Making smoothies

[Saga]

I've gotten into smoothie making recently but haven't done too much in the way of experimenting. Usually I throw a cup and a half of frozen fruit - mangos, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and pineapple - in my Magic Bullet with a half cup of yogurt and 1 cup of Tropicana 50 juice. Tastes delicious, perfect consistency, has a beautiful deep purple/red color and is a great start to the day.

Recently I started putting a scoop of this stuff in with the above mixture and while it tastes fine and blends well, it turns the smoothie a lovely shade of vomit green.

Is there a good way to keep some of the color in the smoothie without adding more fruit? The serving size is plenty as-is and I don't want to fuss with it too much, and I can tolerate the color if I really have to. Just didn't know if other people had experience with making their smoothies look like not-puke.

[Salodin]

Pretty sure other then food coloring you're SOL. Honestly though I never liked those additives, just pick good fruit with the nutrition you're looking for, and add some protein powder to it, flavorless if you can find it (or same flavor as fruits). That's how I like it and how every smoothie business in my area does it.

[CoreyX]

I use 0-calorie individual koolaid packets, a scoop of whey protein (vanilla or strawberry, do NOT use chocolate, you will throw up), ice, water, and my smoothies end up tasting delicious and they're blood-red. Sometimes I add random berries or different flavors of kool-aid packets and they're either blue or purple. Koolaid packets will seriously turn anything whatever color you want, they stain everything, so if all you want is to add some color, that'll definitely do the trick without adding any calories or sugar (make sure it's the packets, not the tubs)

[Clash Perez]

In my experience, beets will turn anything purple. Fresh raw beets really aren't as bad as the reputation they have. I'd used them more for juicing than making smoothies, so YMMV.

[Saga]

Not a bad idea with the kool-aid packets or the beets, thanks guys. Salodin, I probably could forgo the supplement but I don't eat enough veggies during the day and that Amazing Grass stuff seems like a quick and easy way to fit it in early in the day.

[Furionstormrage]

Just throw in real veggies. I mix in a 1-2 handfuls of frozen spinach, kale, chard (whatever is on sale) and it doesn't affect the color or flavor. I'm not a fan of supplements, to each their own, you just seem to get more out of eating real food.

[Saga]

I'll give that a shot, too. Do you use frozen fruit or fresh? Any ice to thicken it?

[Mellema]

I always use frozen blueberries and strawberries. They're cheaper and you don't need to add ice that way. My favorite smoothie is 1/2 cup each of frozen blueberries and strawberries, 1 cup soy milk, 1/2 cup yogurt, and a scoop of whey protein. I've never bothered with vegetable powders, but I eat plenty of veggies already, so it's never been a concern.

[notorious bum]

kale, spinach, romaine lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, and squash can all be used in fruit smoothies with no negative impact on color or flavor. I personally love the different colors I can make via avocado, orange/apple/cran juices as a base, or when making a poor man's V8 with all veggies.

[Furionstormrage]

I use frozen fruit, refrigerated bananas, frozen veggies. Usually no ice but you can. I use water for myself, a little juice when the wife wants one because she likes the flavor better.

[Pirian]

When I'm actually adding stuff to my protein powder I usually like to go with a handful of various berry (strawberries usually blueberries), half a banana, half a cup of coconut water, handful of pistachios and a scoop of protein powder (vanilla flavored, but no sweetener), and half a cup of ice. The ice is strictly to cool it down because I like mine like a frozen drink, and it usually becomes too thick and I have to add more coconut water. I'm really bad about making too much for a single glass, but it usually fits into an English pint glass.

[Clash Perez]

Don't overdo the blueberries. I've turned many a shake into a gelatinous mess that was nearly undrinkable by using primarily blueberries.

Also with the beets, make sure you scrub the skins well under running water to get all of the dirt off of them. If you don't, there's a good chance your shake will literally taste like dirt. If you're looking to add more greens to the smoothie, the beet greens are also apparently quite nutritious. 'Round these parts they sell beets along with the greens in all of the supermarkets.

[Psion]

check your local markets with a good rep for cheap/delicious fruits and veggies as well. Trader joes here, for instance, tends to have fruit thats ripened to perfection and tastes divine. On top of that, it's often cheaper than mega marts. (i found a gigantic 4 lb or so package of strawberries for less than 5$ recently.) freeze those suckers if you find them cheaper than frozen and well ripened, its worth it since you can vouch for their flavor. You can freeze bananas as well without getting them looking brown. Just peel and chop them up into blender sized chunks, dips them in water thats been laced with either lemon juice or citric acid to stop the browning, then freeze em.

I personally love strawberry, banana, and kiwi smoothies with greek yogurt myself. :D

[BaneTheBrawler]

i suggest rhubarb. rhubarb makes everything better.