need: two apples, one chicken or three quail eggs, three carrots, 0.5 cups of unsalted mineral water, two oranges. We clean the oranges, cut the apples. Peel the carrots and cut them as small as possible. We mix all the components in a blender, drive eggs into the same. If necessary (to dilute) add mineral water. Whisk. A wonderful and healthy drink is ready!