Affordable smoothie recipes

[valleysangel92]

I've been considering trying smoothies as a way to get some well needed nutrients into my diet as I'm having problems with fruit and veg, even very well cooked soft fruit such as well cooked apples make my stomach very unhappy with me.

I've looked up some recipes online but many of them seem very expensive to make on a regular basis. I was wondering what recipes you guys have come up with?

 

[followmeg]

I would do a little research on high PH foods. If you have Crohn's, fruits and indeed all foods that are high on the PH scale (acidic) are to be avoided. Try that and see if it helps. I know that it really limits your diet, but to manage symptoms, that is my best piece of advice. :voodoo: Also, have you tried Kefir or Aloe vera or probiotics? I love using natural remedies and those things can be integrated into smoothies. I'm not so sure about being inexpensive but I have found that you get what you pay for. I hope this helps.

 

[valleysangel92]

Thankyou, I get very little diet advice from my care team, my GI referred me to a dietitian but all she talked about was coeliac... I'll look that up and see what I can alter , thankyou. I had a look at aloe Vera.. It seems to cost quite a lot.. How much would you say to use at a time?

I understand about getting what you pay for, but I have limited money as I can't work and my parents pay a lot for me, including gluten free food which is 2-3 x the price of 'normal ' foods so we just haven't got the money there to do it with unfortunately.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

Are you looking for a ready made smoothie or something you can make? It's hard to say because I don't know the price of fruit and veg where you are. I'd say any dark leafy greens you can juice would be great. For smoothies anything reasonably priced that you like may be a good option. I love using apples, bananas, peaches, avocados. For veggies though I'm afraid unless I juice or cook very well.

 

[valleysangel92]

I'm looking for ones I can make myself, most of the ones in the shops here have added sugar, lots of colourings and some even have gluten in them.I'm a big fan of apples, peaches, pears, strawberries etc, anything berry is quite hard to get out of the summer time though.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

Strawberry and berries in general worry me because of the seeds. I buy berry juice and strain it through a tough strainer.

 

[Amy2]

Organic bananas are .89 lb where I live, so all of my son's smoothies have 2 or 3. To that I add about a cup and a half of organic berries, cherries or mango (which I purchase frozen, in 3 lb bags at Costco for $8 to $10) and enough water to get the right consistency, about 12 - 16 oz. I think it works out to about $2 - $2.50 for a BIG smoothie...

 

[valleysangel92]

Thanks both , seeds concern me too

Bananas are the one fruit that I don't like, for some reason they make me gag.. I live in the UK so I don't have a Costco here, I'll have to work out the conversions to £s . Thankyou for your input.

 

[valleysangel92]

Do you guys ever use milk or natural yogurt in your smoothies?

 

[nogutsnoglory]

Never tried yogurt but yes dairy, nut milks, coconut milk and orange juice n

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I have a smoothie for breakfast most mornings. In my smoothies, I use a big cup of crushed ice, some almond milk (I am lactose intolerant but you could use regular milk if you can handle it), a spoonful of this chocolate protein powder stuff, a banana, and cocoa powder to make it chocolatey. I know you've said you don't like bananas, but I really don't taste the banana in my smoothies. I am low on potassium so that's why I add banana. You could add things like a spoonful of peanut butter or almond butter if you need extra calories, or you could do yogurt instead of milk if you want a thicker smoothie. If you have some ingredients like that on hand, play around with it until you can figure out a smoothie recipe that works for you taste-wise and money-wise. Good luck!

 

[Amy2]

Have you tried banana smoothies? Because we don't like to eat bananas at all, but we love how creamy they make our smoothies.

 

[valleysangel92]

To be totally honest I've not tried any smoothies before, I know I like milk shakes and I know I need extra vitamins, plus need to keep my weight stable now I've managed to get some on, so thought I'd give this a try. I've had low potassium in the past, so if you can't taste the banana in them then maybe that's worth a go. We generally have apples , grapes, milk, milkshake powder, bananas and oranges which I could squeeze for juice on hand.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

I believe coconut water is a good source of potassium as well so maybe that's a good base for your shakes.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

NGNG, I wish I could do coconut water. Sadly coconut is my #1 worst trigger food. I miss it! Bananas and sweet potatoes are my main dietary sources of potassium.

Valleysangel, do you have a juicer? With some of the things you mentioned (apples, grapes, oranges), those might be better suited to juicing than to smoothies. I make smoothies in my blender but I also have a juicer - I just had carrot & apple juice this morning in place of my usual breakfast smoothie. Just another thought for you if you have access to a juicer.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

NGNG, I wish I could do coconut water. Sadly coconut is my #1 worst trigger food. I miss it! Bananas and sweet potatoes are my main dietary sources of potassium.



Valleysangel, do you have a juicer? With some of the things you mentioned (apples, grapes, oranges), those might be better suited to juicing than to smoothies. I make smoothies in my blender but I also have a juicer - I just had carrot & apple juice this morning in place of my usual breakfast smoothie. Just another thought for you if you have access to a juicer.

I definitely couldn't do pieces of coconut but are you sure pure strained coconut water would bother you? I guess it's not worth risking it if you have so much trouble with coconut.

 

[Thunderstorm]

In Sainsburys, they sell frozen Cherries, blueberries, mango etc etc. They are much better value for money compared to buying them fresh. I usually mix them with some fresh honeydew melon & Spinach and Kale if I can handle it.

I often find smoothies a little tough to tolerate so will make a smoothie and then use a sieve or a nut milk bag to remove most of the pulp/fibre. Juicers are pretty expensive compared to most smoothie makers and seem to waste a lot more of the produce.

Also, you can buy a large bag of kale for example (£1) and juice it all in one go and then pour it into ice cube containers in the freezer. That way you can just pop them in to your juice/smoothie when you want it. Otherwise I find that most of the bag tends to go to waste.

Regarding milk. I often use coconut milk instead of water, but it doesn't mix great with watery fruits such as melon.

It's trial and error really

 

[valleysangel92]

Cat - Unfortunately I don't have access to a juicer at the moment, but it is something I would want to do when I can afford it.

NGNG - I hadn't thought about coconut milk, but I think I'd be okay with it, I can tolerate small amounts of grated coconut so hopefully the same will apply for the milk.

Thunderstorm - I know it might seem a daft question, but if the fruit is frozen would you use it frozen or let it defrost first? Is it ok to do either?

We already have a blender and my parents have given me the OK to try using that, and we have a fine sieve I could use to get rid of any seeds etc.

Could you just freeze the kale etc and then defrost it rather than putting it in as ice? I have a form of TMJ (my jaws aren't properly formed) which can get pretty painful, so I sometimes can't cope with anything too cold.

 

[rygon]

I don't understand this Alkaline foods as what I have seen most foods on this scale are still acidic. Maybe it means that its less acidic than the stomach acid (approx 3). Personally I don't believe in it.

Back to the subjct, when buying fruit and veg for smoothies its best to get it from a local area (less time travelling and is normally cheaper). They may also sell "ugly" food that would otherwise have been thrown away at a much reduced price.

I've used yoghurt in mine (I actually make my own yoghurt with milk and a tbsp of natural yoghurt with bacteria which removes all the lactose so I've read. This is done in an easi-yo container).

Ive seen recipes with frozen fruit in to make it into a refreshing summer smoothie. If you have the space it may be worth growing your own fruit. I bought a few current bushes for £3 each, plus a couple of rasberry and strawberry plants. They produce loads every year and taste amazing with very little effort. If you know anyone with strawberry plants they are very easy to make offshoots that you can take for free

 

[Olive.]

I am currently an AmeriCorps member, which means I eat/live/pay for medical stuff on $12,000/year. So basically, I have SO MANY thrifty ideas for you

1. make your own probiotic yogurt (if you eat it): this is a great protein addition in smoothies, it is VERY cheap (1 gallon of yogurt = price of one gallon of milk), it is VERY easy, and most people feel that probiotic foods work better than probiotic pills because the food works as a vehicle for the bacteria to live. You can use the yogurt in your smoothies directly or you can also stain some of your yogurt into a probiotic labneh (sort of the texture of cream cheese) and use the whey that you have strained in your smoothies. There are TONS of online tutorials, but basically just heat milk to about 185 degrees, let it cool to about 110, stir in a couple of tablespoons of plain probiotic yogurt (can be store bought) and store for about 12 hours in a warm place. Thats it!

2. I would suggest figuring out what fruits work for you and then either buying a bunch when they are in season and freezing them yourself, or buying them frozen. (Store-brand on frozen fruit isn't that expensive) I bought a whole case of peaches at wholesale price last summer and pureed them and froze them. I am still using the puree (just peaches and a little vitamin c powder, no sugar or additives) and it tastes fresh and delicious. I freeze fruit or fruit purees flat in plastic freezer bags so that it is thin enough that I can break off a chunk.

3. Sometimes frozen cans of 100% juice concentrate go on sale at the grocery store for $1. Make sure you get 100% juice ones so you aren't putting added sweeteners in your smoothies, but you can scoop some concentrate right into the smoothie to add healthy flavor.

4. Bananas are SUPER cheap and have lots of calories so they are a great way to make a smoothie go farther. You can also freeze them when they get brown, it gives them a great texture.

5. Oatmeal- you can put dry oatmeal in the blender and powder it up to put into your smoothie. It absorbs pretty quickly that way and makes your smoothie thicker and more filling. It is also VERY cheap.

6. I always have spinach on-hand because it is absolutely great for you and even in a flare I can handle a few leaves in my smoothie. It is pretty cheap fresh or you can buy frozen and just break off small chunks for your smoothie

7. Other items that can be added that pack a punch but aren't too expensive if you shop around: natural peanut butter, flax seed (can be put in freezer), apples/applesauce, any greens (very easy to freeze or you can buy frozen), oranges

The things I have listed above are more baseline smoothie items. Some things that are great in smoothies are expensive. Avocados, coconut, chia, acai berry, wheat grass etc. are all things you can add just a little of when you have them. You are still getting great value from simple oatmeal, bananas, peanutbutter, yogurt, etc. Another way to make smoothies more delicious is adding things like cinnamon or nutmeg.

Sorry this is a little rambly, but I hope you found at least a few helpful suggestions! Good luck!

 

[valleysangel92]

Rygon - Thankyou, I'd love to grow my own, my grandmother has always had an apple tree in the back garden and I've always loved picking fruit from that, unfortunately the only issue is space but its something I'd look at in the future.

Olive - Thanks

I don't currently use probiotics, but I'll keep what you said in mind if you ever wanted to try.

I think I would have to get small bags of frozen stuff, we have very limited freezer space and all my food has to be stored separate to anything containing gluten. I've never heard of frozen fruit juice, so I'm not sure we can get that. (I'm in the UK)

I think oatmeal is kind of like our oat bran etc. In which case, normally yes it would be cheap, but because I have Coeliac (my body attacks itself if i eat even a crumb of gluten) I have to buy certified pure oats. Its very easy for oats to get contaminated with wheat, barely and rye, so if you're gluten free, you have to be extra careful, and these oats are about 2-3 x times the price.

Same applies as oats with flax seed, peanut butter is fairly expensive here, I live out of town so don't have many independent retailers close by, so apart from supermarkets, shopping around doesn't happen so much, and they charge whatever they like .

Thankyou for taking the time to share your thoughts.

 

[Amy2]

We had a 20 year old lg chest freezer that I recently gave away and since our family is smaller now, we bought a new, smaller one for only $150. I like it better because our stuff doesn't get lost in it, like it did in the old one. Yet, it does hold quite a bit of food.

 

[valleysangel92]

For me the issue is that I only have one freezer draw I can use because of the separation problems, so all my frozen stuff has to fit into there, and we have to freeze a lot for me because I can't get through a lot of the food in one go and it's too expensive to use for everyone.