Can a smoothie make you a better person? Cassie Green from Green Grocer Chicago thinks so! I tend to agree. Starting your day off with a healthy breakfast smoothie can give you energy and ward off hunger. I know that I can be really grumpy when I’m tired or hungry so a smoothie like the one Cassie calls “You Make Me A Better Person” can definitely do just that.
I love smoothies and have been wanting ideas on how to make healthy yet delicious smoothies for myself as well as my children. Cassie demonstrated the Kenmore Elite blender with her favorite smoothie recipe. Then the audience got to make suggestions from a variety of ingredients to create a second smoothie. We were able to sample both of them and I was very surprised by the results. Despite the interesting ingredients, both of them had good flavor and I think I could even get my kids to drink them. Cassie suggests a basic formula for building a smoothie:
- 2 cups fruit (Carrie suggests using cucumber as well if you prefer something a little less sweet)
- 1 cup greens (kale, collard greens, spinach, avocado, fresh mint and lettuce work well)
- 1 cup liquid (water, milk, soy milk, almond milk, hemp milk etc.)
- 1 tsp maca
- 1Tbs chia seeds
- ½ cup ice
The following is the recipe for “You Make Me a Better Person” which Cassie says gives you sustained energy throughout your day.
You Make Me a Better Person
½ cup organic raspberries
½ cup strawberries
½ a tangelo peeled
1 cup kale (about 4 leaves)
1 Tbs chia seeds
1 tsp maca
a few sprigs of fresh mint
½ cup ice
Cassie advises to always add your liquids to the blender first, then the rest of your ingredients. Blend until desired consistency. This smoothie does have a bit of texture but the flavor was awesome.
Wonder what concoction the audience conjured up? Our smoothie consisted of:
Almond milk
1 tsp cocoa powder
avocado
banana
kale
maca
Interesting, right? This one was surprisingly good as well! This demonstration has given me the inspiration to branch out and try different things beyond the typical fruit smoothie. What’s your favorite smoothie recipe? Do you sneak anything healthy into it?
You’ll need a blender to make a smoothie. Consider the Kenmore Elite Blender (pictured above):
When I think of blenders, the first thing that comes to mind is smoothies. While I love a good smoothie, blenders are also great for making stews, sauces and more. The Kenmore Elite Blender features a tempered glass jar with an extra large serving capacity that holds up to 56 ounces. It sits atop a sturdy base with no-slip feet. The flush, easy to wipe down one-touch buttons include start, stop, and pause operations. Five different speeds allow for different functions: stir, chop, mix, puree, and liquefy. An LCD display indicates blending time for recipes that call for precise blending. The molded lid includes a 2 oz measuring cup built in. It can be removed for measuring and adding ingredients through the hole without removing the lid from the jar. The Kenmore Elite Blender features 900 watts of power and retails for around $100.
Kenmore provided travel expenses for me to visit the Kenmore Live Studio in Chicago and learn more about their brand and products however all opinions are my own. I received a complimentary product as a gift. I was not compensated in any other way. See Mommies With Cents disclosure policy for more details.