Easy Smoothie Recipes

Why spend your fortune buying smoothies that someone else makes when you can make them yourself at home for pennies?

You will find some of the simplest smoothie recipes on this page - so easy even your kids can make them.

I make my morning smoothies with soy protein powder in them because it is nutritious and the protein keeps me feeling full all morning long - no nibbling before lunch!

My favorite juice for smoothie making is Dole 100% fruit juice. It is available in several different flavors and my favorite is Pina Colada; it isn't easy to find, so when I find it I buy four cartons and freeze them.

Enjoy discovering the world of smoothies from someone who has been drinking one each morning for the past nine months. I have never felt better.

With the protein powder in them, they are fantastic meal replacements. If you want to lose weight, drink two smoothies a day and eat one meal per day. If you need to gain some weight, drink a smoothie in addition to two meals a day. One smoothie a day and you will maintain your current weight. The choice is yours. These recipes are so simple, you cannot say it takes too much time. Making a smoothie takes a fraction of the time it takes to prepare a meal.

Photo appears courtesy of "diekatrin" via Creative Commons.

Bet you didn't know that your grandma made smoothies!

Smoothies first appeared on the West Coast of the USA in the 1930s . They were fruit-based drinks that were based on Brazilian recipes. In the 1940s, the Waring Blender cookbook featured two smoothie recipes. The idea of smoothies didn't really take off until the late 1960s when Hippies who were into macrobiotic vegetarianism began expanding and experimenting with them. The smoothie gained popularity with the general public in the USA in the 1970s and is currently a multi-billion dollar industry.

Let's learn how to make a delicious smoothie with fruits, juices, yogurts, and more.

All these recipes use a vanilla-flavored soy protein powder, but it is optional. The soy protein powder gives the smoothie some texture and thickens it nicely.

Where do you get your smoothies?

Soy protein powder is a term to describe many products. Pure soy protein powder is powdered soy protein isolate or soy protein concentrate. This type of powder is mainly used in the food industry. However, soy protein powder is also used for powdered protein shakes, consisting of a complex mix of soy protein powder and other ingredients including thickeners, flavours, sweeteners, sugars, minerals and vitamins. It is an easy and efficient way to add soy protein to your foods and drinks.

The health benefits of soy protein powders are coming from the soy protein and the associated isoflavones. A daily diet low in cholesterol and saturated fat and containing 25 grams of soy protein may reduce the risk of heart disease. The soy protein has a high biological value and contains all essential amino acids . Soy isoflavones have been recognized for many health benefits, including lowering the risk of heart disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer and osteoporosis. Soy isoflavones act as anti-cancer agents because they are antioxidant, inhibit the growth of blood vessels required to feed tumours and inhibit the protein production in cancer cells. Soy isoflavones are also beneficial for menopausal women because they may ease menopausal symptoms and help to maintain strong bones.

Excerpted from Soya web site.

You can purchase soy protein powders at your local health food store or you can find it online.

My favorite soy protein product is Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix from Herbalife.

They have a multitude of flavors that are fun to experiment with.

If you have a smoothie recipe you'd like to share - you're welcome to do so here.