Smoothies

Smoothies are one of my favorite snacks! They are easy to throw together, the kids love them, and they are full of nutritious ingredients. Some people love having smoothies for breakfast but personally I need a little more to get me going in the morning but as a snack they are perfect. Most of the time we drink them alone but sometimes depending on how hungry we are a handful of nuts or a drop or two is needed.
I find no need for any precise measurements when making a smoothie a little of this and splash of that and you are almost guaranteed a yummy treat. I use my stick blender for making smoothies because it is quick, easy, and requires very little clean up. I start with a quart size wide mouth canning jar. I put what ever fresh fruit and veggies I am using first, then the greens and the frozen fruit or veggies, and last the liquid. I fill my canning jar to about 2-3 inches from the top with all my ingredients then just place my blender in and turn it on. Once it is well blended I pour out my kids portions and then stick a glass straw in the jar and enjoy the rest. No extra cleanup needed!
Sometimes it takes a small amount of pressure to get the frozen foods to blend in and if I am using greens I might let it go a bit longer then usual and I may have to pull out a few leaves that are not blending in.
I have yet to have a bad smoothie but I always try to follow the ratio of 60% fruit and 40% veggies or greens. This is the highest amount of veggies I will do and usually I do less then 40%. I then pour in my liquid to about half way up the fruit and veggies.
I use a variety of ingredients and rarely do we have the same combination more then once. Here is a list of ingredients I use.

Liquid- I never use milk or fruit juice in my smoothies because I feel we get enough of those with a glass of juice in the morning and milk at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Kombucha and whey are my go to liquids for smoothies. They add probiotic properties to the smoothie which make it excellent for the all important gut health. If you do not have these water, any type of milk, or a small amount of fresh fruit juice will work. *Since starting GAPS our smoothies are usually made with Kefir, raw eggs, and/or yogurt.

Fruits- I use either fresh or frozen of any of these. If you do not have fresh fruit to add that is fine just be sure you always have frozen fruit or add ice cubes to the smoothie before blending. The frozen fruit is how you get the great smoothie texture.
bananas
pears
strawberries
blueberries
kiwi
mango
pineapple
peaches
nectarines
cucumber

Veggies- I have to admit I have not tried a ton of different veggies in my smoothies but the ones I have tried I like. Frozen or fresh veggies will work well just be sure to have fresh greens. Start small and work your way up with the veggies.
carrots
celery
spinach
beet greens
kale