smoothie Archives - Wild Blueberries

And the winners of the Wild Your Smoothie Recipe Contest are….

The Wild Your Smoothie Contest results are in and you’re going to absolutely love the top three winners! In total, we received hundreds of entries for the contest. You voted. Here are your winners.

Runners Up

We have two runners up for the Wild Your Smoothie contest.

Cara Harbstreet, M.S., R.D., L.D., of Street Smart Nutrition and her Wild Blueberry Mango Lassi Smoothie, inspired by the popular yogurt-based drink from the Punjab region of India, is exquisitely simple, a touch exotic (because of the cardamom and cinnamon), and delicious. Cara’s variation on the traditional Lassi, includes a cup of frozen Wild Blueberries and it replaces yogurt with kefir, adding even more probiotic punch to this tasty treat. Since we are firm believers in sourcing fruit in the freezer aisle, we also applaud the use of frozen mango and frozen Wild Blueberries in this recipe. With only six ingredients (if you don’t count the water), this smoothie is nutritious, easy to make, and well-deserving of its runner-up status. Congratulations, Cara! We love your Wild Blueberry Mango Lassi Smoothie

Shashi Charles of Runnin Srilankan and her Oatmeal Wild Blueberry Breakfast Smoothie is one of the prettiest recipes we’ve ever seen and this smoothie tastes as good as it looks! Like so many of us, Shashi admitted to being in a “smoothie rut” before entering the Wild Your Smoothie Contest. Well, Shashi really broke the mold with this smoothie, and you’re going to love how she blended together a common list of ingredients into something truly special. Shashi starts with a cup of frozen Wild Blueberries, and then adds coconut milk, dried apricots, quick oats, banana, and peanut butter into this blend-and-go breakfast. “My bowl of breakfast oatmeal was my inspiration for this smoothie,” says Shashi. We also noted with pleasure that Shashi included two alternatives for the toppings – one decadent and one naked – after getting some constructive feedback from her daughter. After all, not every smoothie lover is the same. Congratulations, Shashi! We love your Oatmeal Wild Blueberry Breakfast Smoothie

Grand Prize!

First place goes to Charlotte Martin, a registered dietitian and creator of Nutritiously Twisted, an online blog that’s devoted to putting a healthy twist on old standby recipes. Charlotte’s beautiful, gluten-free Wild Blueberry Flax Muffin Smoothie was the runaway winner of the contest, earning 25 percent more votes than any other smoothie recipe in our terrific group of finalists. Charlotte’s delicious recipe brings together a tasty collection of ingredients, including a full cup of frozen Wild Blueberries, almond flour, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, and a tablespoon of instant espresso! It’s topped with a gorgeous vanilla Greek yogurt “frosting” that simply takes the prize! (Charlotte, please share how you created that beautiful topping!)

The addition of coffee to Charlotte’s smoothie was another standout. As a self-proclaimed caffeine lover, Charlotte likes to start her day with coffee. But to make her routine fast and easy, she simply blends a little coffee right into her smoothie. “This Wild Blueberry Flax Muffin Smoothie is your whole morning in one,” says Charlotte. “It’s like your Frappuccino and Wild Blueberry muffin had a healthy baby.”

Congratulations, Charlotte, we love your Wild Blueberry Flax Muffin Smoothie recipe and we’re excited to meet you this summer as we explore Bar Harbor and the Wild Blueberry barrens of Maine!

Top 5 Trending Smoothie Immune Boosters for Winter

It’s the start of a New Year, which means everyone is getting their smoothie on to improve nutrition and eat healthier. It’s also the dead of winter, which means that cold and flu season is rearing its ugly head. Over the holidays, my Mom, Dad and sister all came down with a cold. Lucky for me, I fought off whatever it was that ailed them. My secret to avoiding the cold and flu like the plague? Well besides adequate sleep, regular movement and keeping stress at bay, it’s SMOOTHIES! I try to stockpile immune-boosting ingredients in my pantry during the winter so that I can load up on them regularly for prevention, especially when I feel those first signs of a cold coming on.

The immune system is a complex system with cells, tissues and organs, each with a specific role in fighting against harmful bacteria and viruses. Because it’s so complex, researchers are constantly trying to figure it out, which is why much of the research on diet to support immunity is preliminary. But as I talk about in my e-book, Nourish Your Namaste: How Nutrition and Yoga Can Support Digestion, Immunity, Energy and Relaxation, I’ll take preliminary research over catching a cold any day!

For example, research shows that various nutrient deficiencies – vitamins A, C, E, B, D, selenium, zinc, iron, copper and folic acid – can compromise your immune system and increase your susceptibility to cold and flu. So, when it comes to boosting your immunity, focus on choosing foods high in these vitamins and minerals, like oranges (vitamin C), sweet potatoes (vitamin A), kale (vitamin E), mushrooms (selenium and vitamin D) and garbanzo beans (zinc).

Smoothies are the perfect vehicle to load up on immune-boosting ingredients. While you probably wouldn’t sit down to a meal to eat a sweet potato, an orange, some kale, ginger root and kefir, you could throw all those things into a smoothie and easily drink it before work (or better yet, take it to the office with you)! Smoothies are an easy way to get in a lot of immune-boosting foods at once.

Wondering what some of my favorite immune boosting smoothie ingredients are for the winter? Add these to any smoothie for a boost!

Wild Blueberries: The tiny delicious berries are packed with antioxidants, in fact they contain 2x the antioxidants of regular (cultivated) blueberries. Every day, our cells wage a battle against free radicals – unstable oxygen molecules that are a normal byproduct of metabolism. When you aren’t getting enough antioxidants in your diet, free radicals can build up in your body, causing oxidative stress, which is associated with cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other diseases of aging. Dietary antioxidants such as anthocyanins, flavonoids found in the blue pigments of Wild Blueberries, have the ability to neutralize free radicals and help prevent cell damage. Antioxidants can also protect against inflammation, which may play a role in supporting our immune system. And these special little Wild Blueberries are found in the freezer aisle of your grocery store and available all year long and perfect for smoothies.
Turmeric. Spice up your immune system with curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric that gives it its vibrant orange/yellow color. Curcumin has been shown to enhance antibodies and immune cells, which help protect us from viruses and bacteria. Sprinkle a dash of turmeric in your next smoothie for a functional boost and mild peppery flavor.
Ginger. This spice is known for a host of health benefits, especially its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.. Sprinkle ground ginger or grate fresh ginger root into your next smoothie for a warm, spicy bite!
Apple Cider Vinegar. Vinegar inhibits the enzymes that help you digest starch. This undigested starch acts as a prebiotic as it passes through your digestive system. You can think of prebiotics as food for your probiotics, supporting the growth of good-gut bacteria. Prebiotics and probiotics (and a healthy gut) help to support our immune systems. This doesn’t mean you should start drinking vinegar out of the bottle; however. A tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in your daily smoothie is plenty.
Kefir. Including adequate amounts of probiotics (found in fermented foods like sauerkraut, yogurt and miso) in your diet is important to restore healthy bacteria in your gut to protect you from infections. Kefir, an ancient fermented milk beverage, packs in 12 different types of probiotics, which is 3x the amount yogurt contains! Add kefir to your smoothie for its probiotic punch as well as its creamy, rich consistency.
Green Tea. Antioxidants found in green tea (specifically the polyphenols, catechins) have been shown to have antiviral and antimicrobial effects, especially against the flu. Next time you’re adding liquid to your smoothie, swap out coconut water or milk for green tea for an antioxidant boost!

For an immune-boost this winter, try my Wild Blueberry Turmeric Zinger Smoothie, complete with turmeric, ginger, apple cider vinegar, mango and citrus.

It’s Wild Your Smoothie Recipe Contest Time!

Last year’s Wild Your Smoothie Recipe Contest was such a huge success – we have more than 100 Wild Blueberry Smoothie recipes – that we knew right away we had to bring it back and keep inspiring smoothie lovers with delicious ideas. While the recipe contest is only open to Registered Dietitians, Food and Healthy Lifestyle Bloggers, we wanted everyone who loves frozen Wild Blueberries and smoothies to have a chance to participate. This year, we’ve added a voting phase for our loyal fans and all lovers of Wild Blueberry smoothies and will be asking for help in selecting this year’s winning recipes. You’ll also have chances to win some fun prizes, too so follow along with the #WildYourSmoothie on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.

We’re thrilled to have Kara Lydon, RD, LDN, RYT, The Foodie Dietitian, joining us again this year as our smoothie guru. Kara tells us that, “frozen Wild Blueberries are the perfect smoothie ingredient,” and we agree! Throughout the contest, Kara will be busy creating tasty new Wild Blueberry smoothie recipes using some of today’s trendiest health ingredients and she’ll be inspiring smoothie lovers and answering their questions during Twitter chats, Instagram and Pinterest Takeovers, and during even a Facebook LIVE event.

So, how’s does the Wild Your Smoothie Recipe contest work?

If you’re a Registered Dietitian, or a Food and Healthy Lifestyle Blogger visit our Wild Your Smoothie Recipe Contest page and submit your original Wild Blueberry smoothie recipe. ALL submissions are due on or before 3 p.m. EST on February 10 13, 2017.

Once we’ve received all the recipe submissions, we will be busy selecting our Top 10 finalists of the 2017 Wild Your Smoothie Recipe Contest for you to vote on beginning on February 28, 2017. You could even win a NutriBullet PRO, the official blender of Wild Blueberries, by showing us your own smoothie creation (or make one of the finalists’ recipes) and posting to Instagram between February 28^th and March 6^th. Be sure to tag @WildBlueberries and include #WildYourSmoothie in your Instagram caption to enter to win.

There’s a lot happening during this year’s Wild Your Smoothie competition. Below are the important dates to remember. And, if you have any questions, please ask us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram Be sure to include #WildYourSmoothie in your question and we will answer you as quickly as we can.

LIVE Twitter Chat! On Wednesday February 1, Kara will host a LIVE Twitter chat with us to answer questions about the competition, share fun smoothie making tips and top trending ingredients
VOTE! From Tuesday February 28 – Monday March 6, vote on your favorite Top 10 Wild Your Smoothie Recipe Contest Finalists.
Facebook LIVE video! On Wednesday March 1, join Kara to talk about the Top 10 Wild Your Smoothie Recipe Contest Finalists and how you can help us select this year’s winners. And, find out how YOU could win one of two NutriBullet PROs during our Instagram contest.
Instagram it to win it! Starting Tuesday February 28, through Monday March 6, after you’ve voted on your favorite Top 10 Wild Your Smoothie Recipe Contest finalist, show us YOUR creativity and how you Wild Your Smoothie – stay tuned for more details.

Just one more thing!

We plan to announce the winners during our LIVE Twitter Chat on Tuesday March 14, 2017. During this LIVE chat, we will talk with our Top 10 finalists about their recipe inspirations, their love of frozen Wild Blueberries and announce the Grand Prize winner and two runner ups. We will also announce our Instagram contests winner.

How To Make Your Green Smoothie Taste Great with Wild Blueberries

You can’t escape the green smoothie craze – your favorite celebrity always seems to have one in hand, your Instagram feed is overflowing with them and even your Great Aunt Milly who just bought a NutriBullet is now making them. And you know the saying, “when you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”

But you might have some reluctance to joining the craze and I get it; I was once hesitant to gulp down a bright green substance, too. The fear that it would taste bitter, that I would be sipping chunks of leaves or that I myself would turn green after drinking too many. All totally rational concerns.

The bitter taste is a real struggle though. If you only threw in some leafy greens with liquid into a smoothie, your bitter taste buds would go into overdrive and that would be the end of your green smoothie adventure. The concern about chunky smoothies is legit too – if you have an old blender that’s seen better days and you throw in all your ingredients at once, you might not get the smoothest consistency.

However, I’m here to tell you that you can throw all your green smoothie fears away because I have a few simple strategies to make your green smoothies taste great:

Mask the bitter taste of greens with super sweet fruits. Think frozen mango, pineapple, banana and Wild Blueberries or dates. Citrus fruits like lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit can also help balance out the flavor. Using sweet fruits will mask the bitterness without having to use added sweeteners.
Blend those greens first. Before adding your fruits, nuts, seeds and powders, blend your leafy greens and liquid base until pureed. Then add in all the rest of your ingredients. This will guarantee you a chunk-free smoothie. However, if you’re using a high-speed blender like NutriBullet, you can confidently throw in everything at once, greens and all.
Use the right ratio of veggies to fruit. If you throw 3 cups of kale and ½ cup fruit into your smoothie, chances are you’ll be wincing and pursing your lips after your first sip. Make sure to use enough fruit to counterbalance the bitter greens. A good rule of thumb is 60% fruit to 40% greens so if you’re using 1 cup of leafy greens, add in close to two cups of fruit.

What Greens Make The Best Green Smoothies?

Kale
Swiss chard
Spinach
Arugula
Romaine
Watercress
Beet greens
Collard greens
Bok Choy
Dandelion greens

Looking for a tried-and-true green smoothie to lure you into the world of green smoothie making? Try my Wild Blueberry Pear and Ginger Smoothie.

Looking for other green smoothies using frozen Wild Blueberries? Try the recipes below:

Shake Up Your Smoothie Routine with 14 New Smoothie Recipes

Right now, the Wild Blueberry Barrens of Maine and Eastern Canada are simply bursting with gazillions of purple-and-blue, anthocyanin-rich, scrumptious Wild Blueberries. These little wonders are fulfilling their biological destiny—ripening to perfection over thousands of acres of remote, wide-open barrens—just as they have been doing for over 10,000 years in only one special place on earth. It’s a marvel to behold, and to taste.

What better way to celebrate the splendor of this unique annual phenomenon than to travel North in August, rake Wild Blueberries for yourself, and engage in a creative competition to test your smoothie-making prowess.

Recently, we did just that. A group of 14 exceptional bloggers, writers, and journalists from around the United States, joined us on a 3-day exploration of the Wild Blueberry Barrens of Maine. A highlight of the trip was a spirited smoothie making competition that brought out a playful competitive spirit and some serious creative genius. If you’ve managed to fall into something of a smoothie rut, have a look at these interesting ingredients. Just a couple new ingredients can really spice up your smoothie and bring in a host of new vitamins and minerals that your body might be craving.

Over 40 Great Ingredients

In all, our competitors had over 40 ingredients to work with. The only rule was that each smoothie must include Frozen Wild Blueberries, picked at the peak of ripeness and flash-frozen to lock in their nutrition. Here’s the list.

How many of these ingredients are in your go-to smoothie “pantry”?

Frozen Wild Blueberries	Lemon	Spinach
Bananas	Lime	Protein Powder
Strawberries	Almond Milk	Maple Syrup
Pineapple	Low-fat Milk	Honey
Watermelon	Coconut Water	Medjool Dates
Dragonfruit	Yogurt	Cacoa Powder
Avocado	Cream Cheese	Vanilla Extract
Hemp Seeds	Walnuts	Cardamom
Chia Seeds	Cinnamon	Turmeric
Almond Butter	Fresh Mint	Matcha Powder
Coconut Butter	Fresh Basil	Graham Crackers

The smoothies were judged for taste, texture, and visual presentation by Wild Blueberry nutrition advisor Kit Broihier, MS, MD, LD, and Bar Harbor Inn Executive Chef Louis Kefir. Two first place winners were selected, and the prize was a 900 Pro Series NutriBullet.

14 NEW Inspiring & Healthy Smoothies

Explore the list of out-of-this-world recipes created by our entire team of writers. Each has its own unique character, flavor, and appearance, so try them out (and check out the cool names):

Summer 2016 Wild Your Smoothie Contest.

The Winners!

Drum roll, please. After careful consideration by our two judges, the following two smoothies were selected as contest winners. Spice Market Smoothie by Regina Ragone, Food, Director at Family Circle, was selected for its exceptional taste and the use of cardamom, which adds serious interest and uniqueness. The Wild Blueberry Basil Mojito Smoothie by Marnie Schwartz, Nutrition Editor, SHAPE Magazine, was selected for its fresh flavor, beautiful color, and overall appeal.

557_ReginaBtB — Spice Market Smoothie by Regina Ragone, Food, Director at Family Circle

557_MarnieBtB — Wild Blueberry Basil Mojito Smoothie by Marnie Schwartz, Nutrition Editor, SHAPE Magazine

Bottom Line

Making great smoothies is a healthy way to get a tasty and easy on- the-go meal. Sometimes, we get into a smoothie routine that needs to be shaken up a bit. Try adding some new ingredients now and then. Variety will spice up your life and add new vitamins and minerals too. Who doesn’t want to feel healthy, happy, and spicy?

How to Make a Healthy Smoothie Taste Like Dessert

Dessert for breakfast. It sounds too good to be true, right? But what if I told you that you could have apple pie, strawberry cheesecake or Wild Blueberry cobbler as your first meal of the day? When it comes to smoothies, anything is possible. With the versatility of smoothie making, you can transform your favorite desserts into your go-to morning beverage or afternoon pick-me-up.

Wild Blueberry Coconut Cream Pie Smoothie-3

How do you mimic the indulgent taste of dessert in a smoothie while keeping it healthy? There are a few tricks of the trade to make a healthy smoothie taste just like dessert.

Keep it sweet. Be sure to add enough fruit, like Wild Blueberries, which have an intense blueberry flavor, to keep your smoothie sweet enough for a sweet tooth craving. For extra natural sweetness, add dates, bananas or spices like cinnamon that enhance a sweet taste profile.
Make it rich. We love desserts because of their indulgent taste and texture. The good news is you can add rich flavor to smoothies using healthy ingredients like Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, avocado, frozen banana, soaked cashews, silken tofu, oats or canned coconut milk.
Capture the flavor. Think about the ingredients that give your favorite dessert its unique taste and add them to your smoothie! Not sure how this works?

Let’s create some dessert smoothies together and you’ll get my gist.

Apple Pie Smoothie

Apple Pie, a classic rustic dessert we all know and love. What goes into an apple pie? Apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour and butter. How can we translate this to a smoothie using the checklist above?

Keep it sweet. Add apples! The cinnamon will also help to enhance the sweetness of the apples. If you need additional sweetness, add a date or two.
Make it rich. Add Greek yogurt or cottage cheese for a creamy, indulgent texture. Dairy-free? Try adding soaked cashews, silken tofu or oats to do the trick.
Capture the flavor. We know that apple pie gets its distinct taste from those delicious warming spices so be sure to add cinnamon and nutmeg to your smoothie!

Wild Blueberry Coconut Cream Pie Smoothie-1

Wild Blueberry Crisp Smoothie

Let’s try another one. Wild Blueberry Crisp. Who doesn’t love a fresh fruit crisp during the summer months. How do you make Wild Blueberry Crisp? Frozen Wild Blueberries, lemon, flour, oats, cinnamon, nuts, butter and sugar. Let’s translate this to smoothie speak.

Keep it sweet. Frozen fresh Wild Blueberries have a more intense blueberry flavor than regular, cultivated blueberries, imparting a delicious sweet flavor for your smoothie. Not enough for your sweet tooth? Add a little more cinnamon or a couple dates to boost sweetness.
Make it rich. Once again Greek yogurt or cottage cheese is going to give you that creamy, rich mouth feel we crave. Vegan? Try soaked cashews or silken tofu! Since oats are a staple ingredient in fruit crisp, be sure to add them for extra thickness.
Capture the flavor. Don’t forget to add those distinct ingredients like lemon zest and cinnamon and for a nutty flavor, add almonds, walnuts or pecans.

Got the hang of it yet? It’s super easy to transform your favorite desserts into healthy smoothies you can feel good about. Now here’s another one: Wild Blueberry Coconut Cream Pie Smoothie. You get all the elements of a classic dreamy coconut cream pie with a sweet Wild Blueberry twist.

Wild Blueberry Coconut Cream Pie Smoothie-2

Make Your Smoothies Taste Better With This Wild Blueberry Summer Blast

Over time, consumers’ appreciation for farming began to dwindle and the connection between the farm (our original food source) and our tables became more obscure.

Thankfully, over the last decade, the “real foods” movement has resurged, opening the eyes of consumers and encouraging us to ask more questions about where our food comes from and the impact it has on our bodies and health. How does overly processed food-stuff that’s created in a lab compare to wholesome, natural, unaltered foods? What effect does it have when it comes to our health, the taste of our food, and the pleasure of eating? Best-selling author and journalist Michael Pollan says it best: “If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t.”

Some consumers now regard certain food categories as mandatory: non-GMO, organic, grass-fed, gluten-free, no added sugar, natural, sustainable, wild, wild-caught, and more, and we will continue to see new categories emerge and flourish.

On the flip side, processed food manufacturers continue to inundate us with temptation and abundance. Fat, salt, and sugar are the trifecta for food addiction and food manufacturers know the exact ratio to keep us coming back for more. These flavor enhancers have overpowered our natural taste perceptions and triggered our cravings out of control.

The best way to fight this manufactured food addition is to find natural foods that satisfy these cravings, all while boosting our health. The intense flavor and vibrant colors of natural fruits, like lowbush Wild Blueberries, is a perfect solution for those pesky sweet yearnings. Wild Blueberries, for example, serve as nature’s candy, packed in a tiny package and frozen within 24 hours of harvest to retain the most flavor and nutritional value. They’re packed with more taste, less water, more fiber, and double the amount of antioxidants than the ordinary highbush blueberry.

Research shows that in as little as two to three weeks, our taste buds and taste preferences can change. After shunning the three main culprits – fat, salt, and sugar – for a short period of time, we become more sensitive to them and crave them less. This allows us to appreciate the simple essence of natural produce, like the sweetness of Wild Blueberries.

And yet, Americans consume on average 20-30 teaspoons of sugar a day. Overconsumption of sugar-laden foods and beverages, along with refined processed foods, can (and have) lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

But sweetness doesn’t have to mean sugar. You can find natural sweetness in a variety of foods, including fruits. Wild Blueberries are a low-glycemic food, registering only 53 on the glycemic index (GI) scale, a measurement of how food impacts blood sugar levels after eating. Compared to regular blueberries, Wild Blueberries contain only 10 grams of sugar per cup vs. 15 grams of sugar per cup. In addition, a smaller berry means you can have more per serving. More Wild Blueberries means more berry skins, and nearly double the amount of fiber, an indigestible component of plant foods that helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

So, skip the usual store-bought smoothies, packed with added sugars and bombed with fruit. Try a homemade green smoothie, instead, which can offer a healthy balance of vegetables, fruits, good fats, and protein.

This smoothie recipe is bursting with flavor and packs a nutritional punch, perfect as a refreshing summer treat that’ll keep you healthy, maybe wealthy, and most definitely wise.

Post-Workout Perfection: How to Build the Ultimate Recovery Smoothie

Summer is the perfect time to master the art of smoothie making. Not only because smoothies are super refreshing and easy to drink on the go, but they’re incredibly adaptable too. It’s easy to create exciting new flavor combinations using ingredients you have right on hand.

Smoothies are also the perfect recovery fuel after a long workout, especially in the summer, when it’s easy to overheat. One of my very favorite combinations right now is this Wild Blueberry post-exercise recovery drink. I call it my natural Gatorade.

If you’ve been exercising for over an hour in the summer heat, you should think about replacing not only fluids, but also sodium, magnesium, and potassium, the main electrolytes that are lost with prolonged or heavy sweating. In this delicious and refreshing smoothie, you get a powerhouse of post-workout benefits including hydration, muscle recovery, and antioxidant protection.

Let’s break it down, shall we?

Watermelon and coconut water help with rehydration and supply a steady stream of electrolytes and natural salts.

Wild Blueberries provide amazing post workout antioxidant protection. This is important because a not-so-good side effect of exercise is an increase in free radical production. Free radicals are molecules created by the breakdown of oxygen during metabolism. The process is natural and happens simply by breathing, but too many circulating in your body can damage cells and cause premature aging. Antioxidants are important because their main job is to counteract the damage created by free radicals.

Wild Blueberries get their powerful antioxidant protection from anthocyanins, the flavonoids found in their gorgeous blue pigment. These flavonoids have the ability to neutralize free radicals and help prevent cell damage. Antioxidants also protect against inflammation, thought to be a leading factor in brain aging, Alzheimer’s disease and other degenerative diseases. (If you were thinking of using regular, cultivated blueberries in your smoothie, think again. One serving of frozen Wild Blueberries provides twice the antioxidant capacity of larger, cultivated blueberries.)

And finally, as if all of these amazing properties weren’t enough, I added frozen cherries to the mix. Frozen cherries are great for muscle recovery, helping to reduce exercise-related muscle damage, inflammation, and oxidative stress. They help delay the onset of muscle soreness seen after exercise, as well as reduce muscle soreness seen in other conditions, like arthritis, fibromyalgia, and osteoarthritis.

After one sip of this delicious and nutritious smoothie, it won’t be hard to bid farewell to sugar-laden sports drinks, juices, and soda.

My Wild Blueberry recovery drink is the perfect healthy reward after a long, sweaty workout!

NutriBullet RDs Share Their Favorite Smoothie Ingredients

As registered dietitians and health research scientists, we all love working with food and seeing the positive impact it can have on peoples’ health. That’s why the NutriBullet is an amazing tool — it helps transform health by increasing fruit and vegetable intake in the average daily diet. Sometimes, by simply changing the texture of a food, you can appreciate it in a whole new way.

As NutriBullet RDs, we get a lot of opportunity to play around in the kitchen and blend together new combos of fruits and vegetables. Over the years, we’ve come to love certain foods in our NutriBlast smoothies, not only because they taste delicious, but because they offer so many great and nutritious health benefits. Here’s a roundup of some of our very our favorite ingredients:

Sarah Greenfield, RD CSSD – One of my favorite ingredients to use in a NutriBlast are figs! They’re high in fiber and they’re so sweet that just a little goes a long way. They also play a beneficial role in digestion, which I love!

Unfortunately, the Standard American Diet lacks good sources of fiber. It’s recommended women consume 25g of fiber and men consume upward of 38g of fiber on a daily basis.. Fiber helps keep you full so you eat less overall, it helps balance hormones and blood sugar levels, and, most importantly, it helps promote regularity. When you eat more figs, you’re consuming more fiber! When they’re in season, I eat them almost every day!

While fiber is a good for you, make sure to eat figs in moderation. Too many can sometimes lead to excess bloating and upset stomach.

Sarah’s favorite recipe: Healthy Almond Fig Blast

Gigi Kwok-Hinsley DrPH, MS, RD – I like to look for ingredients with a variety of color. Right now, my absolute favorite smoothie ingredient is a beet. Beets contain iron, a variety of B vitamins and are packed full of phytochemicals, which have a wide array of health benefits.

What’s so intriguing about phytochemicals is their ability to protect the body. Researchers have examined the mechanism of phytochemicals within the body and have shown they help boost immune function, inhibit the progression of chronic diseases (e.g. cardiovascular disease, cancer and age-related macular degeneration,) and decrease inflammation. While more research is needed to solidify these findings and understand the right amount needed to attain these health benefits, it’s clear that—no matter which research article you read—phytochemicals are an asset to your daily diet.

Gigi’s favorite recipe: Beet and Wild Blueberry Surprise

Susie Rockway, PhD, C.N.S. – Although I’m not a dietitian, my passion has always been nutrition. My degrees and my work have led me to like-minded people whose goals are to achieve long and vibrant lives though healthy eating. I’ve developed supplements, worked in labs conducting research and have always been fascinated by the impact real, whole food can have on health. That’s why I love using Wild Blueberries when I make my smoothies – the perfect high-antioxidant, low-glycemic fruit with tons of flavor. And like beets, Wild Blueberries are high in phytochemicals.

Wild Blueberries contain 2 times the antioxidant power of regular blueberries and are great for the brain. They can protect the body from inflammation, which is thought to be a main cause of degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. I love to mix Wild Blueberries with a generous amount of greens, like spinach and celery, and I use coconut water as my base. These truly are some of the healthiest foods you can eat!

Susie’s favorite recipe: Wild Blueberry Celery Blast

Krista Haynes, RD – I really like almonds, because they contain healthy fats and can help keep you full. Smoothies are the perfect meal replacements, so I love ensuring that I have the right balance of nutrients to fuel me through to my next meal.

Contrary to popular belief, “Fat on the lips does not necessarily mean fat on the hips!” When you eat foods containing dietary fat, you do not signal insulin secretion and, once fat is absorbed, it goes through a metabolic process that turns its components – glycerol and free fatty acids – into energy, hormones, ketone bodies, or triglycerides. Triglyceride is the storage form of fat. When dietary fat is reduced and replaced with carbohydrates, then insulin levels raise and this “storage” hormone most likely will increase. Replace those carbohydrates, especially junk food carbs that don’t energize your body long term, with foods containing healthy fats, like almonds! That’ll help reduce the fat stored by your body and keep you fuller, longer.

Krista’s favorite recipe: Berrylicious

Wild Your Smoothie Summer with Wild Blueberries

Summer is officially here and with it come those endless days relaxing by the pool, the lake, or at the beach. For many of us, summer is also a time to get more active, take on a new exercise routine, and spend more time on our bicycles, walking or pushing the lawnmower.

As the temperature heats up, it becomes increasingly important to stay hydrated and replace those electrolytes you lost through exercise. Delicious healthy smoothies are a great way to replenish yourself and ramp up your nutrition at the same time. Smoothies are the perfect on-the-go breakfast or snack; they’re also great for outdoor entertaining as a beautiful, unexpected dessert.

Here in the land of Wild Blueberries, we love the creativity and the health potential of smoothies. We also get excited when we have the chance to help consumers step up their healthy smoothie making game. In celebration of summer, we are officially kicking off the Wild Your Smoothie Summer – a summer long smoothie extravaganza with new recipes, tips and giveaways for the next 9 weeks.

In order to capture the extraordinary range of ingredients and combinations, be sure to follow us on social media and visit our new Wild Your Smoothie website. Each day, you’ll discover:

Exciting NEW smoothie recipes
Exceptional smoothie recipe videos and e-recipe books
Tips and Twitter Chats on the latest smoothies trends from health and nutrition experts at NutriBullet, our favorite nutrient extraction company
Weekly giveaways of limited edition NutriBullets and on-the-go 20 oz. smoothie cups

Here’s how the Wild Your Smoothie Summer weekly giveaways work:

Each Friday from July 1 to August 26, Wild Blueberries will host a giveaway on Facebook and Instagram.
Prizes will rotate between a limited edition NutriBullet or a Wild Blueberries smoothie cup.
To enter to win, participants must follow the directions on Facebook and Instagram.
- On Facebook: Follow link in the weekly post to submit your email to enter.
- On Instagram: Answer the question posed about Wild Blueberries and include #WildYourSmoothie in your comment or post a photo of yourself enjoying your favorite Wild Blueberry smoothie. Don’t forget to tag @WildBlueberries and include #WildYourSmoothie to be entered to win.
One winner on each platform will be selected the following Monday at the discretion of Wild Blueberries. Winners will be contacted via email, Facebook or Instagram. Winners will have 24 hours to respond or forfeit their prize.
These giveaways are in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by or associated with Facebook or Instagram. No purchase necessary. Entrants do so at their own risk. All decisions are final.

Smoothie Tip of the Day

Pick ingredients that deliver essential nutrition and great taste.

For example, there are two types of blueberries but only one can change your smoothie. When compared to regular blueberries, frozen fresh Wild Blueberries offer:

Join the Wild Your Smoothie Summer conversation on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest and be sure to share your smoothie making success stories with us in the coming weeks. Don’t forget to include #WildYourSmoothie in your posts!

And remember, healthy smoothies start with a half-cup of frozen Wild Blueberries. Find them in the frozen aisle.

Happy Summer and Let’s Get Blending!