Finding My Way in the Kitchen

The Ultimate Meal Replacement Smoothie Ingredient Guide

Up to recently, the morning smoothie I made for my husband was on autopilot: a frozen banana, berries, almond milk, coconut oil or it would be nut butter and cacao with some honey and some berries. Not intentional or pre-meditated at all and of course did not keep him satiated for long. I needed some direction and more knowledge. The world wide web and more time on my hands to the rescue.

What I learned that there are 6 components to making a delicious and filling smoothie. In the frozen drink world it is called layering and one ought to do it in a specific order as it is listed below:

  1. Liquid
  2. Greens
  3. Protein
  4. Fat
  5. Fruit/Sweetner
  6. Superfood Boosters/Herbs/Flavor Enhancers

I have created a pretty extensive list of ingredients for each of the 6 above categories.  Just pick one ingredient from each section with the exception of fruit fill free to mix and match to create the perfect meal repalcement beverage. This is a great resource for creating your own recipes and expanding your ingredient base and imagination at the same time.  Between the two pictures is the guide. I highly recommend copy and pasting this into a word document and put on your fridge or inside your kitchen cabinets. After the 2nd photo is a fascinating list of links to articles that helped me create this guide.

I hope this inspires you to experiment with your blender. I am excited for this Summer Smoothie Series. The combinations and possibilities are endless. My right brain is in heaven. I would love to hear what ingredient surprised you the most on this list. Happy Reading and Imagining!!

So Many Fruits and So Many Combinations. Depoitphotos

The Ultimate Meal Replacement Smoothie Ingredient Guide

  1. LIQUID
  • Nut Milks-Hazelnut, Macadamia, Almond, Cashew, Coconut
  • Plant Based Milks- Hemp Seed, Oat, Rice,Soy, Pea Protein Milk
  • Milk-Goat, Buttermilk, whole, Skim, 2%
  • Water Based-Tea, Coconut Water, Seltzer Water
  • Kombucha                                                                                                                            

2. GREENS

  • Chard
  • Kale
  • Arugula
  • Broccoli
  • Spinach
  • Cabbage Green and Red

3. PROTEIN

  • Gluten Free Grains- Quinoa, Millet, Amaranth, Buckwheat, Teff, Sorghum
  • Grains-Kamut, Spelt
  • Oats
  • Soft Silken Tofu
  • Nut Butters-Walnut, Hazelnut, Peanut Butter, Cashew, Pistachio, Macadamia, Pecan, Almond
  • Soaked Nuts
  • Seed Butters-Pumpkin, Sunflower, Tahini
  • Beans-Adzuki, Black, Cannellini, Split Pea, Navy Bean, Mung, Kidney, Pinto
  • Yogurt, Kefir
  • Cheese- Cottage Cheese, Ricotta, Goat
  • Flours-Coconut, Oat, Almond, Wheat
  • Raw Egg
  • Cacoa Nibs

4. FAT

  • Seeds-Chia, Flax Seeds, Hemp
  • Oil-Olive, Coconut, Flax seed
  • Avocado
  • Cream Cheese
  • Coconut Butter

5A. FRUIT

  • Stone Fruit-Cherries, Apricots, Peaches, Mangoes, Plums, Nectarines
  • Berries-Strawberry, Blackberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Cranberries, Mulberries
  • Melons-Honeydew, Cantaloupe, Watermelon
  • Citrus-Orange, Tangerines, Grapefruit
  • Miscellaneous-Figs, Apples, Pears, Pomegranates
  • Tropical Fruit-Pineapple, Papaya, Kiwi, Persimmon, Guava, Passion Fruit, Dragon Fruit, Star Fruit
  • Veggies-Sweet Potato, Beets

5B. SWEETNERS (when fruit is not cutting it)

  • Maple Syrup, Honey
  • Dates, Bananas
  • Coconut Sugar, Stevia

6A. SUPERFOOD BOOSTERS

  • Powder Forms- Maca, Camuu Camu, Maqui, Collagen, Lacuma
  • Green- Spirulina, Wheat Grass, Chlorella
  • Gogi Berries

6B. FLAVOR ENHANCERS

  • Spices-Turmeric, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Pumpkin Spice, Ginger, Red Pepper Flakes, Black Pepper
  • Herbs-Parsley, Cilantro, Basil, Mint
  • Citrus-Orange, Lemon, Lime
  • Zest-Lime, Lemon, Orange
  • Salt
  • Powders-Cacao, Matcha
  • Extracts-Vanilla, Almond, Orange
Which veggie/fruit combination are you excited to try? Depositphotos.

RESOURCES FOR THIS LIST