Post Punk Kitchen Forum

My parents are getting a new Vitamix. They are hoping to make smoothies every day, and also hoping to lose some weight in the next few months. Can anyone recommend a good, really healthy, smoothie recipe book?

Not really; I didn't find any worth buying.

I would just recommend googling around and/or experimenting. If they buy their Vitamix at Costco, I know it comes with a big recipe book.

I use whatever milk is on sale. My favorite is the new Blue Diamond coconut/almond blend. Then I add in a frozen banana, almond butter, hemp hearts, maybe cocoa powder, whatever. Sometimes I add in some yogurt or pineapple. Whatever I happen to have. I also add some Starbucks via powder to help me kick my latte habit.

Green smoothies with carrot juice and apple are good too.

There is a new vegan smoothie book coming out in June that looks good.

I can't vouche for this because it has not yet come out, but it looks like it's going to be good. The VegNews review said the book is divided by month, and each month has a different goal like energizing or looking younger. It has some pretty interesting, yummy sounding smoothies, like Chocolate Pecan Pie Shake. Nutritional info is also included for all recipes.

http://www.amazon.com/365-Vegan-Smoothi ... 158333517X

And here's the blog of the author:
http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/

Hi, I just got Superfood Smoothies by Julie Morris (available through Amazon), hardcover, gorgeous photos and great recipes. They would have to buy extra ingredients but it's worth the extra effort. The smoothies range from green smoothies to fruit smoothies to creamy rich ones. I made a chocolate smoothie this morning with cacao powder and nibs and it was very yummy.

Also Vitamix does have some smoothie recipes in the book they send along with the blender.

I hope this helps!

Ya - the vegan smoothie book looks promising. Most smoothie ideas I find are from Pinterest though!

The Thrive Diet book has some really great smoothie recipes in it. But I feel like a lot of my cookbooks have smoothie recipes in them, I think. How It All Vegan The Garden of Vegan are good ones too. And there is always the internet!

Gena Hamshaw retweeted this link just a couple of hours ago. There seems to be something for every taste.

My vitamix came with a 1.5" thick hardcover cookbook. It's got lots of stuff to try in it, but none of them have come out as awesome as my standbys (see below). I used to have a "smoothies and juices" cookbook but it was stupid and pointless.

My favorite smoothies are:
- Alton Brown's smoothies ( http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alto ... index.html )
- a cup or so of nondairy milk + big hunk of peanut butter + 1 banana + squirt of agave or maple syrup + some ice.
- ~1/2 c soymilk + 1/2 c OJ + 1 banana + a little bit of misc frozen fruit. (either the tropical mix from costco or frozen strawberries)

I just got Superfood Smoothies, too. Though I have yet to give it a test drive, it really is a gorgeous book with lots of good looking, yummy sounding smoothie recipes. It is also chock full of useful information.

Initially, I had to think twice about purchasing this one because superfoods tend to be rather pricey. Ultimately, I decided to go for it because such small amounts of those more expensive ingredients are used in the book's recipes. With warmer weather finally arriving, I've begun starting my days with lovely to look at, delicious smoothies!

I have two smoothie "books" - well, one is a book and another is more like a pack of large flash cards. I don't think I've ever used them... but I make smoothies with my VitaMix almost every day. I'd just play around with it, try lots of different combos. I'd also make the point that you don't always need to add milk or yogurt to a smoothie. Water, OJ, carrot juice all work too.

I also like to use coconut water sometimes. It adds electrolytes and potassium to the mix.

Chilled green tea is another good liquid to add.

I was looking through my Raw Detox book today - there is a smoothie chapter!

I'm in a smoothie rut and found a smoothie book on amazon for 2.99 or free to borrow if you are a prime member. I just did the free borrow, so I can't vouch for it or anything, but for 2.99 its a minimum investment should you want to purchase.

http://www.amazon.com/Smoothie-Recipes- ... +smoothies

Yep I agree that superfoods are rather expensive but like you say, you only use a small amount of them in the recipes. I've noticed that Whole Foods carries the Navitas Naturals brand so I get them at the store instead of having to order online and pay shipping, handling, blah blah.

I think there is one called "What Colour is Your Smoothie"
:)