How Do I Make A Low Calorie Smoothie?
You just need a blender and some really good recipe options.
Smoothies are quick and easy and my kids love them too. I find them to be an effective way to sneak vegetables into my kids’ diet. For me, they make a strong replacement for a heavy breakfast by keeping me full, but not weighing me down.
Follow the links below for recipes to some pretty amazing low-calories I found and put together!
Low-Calorie Recipes
Kale, Apple and Banana Smoothie
I tend to resort to spinach for my smoothies. Spinach has always been my green leaf of choice in all eating ventures especially in my smoothies, however, I have been branching out and trying different variations such as kale and I love it.
Recipe Here From Belle of The Kitchen.
Ingredients / Calories
- 1/2 large apple,, chopped
- 1/2 banana, chopped and frozen
- A few large leaves of kale, ribs and stems removed
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- Handful of ice, if desired
188 calories according to the author.
Kale and Berry Smoothie
I tried this Kale and Berry Smooth as a low-calorie breakfast option twice. Once with the peanut butter and once without. The latter simply because I forgot, but definitely preferred it to the one with peanut butter. My husband did not notice the difference. Enjoy!
Ingredients / Calories
- Vanilla Greek yogurt – 70ish calories
- Almond Butter – 100ish calories
- Frozen Blueberries – 50ish Calories
- Frozen Pineapple – 70ish Calories
- Kale – 20ish calories
- Water
Total Calories: 310ish
Green Matcha Tea
Green Matcha Tea Smothie
I love tea and this unique smoothie sounds amazing and delicious. I also learned that there are also many health benefits to drinking tea. Learn more from “What Happens To Your Body If you Drink Tea Every Day.”
The blog Eat This, Not That has several creative smoothies that sound fantastic. Check them out in the recipe link below. Recipe names include Peanut Butter Sandwich, The Peanut Butter Cup, Pina Colada, Vanilla Chai and Dark Chocolate Banana Nut.
Recipe To The Green Matcha Tea Smoothie From Eat This, Not That.
Ingredients / Calories
- ½ cup baby spinach, loosely packed
- ½ frozen banana
- 1 teaspoon matcha green tea powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 scoop vanilla plant-based protein powder
- Water to blend (optional)
226 Calories according to the author on Eat This, Not That
Cherrylicious Smoothie
I was interested in trying a Cherry Smoothie so I found this low-calorie smoothie recipe on Scattered Thoughts Of A Crafty Mom along with several other creative recipes. I used apple juice instead of orange. Apple juice is my favorite.
Recipe to Cherrylicious Smoothie From Scattered Thoughts Of A Crafty Mom.
Ingredients / Calories
- 1 cup frozen cherries
- 1/4 cup pineapple
- 1/2 cup low sugar orange juice or apple juice
- 1/2 cup Unsweetened Almond Coconut Blend
- 1/4 cup ice if needed
138 Calories according to the author.
Blackberry Cream Smoothie
A creative low sugar smoothie from Downshiftology .. an awesome blog! Link below also includes other amazing smoothies to try.
Recipe to the Blackberry Cream Smoothie From Downshiftology
Ingredients / Calories
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt
- 1 cup frozen blackberries
- 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
- 1/2 cup blanched then frozen cauliflower , optional
275 calories according to the author.
Ginger Berries and Oats
I wanted to include a couple of low-calorie smoothie recipe with ginger because I have been reading and ginger has so many health benefits. Benefit, according to Web MD, include lowering blood sugar and cholesterol, relieving indigestion and keeping your mouth healthy. Ginger Benefits described here.
Recipe Here To Ginger, Berries and Oats From Cooking Light.
Ingredients / Calories
- 1/4 cup prepared oatmeal
- 1/4 cup 1% low-fat milk
- 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 cup fresh blackberries
- 1/2 cup sliced strawberries
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 cup ice
179 Calories according to the author.
Blueberry Smoothie
I love blueberry smoothies. I think a blueberry smoothie might have been the first my mom started making for me when I was in middle school and I realized how amazing smoothies are to drink.
Recipe Here Blueberry Smoothie Recipe From The Spruce Eats
Enjoy.
Ingredients / Calories
- 6 ounces low-fat blueberry yogurt (2/3 cup)
- 1/2 cup ice
- 1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
- Handful of blueberries, for garnish
197 calories according to the author of the recipe in the link above.
Low-Calorie Smoothies
Are smoothies good for weight loss?
I am not really qualified to answer this question, but from life experience, I have found that eating 1200 calories a day is the best way for me to lose weight. This usually gives me about 300 calories to eat in the morning, 300 for lunch, 400 for dinner and I end the day with a glass of wine!
What types of greens should I use in my smoothie?
There are many types of greens available to use in smoothies, but spinach has always been my go-to leafy green of choice in all food items. I remember my mom first making me smoothies in high school. Thanks, Mom. They were not green, but purple and consisted of spinach, blueberries, milk and protein powder. I remember being grossed out initially and then loving them and wanting one every day.
I still love my spinach smoothies but I have recently been reaching out to Kale due to all the health benefits I have been reading about. I was first introduced to Kale Smoothies by Joe Rogan. My husband and I were doing a detox for our wedding and Joe Rogan’s smoothie as part of our plan. Not only am I no longer really a Joe Rogan fan, I also did not think it was to terribly delicious so I started to branch out a find more kale-based smoothies.
Here is a list of vegtables I have tried in smoothies over the years:
- Leaf Greens including spinach, Kale, Romain, Chard and Collard greens
- Avocado
- Zucchini
- Sweet potatoes
- Winter Squash
- Beets
- Peas
- Carrots
- Celery
What I love about Low-Calorie Smoothies.
Smoothies are nice a versatile. You can play around with smoothies all day to find your favorite recipes and find ingredients you love and are suitable to your needs. For instance, I love pineapple. And, I have now learned it is a superfood. Read more about “The Power Of Pineapple.”
Smoothies are so easy to make. And, they take minutes. But there is room for error. For example, sometimes, when I make a smoothie, I come out with four or five cups of smoothies instead of the two I was aiming for. At first, I just drank them assuming it was supposed to be like that, but I do not think that is the case and I was probably really overdoing it on the fruit. I have googled this and have not found other people having this problem. Since this problem still occurs even when measuring out the ingredients, I freeze the remainder for later. I read you can leave a smoothie in the refrigerator for two days, but I personally do not think they keep and just do not think they are that good.
I prefer frozen fruit to ice in my smoothie.
I tend to get hungry after a couple of hours after a smoothie so I like to keep some carrots on hand to avoid any junk food mishaps.
I try and taste my smoothie before pouring it out just in case I need to add anything to it. I feel like this is like tasting food before adding salt.
My husband told me drinking from mason jars is very early 2000. I do not know if that is true or not, but I love my mason jars and use them for my smoothies with reusable straws such as metal.
Smoothies are easy and quick to clean up if you clean your blender right away.
I am not going to lie, my vegetable intake would be very limited without smoothies. It just never occurs to me to make sides with my meals and sides are usually vegetables. So, unless I made salad, there are not vegetables
Equipment is everything. I feel so lucky because my sister in law gave me a Vitamix a few years back, which is completely life changing. Prior, I used the bullet and it is just not the same. It works, but a nice blender is ideal.
Lastly, I find green smoothies an excellent way to get vegetables into my kids diet. They get a little messy, but whatever works.
Additional Low-Calorie Smoothie Information
How Do I Add Protein To My Smoothie Without Using Protein Powder?
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