I'm a total smoothie junkie! They are so healthy, packed with fiber and nutrients, and a quick and easy grab-n-go snack, breakfast, or post-workout snack.

There are so many different combination possibilities.

I very rarely follow a strict smoothie recipe, but the idea stays the same. Instead, I use whatever is in the house, carefully eye-balling each ingredient. Smoothies allow me to experiment using some basic building blocks.

I love experimenting with whatever I have on hand. There really is no right or wrong way to make a smoothie. For those of you just getting started, here are the basic building blocks to make a good smoothie into a great one.

How to Make A Smoothie

1. Pick a liquid base. This can be anything from your milk of choice (cow, soy, almond, etc.), water or coconut water. I personally like using water or coconut water. Coconut water adds an extra dimension to the smoothie compared to just water and is a great source of electrolytes.

2. Pick a creamy base. Avocados and Bananas make for a great creamy base that blends all of the ingredients together.

3. Add 2 parts greens. Your greens should be one of your first ingredients in the blender. This way, the other ingredients will weigh down the greens in the blender and ensure that they are blended. Otherwise, the greens tend to stick to the side of the blender.

If you’re new to green smoothies, start out with a mild leafy green vegetable like baby spinach. You will barely taste it in your smoothie. As you get accustomed to making green smoothies, you can add other greens like kale, broccoli, cucumbers, swiss chard. I typically add two handfuls of greens to my smoothies, 1 handful of baby kale and the other of baby spinach.

4. Add fruit of choice. Now, don't go too crazy with the fruit that you end up with a sugar bomb all-fruit smoothie. You can add fresh or frozen fruit. Frozen fruit like bananas and mango help to thicken the smoothie, whereas fresh fruit makes the smoothie a bit more watery. I like to add about a 1/4 of a cup of frozen fruit or full to half a banana.

5. Add a protein boost. Because you want your smoothies to be as balanced as possible, adding a boost of protein helps. I personally love using plant-based Sakara Organic Protein + Greens Super Powder. It adds a creamy, slight hint of sweetness to my smoothies. Another great one that I love is Ritual’s Essential Protein.

6. Add a superfood. Smoothies are a great way to sneak in some powerhouse nutrients like plain yogurt, flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, goji berries, maca powder, protein powder, etc.

7. BLEND! And, enjoy.

Need some inspiration on a delicious smoothie combination? Try this.... PB + K Smoothie or check out some of my smoothie recipes.

What You'll Need
1 handful of baby kale
1 handful spinach
1 tbsp Goji Berries (or 4 organic strawberries, fresh or frozen)
1/2 medium Banana
1 tablespoon Peanut Butter or Almond Butter
1 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk or water (I used water)
4 ice cubes
Optional: 1 Scoop protein (I used Sakara Life)

What You'll Need To Know

Blend and put in a fancy glass for fun. Enjoy!