-Tomatoes – YUM! Get those vegetables in there.  Tomatoes have lots of antioxidants and are rich in  Vitamins A, C, K, folate, and potassium.  They are an easy source of fiber too.  Tomatoes are also a great defender for the health of you skin!  The list goes on with the health benefits of tomatoes….just Google it 🙂

-Strawberries – I planted a strawberry plant to make strawberry-rhubard pie…but I have been loading my smoothies down so much with these sweet berries that I haven’t had a chance to make that pie.  My hips will thank me later.

-Aronia berries – these are NOT good on their own; they make your mouth turn inside out!  But mixed in with my smoothie I don’t taste them but I certainly benefit from them.  Some of their benefits include: the ability to reduce blood pressure, cholesterol levels, inflammation, chance of heart attack, and chance of weight gain.  They also cut your recovery time after workouts down and regulate blood sugar.

-Spinach, Kale, and other leafy greens – Do I even need to tell you why these are good for you?

-Carrots – these are so easy to add to your smoothies…and if you do not like them…don’t worry!  You won’t even taste them with everything else that is going on.

-Stevia – if you feel like all those vegetables are making your smoothie a bit blend add some Stevia in there and it will naturally sweeten it right up!  NATURALLY! No granulated sugar. Shall I go on about that?

-Apples – I can NOT WAIT for the apples on my tree to ripen so that I can start adding these into my smoothies too! I will have apples coming out of my ears…so the more ways to use them the better!

Other things I add that I do not grow are:
-Frozen fruit – this way I do not have to add ice and I still get more flavor and health benefits from whatever fruit I am adding.  I like peaches, raspberries, blueberries.

-Orange juice in order to make it smoother.

-Plain greek yogurt.

-Bananas – need I say more?? YUMMO!

I hope this gets your juices flowing…PUN INTENDED!  Summer is the perfect time for smoothie meals because I hate the feeling of being bogged down by a heavy meal…especially when I work in a garden center in Northwest Iowa…TOO HOT!

What are some things you like to add to your smoothies??