Blending green smoothies and juices sound like a mission but once you get the hang of it, we promise you'll be able to wake up, throw anything in the blender and make a delicious, nutritious drink in a matter of minutes. 

Here are my favourite tips for making smoothies/juices-  all of which i wish i had known since early days when i was a Vitamix beginner of trial and error: 

Medjool Dates / Frozen Bananas / Frozen berries

Fresh medjool dates and frozen bananas (or any frozen fruit) are perfect for adding in natural sweetness to your smoothie and that cold temperature hit without diluting your smoothie in the same way that ice does.  Berries are a great low-fructose option. Whack in with raw cacao, almond milk, one date, maca powder and you have one hella delicious choc'o'berry smoothie. 

My rule of thumb: 

• Only 2-3 dates are needed to give natural sweetness.
• If you prefer creamy goodness, just 1 frozen banana is all you will need. I say frozen banana because this makes your smoothie cold and creamy. MMM MMm.
• PS don't forget to remove the seeds in your dates - I nearly destroyed my blender because of it!

Organic Vegetables

Leafy organic greens are the fastest way to get immune boosting and disease fighting antioxidants into your diet. There are plenty farmers markets/health grocers to buy organic leafy greens near you so no excuses (if you don't have time to travel, there are many home delivery options - google 'organic delivery sydney' and Group Organics in Sydney's West)  

Sometimes i even sneak a handful into a milky smoothie i'm making.

Wash, dry and chop ahead in ziplock bags for the fridge. On rare occasions if i have leftovers that won't be used that week, they are packed in ziplock bags for the freezer (make sure they are super dry).

My favourite leafy greens are spinach, kale and silver beet.

Remember to rotate your greens to get variety and avoid nutritional imbalance. 

Superfoods

Whether it be raw cacao, maca powder, lucuma, chia seeds, extra flaxseeds etc, this is the best and easiest way to get your boost of nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants easily by throwing super foods in your smoothie. 

If you are taking spirulina, maca powder, or raw cacao, it may be worthwhile to do some research dosage - for example first time users of Maca powder need to start out slowly and raw cacao is best eaten with non-dairy foods ("Research shows that dairy inhibits the absorption of antioxidants from raw cacao" - Sarah Wilson, IQS)

Passionfruit / Mint / Fresh Ginger / Cinnamon + Nutmeg

If you love your smoothies fruity, here are my 4 super kick ass ingredients for TOTALLY changing your smoothie gang! Take that smoothie to the next level!

Good fats

Because Vitamin K can only be absorbed in combination with fat, add in a spoon of organic extra virgin cold pressed coconut oil, olive oil, almond butter or any type of raw nuts/seeds will do the trick. Plus it helps keep you feeling full. 

Vitamix Blender & glass jars/bottles

A strong blender that is powerful enough to break down all the fibres is preferable.

I've had my vitamix blender for over 5 years and it still works great in making silky smooth smoothies. 

Smoothies/juices keep up to a maximum of 3 days in glass jars so if you are running low on time, having bottles and jars in glass to store them in makes it easier for you to prepare ahead.

 Here's to making healthier choices every day :) 

xo

Annie