It's summer: the sun is out and everyone is on instagram, posting about their summer drinks from iced coffees to juices. But most of all, smoothies are the essence of the "perfect" summer. If you are like me, I always have a hard time making smoothies, like making a smoothie too chunky or accidentally dropping a spoon into the blender... But, my goal this summer was to learn how to make a smoothie fast and easy and most importantly, "instagram-worthy." I researched on the Great Wide Web and found five of the most easiest and prettiest smoothies to make.
1. Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Ingredients: 1 cup of strawberries, 1 banana (frozen preferred), 1 cup of milk or vanilla yogurt, 2 tablespoons of honey
Comments: The frozen bananas made the smoothie really sweet, so I opted out of the honey. I would suggest using honey if your bananas are not super ripe. The smoothie tasted just like the Angel's Food from Smoothie King and it had a smooth, pink, creamy look to it. I would definitely rate this smoothie a 7/10 because it was very simple to make but it tasted and looked like any other strawberry banana smoothie, or in other words, basic.
2. Mango Pineapple Smoothie
Ingredients: 1 cup of chopped pineapple, 1 cup of chopped mangos, 1 cup of coconut milk, 1 cup of ice
Comments: I followed this recipe by the book (or in this case, by the web) and it had a strong coconut taste with a little acidity from the pineapple but barely in mangos. All in all, it was a really good and refreshing smoothie but I was a little upset that I could not taste the mango. After I tried the smoothie, I ate the rest of the mango because it was literally the BEST mango I have ever had. So, you can imagine how upset I was that a cup of that mango went to waste. I would rate this smoothie an 8/10 only because it was missing that mango flavor, but other than that, the smoothie was still refreshing, and it had a bright yellow color, making it a perfect instagram post.
3. Spinach Smoothie
Ingredients: 1 banana, 1/2 cup of pineapples, 1/2 cup of mangos, 1 cup of spinach, 1 cup of water
Comments: I personally do not like green smoothies. I do not understand the purpose of spinach in a smoothie but I gave this one a shot. I asked my friend to try the smoothie also since I am already biased against green smoothies. I took a sip of the smoothie and I felt the texture of the spinach and I did not like it. My friend, however, loved the spinach paired with the tartiness of the fruit. Thus, according to her, the smoothie was rates a 9/10. She told me as a green smoothie, it was refreshing and creamy. Also, you can finally tell your followers how "fit and healthy" you are with this beautiful green smoothie. However, she has had better green smoothies at Tropical Smoothie Cafe.
4. Triple Berry Smoothie
Unsplash on unsplash
Ingredients: 1/2 cup of blackberries, 1/2 cup of raspberries, 1/2 cup of strawberries, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of ice, and sugar to taste
Comments: I have a mixed opinion on this berry smoothie. I did not like the texture of the smoothie. I made the mistake of not blending it thoroughly so the seeds were still prominent in the drink. The taste of the smoothie was mostly blackberries and raspberries. The drink was not bad, but it was not great. However, I got another opinion from my friend who believed it was the best smoothie out of the five I made. The taste and texture did not do justice to the beauty of this smoothie. The color was a vibrant purple-pink and it definitely matched the summer vibe. I rated this smoothie a 6/10 because despite the taste, the smoothie was DEFINITELY "instagram worthy."
5. Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
Ingredients: 1 banana, 1/2 cup of peanut butter, 1 cup of vanilla yogurt or milk, 1/2 teaspoon of cocoa powder, 1 cup of ice
Comments: This smoothie tasted just like a Reese's peanut butter cup! It had the right amount of chocolate and peanut butter and I could not stop drinking the smoothie. As a chocolate and peanut butter lover, I was blown away by this smoothie. This is exactly what I am looking for whenever I order a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup shake. I would rate this drink a 9/10. It was the perfect SHAKE, not really a smoothie. But, it was definitely an instagrammable chocolate shake!