Fruit smoothies/slushies are one our favorite snacks. All you need is a blender. Not only are they versatile, but provide a great way to consume a lot of nutrients at one time. Although it’s not the cheapest snack, if we cut out buying most other cakes/cookies, etc., the health benefits make up the few extra dollars.
Here is some of what we put in ours:
- Frozen strawberries (I have read that frozen fruit/vegetables contain more nutrients than “fresh” at the store because they are frozen as soon as they are picked and that preserves them.)
—The average strawberry has 200 tiny black seeds. Each of these tiny black seeds contain Omega 3 fatty acid.
- Bananas–sweetens the smoothie.
—Bananas are one of the world’s finest foods for supplying fuel energy
- Apples–put the seeds in there too! Fruit seeds contain high amounts of the vitamin B-17 which is known for preventing/curing cancer. Apricot seeds contain the highest.
—A medium sized apple contains 5 grams of fiber, 20 percent of the recommended daily allowance.
- Frozen blueberries–named one of the world’s super foods for its antioxidants.
—Berries are brimming with vitamin C, potassium, and fiber.
- Kiwi is great too, but we don’t have it on hand as often. Peaches would be good too.
- Pomegrantes pack a powerful, nutritional punch.—The antioxidant levels in the pomegranate juice stands higher than other fruit juices.
- Nuts if you wish.
- Flax seed–no taste, just extra omega oils.
- Yogurt–great for your stomach, full of probiotics. It also makes the smoothie smooth!
- Liquid vitamins–if they don’t taste bad, they usually add to the flavor.
- Orange juice–just a little makes the smoothie blend and freeze better.
- Raw coconut oil is an excellent nutrient to add in.
We eat is as is, make Popsicles, or stick it in the freezer and make “ice cream”.
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22 comments
We love smoothies, too. Grapefruit, banana and pineapple is my favorite combo right now.
I did have to mention that I had heard that while many seeds are very good nutritionally, apple seeds should be avoided. They actually have cyanide in them, a very small amount. To read more you can see this snopes article:
http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/apples.asp
I had not thought about putting pomegranates in my smoothies, I will have to try that.
Thank you for the encouragement to improve our health!
~Erin
5intow,
Yes, you’re right, as do the apricot seeds. Consumed in moderation, they are very good for you. Consumed in truckloads, they are deadly 😉 You wouldn’t want to eat 30 or 40 seeds in day, for sure; but a few seeds a day are great.
I think it’s interesting that God specifically commanded us to eat the “herbs and the seeds”.
Thanks for reminding me of that!
How do you eat an apricot seed??
Am I thinking of the same fruit? The apricots I am familiar with have a sort of “pit” like a peach or nectarine.
I am curious!
Sometimes I throw some wheat germ in, too.
Nicole,
*I think* you have to break the pit open and inside there is a soft seed. It is bitter, too I think, but I’ve actually heard of people with cancer treating themselves with the apricot seed with amazing results. There is a lot of info about it on line.
Wonderful information, from everyone! I love fruit smoothies. Cherries are also a wonderful fruit. I have heard my aunt say she uses cherry juice (i can’t remember if it was concentrate? but she bought it at a little whole foods grocer locally) to help with joint pain. She recommended my father-in-law try some when his big toe was hurting.
And ditto on the apple seeds, make sure your dogs never get them. Especially small ones. I think they can kill smaller breeds rather quickly.
And ditto again on the wheat germ, it’s very good for mothers 🙂
Yum! I could stand to drink them every night as a supper replacement!
While we are on the topic of health and yogurt . . .
I had heard that when you freeze yogurt it kills some or all of the good bacteria in it. Does anyone know if this is true? Someone else said it only neutralizes them until thawed. I don’t know if I can find out the truth for sure.
So hard to sift through the information as everything seems to have “two sides.” Thanks for the response about the seeds, that is good to know.
~Erin
Fruit smoothies are a great way to get your greens in too…frozen blueberries, some bananas, coconut oil, a little kefir or yogurt and some kale or spinach make a yummy smoothie. The kids don’t even taste the greens…if the greens overpower the taste of the fruits just add a bit of raw honey.
About the dog eatting apple seeds…I have a chihuahua and we use to have an apple tree. She would eat the old apples that fell off. I would bet she got a seed or two. She is still alive at about 12 years old. She also had some of the cleanest teeth the vet said and I wondered if it had to do with her eating apples.???
Growing up, my mom always kept fruit in the house no matter how expensive it was. Fruit was a ‘no limit’ food. If i was hungry, I could always have an apple or a pear or something, no matter what. Oreos however, were severly rationed. AS a result, I sit at a very healthy weight, with very healthy eating habits. And my fruit loving mom? She STILL stops off at my apartment sometimes witha yummy basket of Kiwi or Starfruit (super fun treats for me as a kid). If you raise your kids to look at these things as treats, thats what they will always be. When I’m down, I skip the twinkies and go right for some cherries. Yummy, happy, and a natural anti-oxidant!!! (PS- have you tried starfruit for your kids? It’s not cheap, but the pretty shape and exotic taste are such a neat fun treat!!!)
Shanie81–glad you got a blogger account!!!
We have not tried starfruit…sounds yummy. We try to keep the open fruit rule too…hard to keep it in the house though!
Yum yumwe love smoothies. As a matter of fact, for one of my oldest daughters Christmas presents (she is 13) I purchased her a personal smoothie maker for like $10. The part that you blend it then flips over and serves as a cup.
I usually do berries, yogurt, bananas and some generic protein powder…..I never thought to do the apples (ive heard about b17 too but didnt know it was in apple seeds…)..and I ESPECIALLY did not know about frozen berries being more fresh. All the $$$$ ive wasted at the grocery store passing up the frozen……oh well.
Neither had I considered molding my smoothies into popsicles. GREAT idea.
On the subject of cherries, it is great in juice for constipation. My daughter had encopresis, a severe and chronis constipation problem, and cherry and pear juice are highly recommended for this, in case it helps anyone.
B17..Kelly, Im wondering if you have seen the tapes by Ken something or other, the speaker on creationalism. He shares a ton about B17 on his tapes. grrr, cant think of his name at the moment…
I was looking for coconut oil the other day in a very well-varietied grocery store, and just cannot find it! I was looking to cook pancakes in it, for flavoring and benefit…..can anyone tell me where to find it? Must I hit the health food store, and is it pricey?
AM,
Kent Hovine…yes that's where I first heard of B-17! It was fascinating.
Coconut oil…other than the time I lucked up and found it at our local bent & dent grocery store (for $1.75!!!), I haven't seen the raw, organic anywhere. I would look on-line–maybe even Amazon.com.
i’ve found coconut oil at my grocery store, but i live in hippy central (a weird urban neighborhood). i’ve also found it at health food places, and at an online souce. hang on, let me go dig, and try to remember where i found it…
darn, can’t find the place my sis got it at. it’s so expensive, anyone else? i pay about $10 a jar for the stuff!
Yuppers….Kent Hovind….that was the man. My husband has that entire VHS set.
Have you thought about adding a veggie to your smoothie? I add a few leaves of romaine lettuce or whatever I have on hand. If your veggie is 25% or less of your smoothie contents it cannot be tasted.
You can search “green smoothies” on google to find recipes.
I am so glad you mentioned coconut oil. Smoothies are one of my favorite ways to get coconut oil! I have a couple of my favorite recipes for them on my website.
Eileen,
How do you keep the coconut oil from hardening in the smoothie? Or do you just not mind it? I like to substitute with it a lot, but I have a harder time convincing my family 😉 We also have just learned about “oil pulling”…have you heard of it?
Thanks for your reply. I would love to be able to subscribe to the comments, I would have answered you sooner!
I HATE when the coconut oil hardens in smoothies. When I make smoothies with coconut milk, I consider the oil from that ingredient my “coconut oil.” It *is* in there. If I add extra, I will add it in a warm liquid state to the smoothie, and blend all the warm or room temp ingredients very thoroughly. Then, I add frozen berries or whatever cold ingredients I have. This seems to help. Using a good blender, like a Vita Mix or smoothie maker, is helpful, too. I use a Vita Mix.
As for oil pulling, I have heard of it. I actually tried it for a very short few minutes, once. I think I have blocked its benefits mentally, as I did not enjoy my experience! A good friend of mine practices it. I probably *should* read up on it again, but I am reluctant as it is sort of time consuming, and not appealing to me at all!
We don’t substitute the coconut oil as often as we could. It just doesn’t taste right to us for cooking eggs, for instance.