Almost two years ago, I took a class on green smoothie-making, and was hooked immediately because all the samples tasted so good. On my way home, I thought about replacing my old blender that I’d barely used with a better one (don’t we all like horsepower…? haha) and imagined strolling through my grandmother’s garden, picking healthy greens for the next morning’s smoothie. I started experimenting with whatever I had on hand. Sometimes the resulting smoothie was delicious, sometimes I was able to convince myself to drink it because of how healthy it was, but quite often, I sadly had to pour it away because it made me want to throw up. As much as I am in favor of doing certain things because they are healthy, I have to admit I have become a little bit of a foodie, so I decided to not push my luck any more and invest in some good books on how to make delicious smoothies. Today, I want to share some of those resources with you.
Oh She Glows (Angela Liddon)
I am a huge fan of Angela’s Oh She Glows cookbook (a second one is coming out soon! yay!), but you’ll be able to find more smoothie recipes on her blog. I love that her green smoothies are called green monsters because they helped her get through a challenging time in her life, where she felt exhausted and stressed out. Let me quote a short, but very powerful paragraph from her website.
She writes: “Determined to feel alive once again, I crammed the healthiest foods into my blender and I blended my little heart out. Of course, the first few attempts looked horrific and they tasted no better. But, I didn’t care. I drank every last drop of those green monsters before I made the long commute to work each morning. The green monster not only gave me energy, but it represented something much deeper than that- inner peace and self-love. I knew that the stress I had put myself through over the past few years was nothing short of damaging to every cell in my body. I created the Green Monsters as a way to take time out for my health. Even if I knew it was going to be a hellish day, getting in my Green Monster in the morning provided me with a sense of calm in my life.” (Link)
In addition to green smoothies, she also shares dessert-like smoothie recipes. Her chocolate hemp and pumpkin pie smoothies are especially tasty. Even though it is not technically a smoothie, I would also like to recommend her healing rooibos tea recipe, which can be found in the cookbook.
The Blender Girl (Tess Masters)
In addition to the The Blender Girl Smoothies cookbook, there is also a fantastic app by Tess Masters that has a wonderful search function. The app was released before the cookbook, but if I am not mistaken, the recipes are the same. I have both because I love books… and my iPhone. Haha.
In the app, you can either go through a list of all the recipes or find your perfect blend based on how you feel, what you need and what you crave. It comes up with a list of suggestions, so there are always plenty of options to choose from. I think it is particularly helpful that there is a list of optional boosters, so you can, but don’t have to add “superfoods.” Some of my favorite recipes are: Appcelerade, Vivid Vision, Pear it With Blue, and Apple Pie in a Glass. It is hard for me to even list favorites though because I’ve liked all the recipes I’ve tried so far.
Superfood Smoothies (Julie Morris)
Even though I am usually more a fan of regional “superfoods” like pumpkins, poppy seeds, kale, and the like for everyday use, I do have some of the foods that are more commonly known as “superfoods” and appreciate their positive properties. Some of the ones I like to use are, for example, maca, macha, chia seeds, açai berries and raw cocoa beans. I like Julie Morris’ book because she gives a very thorough introduction, both on superfoods and how to make a perfect smoothie (including in which order to add your ingredients into your blender).
Each recipe, like Tess Masters’, also includes suggestions on which superfoods can be added for an extra healthy boost. Some of my favorite recipes are: Orange Goji, Peaches & Cream, Mango Chili, and Green Protein. I would recommend this book especially to those of you who cringe at the thought of drinking a green smoothie with ingredients that you wouldn’t even put in a salad. There is a section on green smoothies, but most of the ingredients are on the fruitier side.
Balance your Life (Marita Karlson)
Sadly, this book is not available in English (yet), but I still wanted to mention it because some of you might be able to read German, French or Swedish. I especially like her hemp-based smoothies because they are very protein-rich and satisfying. The book also, for example, features green smoothies, superfood smoothies, healthy “shots” that are highly concentrated, as well as juices, but I think nothing beats a dessert in a glass. I love the down-to-earth design of the book, as well as the fact that the recipes all have a manageable number of ingredients. I think it is important that you’re still able to taste the individual ingredients of a smoothie and it doesn’t just become a concoction of “all the healthy things.”
I hope you found some of my suggestions helpful! Happy smoothie-making 🙂