smoothies Archives - Wild Blueberries

5 Smoothies to Keep You Hydrated All Summer Long

Drinking fluids or staying hydrated is an important part of staying healthy and maintaining the function of every system in the body. The recommendation is to consume 30 to 50 ounces of fluid per day. Good old water will always do the trick, but these five summer smoothie recipes can also quench your thirst.

Wild Blueberry Watermelon Smoothie

There are few things that are as satisfying as a ripe, cool watermelon on a hot summer day. With just four-ingredients, this #WildYourSmoothie recipe by Frances Largeman-Roth, RD is sure to quench your thirst. Frozen Wild Blueberries add a pop of intense blueberry flavor that’s sweet, tart, and tangy. We suggest using chilled coconut water, plain or lime, to up your electrolytes for a complete refresh.

Wild Blueberry and Tart Cherry Recovery Smoothie

Fitness enthusiasts will love this Wild Blueberry ultimate recovery smoothie by Danielle Omar, MS, RDN of Food Confidence. She calls it her natural Gatorade – incredibly refreshing with no added sugars. This #WildYourSmoothie recipe is the perfect healthy reward after a long, sweaty workout!

Wild Blueberry Lemonade Smoothie

On hot summer days, we may not feel like eating much but know our bodies need nutrients. This#WildYourSmoothie takes the mouth-watering combo of frozen Wild Blueberries and lemon and makes it protein-rich by adding Greek yogurt and your favorite vanilla protein powder. Cool off and replenish with this smoothie ASAP.

Wild Blueberry Agua Fresca Smoothie

Two summers ago, Carlene Thomas, RDN, LD of Healthfully Ever After created this smoothie recipe for our Wild Blueberry Harvest Tour #WildYourSmoothie competition. While the competition was tough, we all agreed that this was the perfect choice for a day of intense heat and activity. We’ve even thrown this smoothie once it’s whipped up into the popsicle mold for a frozen, guilt-free treat perfect for a hot summer evening.

Wild Blueberry Creamsicle Smoothie

Who doesn’t long for the carefree days of childhood and sharing a treat with a friend? We may have the answer with this #WildYourSmoothie recipe by Alisa Fleming of GoDairyFree.org. This smoothie is everything, except the added sugar, that we remember from one of our childhood summer treats – the orange creamsicle. Frozen Wild Blueberries give this smoothie its sweetness and will make you forget all about that treat on a wooden stick.

Fight Flu Season with Immune-Boosting Wild Blueberry Smoothies

Cold and flu season arrived early this year and it has already been a bad one. Experts are calling it the worst flu season in years. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), all U.S. states except for Hawaii are under siege and reporting widespread flu activity. And relief doesn’t appear to be in site yet with the CDC anticipating another 11 to 13 weeks of it

If you’re like me, you want to fend off the flu and nasty winter colds for your family. At my house that means adding more immune-boosting recipes to my meal plan, making sure everyone gets plenty of rest, stays hydrated and washes their hands frequently. To help your family stay healthy this cold and flu season, try these three delicious Wild Blueberry immune-boosting smoothies packed full of antioxidants and Vitamin C. Plus, smoothies are an easy way to get a nutrient rich meal or snack even during the winter months.

This Wild Blueberry Beet Smoothie is loaded with antioxidants and other anti-inflammatory properties, that will boost your immune system and help you fight many of the pesky germs that come with cold and flu season. The immune-boosting ingredients in this smoothie include frozen Wild Blueberries, which have double the antioxidants of regular blueberries; beets and ginger root, which also provide an antioxidant punch and anti-inflammatory compounds. Combined with 100% real orange juice with all its Vitamin C power and Greek yogurt that provides healthy bacteria for your gut, you’ll feel like a superhero fighting against whatever mother nature throws your way.

Here’s another delicious Wild Blueberry Smoothie recipe to add to your daily routine, especially during cold and flu season. We call it our Cold Fighting Wild Blueberry Smoothie because its ingredients — fresh ginger, green tea matcha powder, cinnamon, and frozen Wild Blueberries — are packed full of antioxidants, which help reduce inflammation and fight off pathogens, making them great immune boosters. Additionally, this smoothie includes vanilla protein powder to deliver a protein boost. In case you didn’t know getting too little protein in your diet can weaken your immune system, making you more susceptible to colds and flu.

This Wild Blueberry Tropical Immune-Boosting Smoothie is packed with antioxidant-rich Wild Blueberries, vitamin C-boasting citrus, sweet, refreshing pineapple, warming, soothing ginger, and electrolyte-loaded coconut water. Wild Blueberries have twice the antioxidant capacity of larger, regular blueberries. Antioxidants are important not only to immune health but also for boosting brain, heart and gut health and may prevent diabetes and some forms of cancer. With their anti-inflammatory properties and disease fighting compounds, antioxidants keep your body strong and can give you an edge when you need to fight off bacteria and viruses. Wake each morning and enjoy this delicious smoothie. The citrus flavor pairs wonderfully with the Wild Blueberries, which have a more intense blueberry flavor. It’s totally refreshing and sweet with a hint of spiciness from the ginger!

Stay Well!

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 Smoothie Making Hacks

Let’s face it – we love smoothies for their convenience, ease and portability. However, in the busy mornings we know that every minute (and every second!) counts. So while it may not take that long to make a smoothie for breakfast before you head out the door, there are some time-saving tips for smoothie making that can help you hit the snooze button one more time, get to the office before everyone else or even better, carve out some time for morning self-care.

I love taking time on Sundays to prep meals for the week ahead. This makes the workweek less chaotic and allows me to carve out some “me time” during the weekly grind. My morning routine is sacred to me. I gave up checking my phone and emails upon waking a long time ago. Now my mornings are my quiet time to meditate or practice yoga to start the day feeling grounded and present. The only way I can find the time to practice self-care in the morning is if I plan ahead and make breakfasts for the week on Sunday.

Now, you may be thinking how can I prepare ahead of time for smoothies? Well, I’ve got 5 simple smoothie-making hacks to share with you today to help make your weekday mornings stress-free.

Make smoothie freezer packs. Ever feel like smoothie making is quite the production? Do you have a counter filled with bags of frozen fruit, liquids, greens, powders, nuts and seeds? Does it take you forever to find that bag of walnuts at the back of the cupboard? Ever wish you could just have all your smoothie-making ingredients ready to go in one place to throw in the blender? You can! Portion out your smoothie ingredients like frozen Wild Blueberries, sliced bananas and kale into freezer Ziploc bags at the beginning of the week and label them with the date and type of smoothie. Come morning all you have to do is open up the bag, toss the contents into your blender, add liquid and blend away!
Take advantage of the ice cube tray. With the ice cube tray, you can add a frosty consistency to your smoothies while adding flavor! No more diluting your smoothie’s flavor with regular ice cubes; think about freezing liquids like coconut milk, juice, coffee or tea. Simply add a few liquid ice cubes to your smoothie and cut the amount of liquid added in half. However, with frozen Wild Blueberries, you don’t have to worry about using ice cubes or diluting your smoothie – they help keep your smoothie cold while packing in deliciously sweet flavor, which is just one of the many reasons I love using them in smoothies. For another time-saver, pre-portion yogurt into ice cube trays and add the yogurt cubes to your smoothie freezer packs!
Don’t waste about-to-turn produce. We’ve all been there – you buy a bunch of bananas only to watch them turn brown in your fruit bowl. Rather than tossing them, avoid food waste and take advantage of their ripeness and flavor and use in smoothies! Puree extra ripe bananas and store in ice cube trays or simply slice them and store in Ziploc freezer bags. Take ‘em out when you’re ready for your banana-powered smoothie.
Batch-make smoothies. Heard of batch cooking to help you save time and energy during the week? It involves making a large portion of a meal to refrigerate or freeze to enjoy later in the week. Well, you can batch-make smoothies too! Make 3-4+ servings of your favorite smoothie recipe on Sunday evening and pre-portion them into mason jars. All you’ll have to do in the morning is grab a mason jar, give it a good shake (as the contents will begin to separate) and be on your way!
Turn leftovers into popsicles. Food waste is one of my biggest pet peeves so I try to repurpose leftovers whenever I get the chance and smoothies are no exception to this rule! Whenever you make too much of a smoothie and have leftovers, pour the remaining smoothie into a popsicle mold and freeze for a refreshing treat another day.

Ready to start hacking away at your smoothie hacks? Try my Wild Blue Velvet smoothie recipe below. You can freeze the yogurt in an ice cube tray and make smoothie freezer packs with frozen Wild Blueberries, beets and yogurt. Toss the contents into the blender in the morning, add your powder and liquid and you’re ready to conquer the day!

Wild Your Smoothie Twitter Chat featuring Kara Lydon, The Foodie Dietitian

Tired of the same old smoothies day after day? Want to invent a new approach for yourself and your clients? We’ve got just the solution. Join registered dietitian nutritionist extraordinaire Kara Lydon RD, LDN, RYT, a committed yoga practitioner and author of food and healthy living blog The Foodie Dietitian for a one-hour Twitter chat designed to transform your smoothie-making and inspire you to look beyond the obvious when it comes to ingredients, portions, and recipes. And, if you’re curious about our #WildYourSmoothie Recipe Contest, this is the perfect opportunity to ask questions and find inspiration.

Kara’s blog features delicious vegetarian recipes using premium ingredients. Her most recent smoothie — the Wild Blueberry Turmeric Zinger Smoothie — combines fresh ginger, chopped turmeric root, coconut oil, almond milk, frozen mangos, and frozen Wild Blueberries. Wow! Not only healthy, but beautiful, special and truly delicious.

Tweet at @Wildbberries and let us know that you will join Kara Wednesday February 1 at 1pm EST for the chat.

Kara’s preference for frozen fruit, such as Wild Blueberries is part of a national trend that is taking off. Consumers understand that using frozen fruit for smoothies is not only more convenient (no washing, peeling or cutting), and quicker (already portioned) but it creates less food waste too.

Kara visited Maine’s Wild Blueberries barrens recently and she saw for herself how the berries are harvested and flash-frozen within hours of picking, locking in both their nutrition and their potent taste. She understands that frozen Wild Blueberries provide a prodigious source of antioxidants and fiber, while adding a flavorful, colorful punch to any smoothie.

In this LIVE 60-minute Twitter chat we’ll discuss:

Tips on how to build the perfect smoothie
What makes Wild Blueberries such a powerful superfood and perfect smoothie ingredient
Why registered dietitians LOVE Wild Blueberries
What fuels Kara’s love of Wild Blueberries
#WildYourSmoothie Recipe Contest

If you want to learn more about Kara Lydon, Wild Blueberries, our #WildYourSmoothie Recipe Contest or explore some yummy Wild Blueberry smoothie recipes, check out:

And, if you have a question you’d like to ask Wild Blueberries or Kara, ask us at any time before, during or after the chat – just be sure to include #WildYourSmoothie in your tweet!

Here’s how the Twitter Chat Works:

Follow along with #WildYourSmoothie

Include #WildYourSmoothie in all of your tweets – we don’t want to miss anything you have to say!
Ask questions. Retweet & Favorite tweets you love. Chime in (include #WildYourSmoothie)!

Learn more about the #WildYourSmoothie hosts:

Kara Lydon, RD, LDN, RYT, The Foodie Dietitian, (@karalydonRD) is a nationally recognized nutrition and culinary communications expert and yoga teacher based in Boston. Kara believes that the secret to a holistically happy life is nourishing the mind, body and spirit and she instills this integrative philosophy in the kitchen, yoga studio, working one-on-one with clients, and on her food and healthy living blog, The Foodie Dietitian, and in her anticipated e-book, Nourish Your Namaste: Functional Recipes, Nutrition and Asana to be a Healthy, Happy Yogi (May 2016). Her blog features delicious seasonal vegetarian recipes and simple strategies to bring more yoga and mindfulness into your life, and has been most recently featured on SHAPE, TODAY, Fitness, SELF, The Kitchn, Prevention and Buzzfeed.

The Wild Blueberry Association of North America (WBANA) (@wildbberries) is a trade association of farmers and processors of Wild Blueberries from Maine and Canada, dedicated to bringing the Wild Blueberry health story and unique Wild Advantages to consumers and the trade worldwide.

WBANA is dedicated to furthering research that explores the health potential of Wild Blueberries. Every year since 1997, WBANA has hosted the Health Research Summit in Bar Harbor, a worldwide gathering of dozens of scientists and researchers whose work is leading the way in learning more and more about the health benefits of Wild Blueberries. Hundreds of studies have been conducted on disease and the extensive health benefits of Wild Blueberries.

Start Your New Year Off Right with this Energizing Dairy Free Wild Blueberry Creamsicle Smoothie

I’m a believer in New Year’s resolutions. Although most of us are unable to stick to them long term, they can help you kick-start better eating and other healthy habits. Over the years, like many of you, I’ve learned to keep my proclamations a little more realistic and specific. Rather than saying, “I’m going to eat healthier every day,” I’ve written down “add 5 new healthy foods to my regular weekly diet” and “swap my daily afternoon treat for a smoothie.” These new dietary goals should help me with my late afternoon workouts and that lull in energy I often feel later in the day. So as you make your resolutions for the New Year try being more detailed. You’ll find them more doable and easier to track.

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In the spirit of meeting those goals, I’ve come up with an indulgent but energizing smoothie recipe that will help me stay the course. I recently tried a blend of Wild Blueberries with orange and the combination was magical. The zesty orange and deliciously sweet-tart Wild Blueberries made my beverage come alive without the need for a long list of ingredients. Because I like my smoothies a little rich and fulfilling, I went the creamsicle route with a touch of coconut cream and vanilla. Overall, it’s a nourishing and rewarding blend.

For the best-tasting and most nutritious results, be sure to use frozen Wild Blueberries and freshly squeezed (not from concentrate) orange juice. Frozen Wild Blueberries guarantee far more flavor than the blander conventional blueberries you find in the produce section and they have twice the antioxidants too! Wild Blueberries have so much going for them. They occur and spread naturally on a wild landscape called the Barrens; they are never planted and haven’t been modified by humans in any way. The Wild Blueberries we buy today are basically the same as the ones that existed 10,000 years ago! You can’t say that about many foods.

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Wild Blueberries are flash frozen at harvest to lock in all of their goodness and they are available year round. I usually buy them in the freezer section at Trader Joe’s or I pick up the Wyman’s brand at stores like Smart & Final or Whole Foods.

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Here’s my New Year’s dairy-free indulgent and energizing smoothie.

Wild Blueberry Winter Wellness Smoothie

Wild Blueberries are a perfect ingredient for wellness in our Wild Blueberry Winter Wellness Smoothie! They’re packed with antioxidants, naturally low fat, high in fiber, and an excellent source of manganese, which is important for bone health. They also taste utterly delicious!

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On the eve of cold and flu season and the busy holidays, I’ve been thinking about these two amazing Wild Blueberry wellness facts and how they make me want to incorporate more Wild Blueberries into my diet.

Antioxidants. Wild Blueberries contain two times the antioxidants of regular (cultivated) blueberries, and this means they can boost your immune system and play a role in preventing the common cold. Wild Blueberries have more skin, more pulp and less water than cultivated blueberries, which means more antioxidant-rich pigment.
Low or No Pesticides. Because Wild Blueberries thrive in their natural environment, they do not need nearly the amount of pesticides that cultivated berries need. So you can feel confident buying non-organic or organic Wild Blueberries!

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Here’s a short list of my favorite ways to enjoy Wild Blueberries, during the winter:

In oatmeal or rice porridge
Baked into fluffy Wild Blueberry muffins or breads or donut holes!
Blended into wellness smoothies
Blended into fresh salad dressings and savory sauces
As a topping over banana ice cream
In pancakes and waffles

There are so many delicious and healthy uses for Wild Blueberries in winter! Today’s smoothie is perfect for wellness, not only because it’s loaded with Wild Blueberries, but because it includes five more immune-system boosting ingredients:

Walnuts – Rich in healthy fats, omega fatty acids and vitamin E
Hemp Seeds – Naturally rich in plant-based protein, omega fatty acids, magnesium, iron and zinc
Banana – Rich in potassium and fiber
Citrus Zest – Yes the zest is good for you too! It’s packed with vitamin C and bioflavonoids.
Cinnamon – Blood sugar balancing and warming.

Too cold for a smoothie? Never. You can make this smoothie “less cold” by omitting the ice and using a non-frozen banana. You can even allow the Wild Blueberries to thaw a bit so they’re not ice cold from the freezer.

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5 Top Wild Your Smoothie Recipes

As we say goodbye to summer, one of the big takeaways was that it was unusually hot and steamy. Much of the country experienced heat waves, and staying hydrated, nourished and energized was critically important. Smoothies are a great way to start your day by getting your nutrition in one easy grab-n-go package.

Over nine weeks this summer, we shared more than 25 new Wild Blueberry smoothie recipes developed by some of our favorite nutrition and healthy lifestyle bloggers. We also selected a number of additional recipes to share from our existing 120 smoothie recipes – a rich resource for any smoothie lover. So, which were your favorites? Below are the top five most shared, liked, and talked about smoothie recipes from our Wild Your Smoothie Summer:

Matcha Wild Blueberry Breakfast Smoothie

Created by Danielle Omar, a leading registered dietitian, clean-eating coach, teacher, cookbook author, and blogger behind Food Confidence, this breakfast smoothie combines Matcha green tea powder, a trending ingredient known for its antioxidant, detoxing and weight loss benefits, with frozen fresh Wild Blueberries also known for being an antioxidant-rich superfruit. 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.

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Wild Blueberry Banana Hemp Smoothie

This colorful, layered, allergy-friendly, kid-friendly smoothie was created by Kelly Roenicke, one of our “Wild Your Smoothie” Recipe contest winners and author of The Pretty Bee: Allergy Friendly Eats blog. Kelly calls it “a treat for the eyes and the taste buds.” This smoothie features a pink bottom layer using blended frozen bananas and raspberries. Next comes the antioxidant-and fiber-rich Wild Blueberry layer. She tops it all off with hemp hearts to add more healthy fats and proteins. Not only is this smoothie delicious and fun, but it’s also naturally free of the top 8 allergens because of the ingredients she selected – frozen fruit, coconut milk and hemp seeds.

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Wild Blueberry Coconut Lavender Smoothie

When Gina Matsoukas of Running to the Kitchen proposed a Wild Blueberry smoothie that included lavender as an ingredient, we were intrigued. She told us that lavender, also rich in antioxidants, could help promote gut health and reduce bloating. Combined with the frozen Wild Blueberries, this smoothie is an antioxidant powerhouse and a great way to start your day.

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Savory Wild Blueberry Green Smoothie

Another beautiful layered smoothie, this one is packed with both Wild Blueberries and green veggies (spinach). According to its creator, registered dietitian Kara Lydon and the voice behind The Foodie Dietitian, this savory Wild Blueberry Green Smoothie is good for you because there’s no sugar added and it’s a good source of fiber, protein and healthy fat – the ultimate nutrient trifecta for lasting energy and satiety. So if you have a fear of green smoothies because you think they’ll taste bad, this is a good one to try because using Wild Blueberries will mask the bitterness without having to add sweeteners.

Wild Blueberry & Beet Freeze Breakfast Smoothie

Beets were another “hot” ingredient this summer. We think it’s because – like Wild Blueberries — beets are a beautiful deep purple food with excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. To showcase this fun ingredient Danielle Omar of Food Confidence combined it with frozen Wild Blueberries to create a refreshing and stunning smoothie. Danielle says it’s perfect for breakfast because of the cleansing qualities of beetroot combined with the fiber-richness and sweet-and-tart taste of Wild Blueberries.

So if you love healthy smoothies, keep a supply of frozen Wild Blueberries in your freezer all year long. And if you’re looking to change up your smoothie routine and “wild” your smoothie try to one of these amazing smoothie recipes. For more recipes visit our Wild Your Smoothie Recipes.

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?