How did that get in my smoothie?

Warning: Smoothie traditionalists might object to the following recipes. The gym guys with Hulk-like necks—the ones who slam protein powder mixtures and cretin concoctions before spending hours lifting in front of their reflections.

Warning: Smoothie traditionalists might object to the following recipes. The gym guys with Hulk-like necks—the ones who slam protein powder mixtures and cretin concoctions before spending hours lifting in front of their reflections—they’re probably not going to like these recipes. Juice shack employees clad in aprons and visors might not like them either.

Luckily, if you are someone who cares about taste or nutrition (or both for that matter), these might be just what you need.

Inspired by a recent experience with the Sip food cart at the Eat Mobile festival, there are some unexpected additions to these smoothies with very rewarding results. So don’t fear change and jump right in. You might get a new favorite you were never expecting.

Oh My Oatmeal Smoothie
This recipe adds the fiber and substantial goodness from your warm breakfast bowl into liquid form.

Ingredients
1/4 cup of oatmeal
1/4 cup of soy milk (or rice, nonfat or hemp milk)
1/4 cup frozen berries (strawberries are good, but a mix of several is better)

Method
Put oatmeal in blender first before anything else. Blend for a minute or so, letting the oatmeal become a fine powder. Next, add the soy milk and berries and blend until smooth. If seeds aren’t your thing, strain the mixture.

Lean Green Machine

Now, we all know that what we eat and drink should likely value taste before health benefits. This smoothie is vibrant green and goes down good, but it also happens to be a nutritional powerhouse—both pineapple and kale happen to have been rumored to speed up metabolism.

Ingredients
5 leaves of kale (any variety)
1 cup of pineapple chunks (fresh or frozen)
1 1/2 cups of cold water
Juice of half a lemon

Method

Place kale then pineapple then water in blender and let blend for a minute. If you can still see tiny specs of kale, keep blending until the smoothie is a solid emerald green color. When done, squeeze in lemon juice and enjoy.

Energy Tea Smoothie
Chilled green tea is really a delight most people don’t think about adding to their smoothies. On a hot day, it hits the spot blended with ice, ginger and a little lemon. Ahhh.

Ingredients
2 bags of green tea, or 1 tablespoon of loose leaf tea and a French press
1/2 cup of ice cubes
12 ounces of water
1/2 tablespoon of grated ginger
1 teaspoon honey (or brown rice syrup or agave nectar)
Juice of half a lemon

Method
Brew tea in your French press or a large mug, letting it get a little stronger than usual. Let the brewed tea sit in your fridge for an afternoon, or in the freezer for about twenty minutes. When chilled, add tea to a blender and place in ice cubes, ginger, lemon and honey. Consistency of your smoothie will be a little thin, so feel free to serve over ice or add a banana for creaminess.