Smoothie

I mentioned in our "Routine" entry that for breakfast I often make a smoothie for breakfast. This was based on the recommendation from Alton Brown, my culinary hero, in his "Live and let diet" episode. Breakfast being the most important meal of the day, and all. I also came to realize that I didn't eat near enough fruit as recommended due to being afraid of the calories. Well, fruit is naturally high in sugar, so it's bound to have quite a lot of calories too. But each of those calories are so densely packed with nutrients, like Vitamin C & Antioxidants, that they are very valuable and worthy calories. Also, since the last time I ate would have been 13 hours ago at dinner the previous night, my body is needing a few calories about that time. But this argument is much more sound than the, "What, it's not cake for breakfast, it's a muffin!" argument.

 

It's kind of funny to give a recipe for a smoothie when it's such a pliable on the fly thing. But there are some theories that can be applied, some options that can be considered. Alton recommends including "purple" in your breakfast smoothie. Fruits that are purple tend to be higher in anthocyanins which possess tremendous antioxidant powers. Purple fruits include, Blueberries, Blackberries, Acai, Cherries, etc. What? Cherries aren't purple!?! Really the tell-tale sign of a high level of Anthocyanin is the presence of deep Red or blue... or both! Red and Blue make purple. So, I make sure to include some fruit from this category in the smoothie.

 

I'm not one to take medication regularly. For one, I just can't remember to do it; I'm a really really bad patient. For another, particularly when we are talking about voluntary supplements like a vitamin pack, I just don't see the benefit in doing so. I've always believed in eating a colorful and varied diet that is rich in vegetables and fruits and whole grains, lean meats, minimal saturated fats, etc. So, if I truly follow that plan, would I even need the supplement? Also, there are studies that show our body's ability to absorb artificial sources of vitamins and minerals is inhibited. Whereas a diet rich in these nutrients is more readily absorbed.

 

The typical smoothie that I make has 5 ingredients. Two are liquid and three are frozen or fresh fruit.

 

Liquids - Liquids help your blender do it's job by making all of the solids viscous and makes the final texture of your smoothie more drink-like. Generally I use a fruit juice and a "milk" product whether it be soymilk or yoghurt. 

• Acai juice - I use Acai juice and soymilk typically. I might use yogurt instead of soymilk if the mood strikes and I'm looking for a thicker texture. Acai juice helps me comply with the "purple" mandate from Alton Brown.
• Soymilk contains isoflavanoids, a powerful antioxidant that mimics phytoestrogens. This powerful nutrient has shown to fight breast and prostate cancer as well as reduce the risk of heart disease by preventing the build-up of plaque in your arteries. I am a fan of the Silk brand in the green box, organic and unsweetened.
• Yoghurt - I've traditionally wanted the plain, nonfat variety. I like the Giant Eagle brand or the Stonyfield organic brand. I've recently tried Greek Yoghurt and may be a convert. The texture was amazing, thick and smooth. The flavor was also unique. It still had the traditional tang of those enzymes and cultures at work, but it was different than yoghurt I've tried before. Yoghurt is high in enzymes and active cultures which aid in digestion.

 

 

Solids - Fresh, unadulterated fruit contains tremendous health benefits, not the least of which is a healthy dose of dietary fiber. Without sounding like I'm wearing sandals with black socks, yelling at teenagers to get off my front lawn, I can't stress enough the importance of dietary fiber. Other than the obvious benefit, dietary fiber can also lower your risk of diabetes and heart disease. I keep all of the fruit for smoothies in the freezer. I purchase fruit that is unsweetened and typically not in a mix. I only want to see fruit as the ingredient on the packaging. Also, I purchase those that have been IQF or Individually Quick Frozen which keeps the integrity of the fruit intact more than those little boxes of fruit which are sweetened and turn to gooey mush when thawed. Individual fruit is also easier to portion out and is generally sold in a resealable package. I keep a variety on hand including:

• Bananas - I enjoy bananas in my smoothie. They add a nice decadence, creaminess, thickness. If I used yoghurt, I probably would not add a banana as I wouldn't want the resulting concoction to be too thick. I enjoy being able to use a straw vs. needing a spoon to consume. I also recently discovered that Giant Eagle sells ripe bananas in a bag for 99 cents. The bag usually weighs about 3 lbs. I peel and break each banana in half, then stick in a gallon bag into the freezer. Bananas are notoriously high in potassium which acts as an electrolyte helping to regulate blood pressure and muscle contraction. Interestingly, while bananas (and all fruit for that matter) are high in sugar, potassium helps your body store excess energy for later use without converting it to fat.
• Blueberries are a favorite, again high in Anthocyanin and vitamin C.
• Pineapple, while adding a nice tang to the mix, has a high concentration of Vitamin C and Manganese as well as dietary fiber. Manganese is an essential trace mineral which helps your body synthesize fatty acids and cholesterol and keeps your bones strong and healthy.
• Mangoes are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin A and vitamin C. Like bananas, Mangoes are also an excellent source of potassium.
• Strawberries contain near obscene levels of vitamin C. They are also a good source of folate, iron and potassium. Folate is particularly important for pregnant women in the prevention of neural tube defects. It's other benefits include prevention of cervical cancer, increase in the production of serotonin (the happy chemical in your brain), as well as the prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.
• Cherries - like blueberries contain high levels of Anthocyanin, vitamin C and also contain high levels of vitamin A. The skins of this fruit are known to reduce chronic headaches. Vitamin A helps your eyes adjust to light changes as well as keep your eyes, skin and mucous membranes moist.
• Raspberries - Aside from being an excellent source for vitamin C and manganese, raspberries are also a good source of magnesium and vitamin K. Most Americans are deficient in this critical mineral, Magnesium due to a diet that is mostly processed foods and over produced soil that has become deficient in this mineral over the years. Magnesium works on muscles to reduce the instance and effect of cramps as well as lessens the symptoms of asthma due to relaxing lung airways. This muscle benefit could positively affect anyone with restless legs, fatigue, headaches or fibromyalgia. Vitamin K primarily helps the body to slowly stop bleeding, it is also beneficial in the reduction of heart disease and heart failure by preventing the hardening of the arteries.  

There are other fruits, but these are the ones I have in my freezer at the moment and are commonly available in your grocer's freezer.

 

Now, the assembly.

 

Alton Brown recommends portioning out equal parts of each of the 5 (he actually uses 6, but I don't want THAT big of a breakfast) ingredients you choose, by weight. 2 parts liquid, 3 parts solid. Since I have deviated slightly from his formula, I'll detail what I made this morning.

• 4 oz Acai Juice (sometimes I accidentally pour 5 oz)
• 4 oz Soymilk
• 1 banana (this generally weighs between 2 to 3 oz so that extra oz of juice/milk is made up here)
• 3 oz blueberries
• 3 oz pineapple

Final weight 1 lb 2 oz.

 

Then we mix!

 

Long long ago I decided to invest in my kitchen equipment. So I tended to make a really big purchase if the item was truly functional and would last for years. The blender was the first of these items. I wanted a blender that could crush ice. One that could take wheat berries and produce whole grain flour if I needed. I wanted a blender that people hand down to their children like a Kitchen Aid stand mixer. The VitaMix is such a blender. I found in my research people selling their old VitaMix from the seventies on eBay and thought, ok, if a blender can last through multiple hands for over thirty years it is worth the investment. This is the same blender you will see in Starbucks to make their frappucinos and Jamba Juice making their smoothies. Since these high volume locations use it, you know it's a quality piece of equipment. It's a heavy work horse with a square carafe made of polycarbinate. It also happens to be (though I swear I bought it years before I even heard of Good Eats) the exact same blender Alton Brown recommended on his "Live and let diet" episode. But I love it when that happens!

 

As Alton recommends I put in the liquid ingredients first, then the solids. Since these are frozen I can either assemble the morning of for a thick smoothie that would need a spoon to eat. Or I put the ingredients together the night before and store the carafe in the fridge where the fruit will thaw. Starting at the lowest variable speed, I slowly increase the speed until a vortex forms. I let that run until all the ingredients are incorporated. When I blend I will get a delightfully thick, yet drinkable through a straw, nutrient dense breakfast.