How to make smoothies that don't suck 🍹

Welcome to the LivingWells newsletter, a weekly note full of gentle nudges and musings written by me, Marybeth Wells, with a focus on living well one day at a time, in all of its forms. I share tangible resources like journaling prompts, travel guides, mindset exercises & recipes.

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If you've been here for a bit, you know that I wrote an entire smoothie bowl book.

Exhibit A:

It's not currently for sale, because I'm adding in some things for a re-launch of version 2.0.

That being said, I still make smoothies and/or smoothie bowls multiple times per week when I'm home and in a routine.

Why?

They're the perfect easy vehicle for fat, fiber, protein and all kinds of macronutrients to be delivered in a tasty package. They allow for constant creativity and riffing.

That being said - back in 2019 while writing this collection of smoothie bowl wisdom and recipes, I was confronted repeatedly by something most of us are aware of either subconsciously or consciously:

Smoothies, like many other foods high in fruit and veggie content, are often overtaken by a deceiving and sleazy diet industry that promotes detoxes, quick weight loss, fat burning, and diet culture, in general, that is now, too often, masqueraded as “wellness”.

Within that diet and wellness culture, smoothies are often revered as a talisman of good health, replacements for meals, and a necessity for living a “healthy” lifestyle. While I love the taste, nourishment, and convenience of smoothies, this is simply not true. They're a delicious and diverse way to nourish your body and honor its cravings, an opportunity for your own creativity and intuitive eating, and eating them just because they taste good is reason enough.

If you’re here for Macro counts, caloric deficits, or any kind of strict nutrition content - you might be reading the wrong newsletter, but I hope you read on anyway.

As promised, some smoothie bowl wisdom to make them the best:

Fresh vs. frozen ingredients: Ultimately, your best bet here comes down to the texture that you want to maintain. All of my smoothies utilize frozen fruit, but if you prefer a less icy rendition, spring for more fresh fruit than frozen. Keep in mind that with a thinner and non-frozen smoothie you may want to add additional thickeners such as oats, or more nut butter.
For people who can't stand bananas or don't have them: A few of my favorite substitutions for bananas are mango or steamed and then frozen zucchini, cauliflower, and sweet potato. Keep in mind that these substitutions will also make the smoothie less sweet and you may want to add something like a date in as well.
The order that you place ingredients within a blender, matters. Ideally, the softer and higher moisture ingredients should be placed in the blender closest to the blades so that everything blends evenly and you take some strain off of the motor and blades. This is especially important if you don't have a high-speed blender.
Ice is a last-resort kind of ingredient (sorry/not sorry). Not only does it dilute flavor and add zero of its own, it impacts the texture in a negative way. I can pretty much guarantee that every delicious $10 smoothie you've ever bought at a swanky juice bar was iceless.

For more wisdom on this topic and others related to food, intuitive eating and movement, and mindfulness - keep an eye out on social media, the blog, and this newsletter.

A few other links & goings-on

What I'm:

Reading:

non-fiction:
- I'm finishing up my first pass of Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin. I say “first pass”, because non-fiction reads with actionable information are often books to come back to over time and implement - and this is definitely one of those.
- I also started reading Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables by Joshua McFadden and have a feeling it's going to end up on my list of favorite cookbooks.
fiction: I'll be starting our April book club read tonight, A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sara J. Mass. If you're whatsoever into reading fantasy, you already know this is a wildly popular series. I'm looking forward to seeing if it lives up to the hype (so far, the book club thinks it does).

Listening to: I recently rediscovered this Vance Joy album from 2014 while getting some yard work done (I've been doing a lot - Sean's current nickname for me is "LivingWells Landscaping").

Watching: Last week I shared that I started watching the TV adaptation of Kindred on Hulu. Update: it's good, and quite chilling. If you haven't read the book I highly recommend it - it's a gripping sci-fi read by Octavia Butler.

Making: As I mentioned above, I've been leaning on a lot of pantry staples and simple meals this month while traveling so much. Earlier this week I made a mediterranean inspired marinated butter bean salad and it did not disappoint.

Loving: Afternoon trail runs in a warm breeze, with these wide toe-box friendly zero drop trail running shoes from Altra.

As always, if you have a specific question about anything, or you'd like to share your thoughts on what I shared with you, hit that reply button.

Thanks for spending a tiny chunk of your week with me 💞.

Be Well,

Marybeth

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Mr. Clarence's Crib
Chesterfield, VA 23832, United States