HELP! Green Smoothie Texture!

[GoingtoRAW]

Sometimes I have to make my green smoothies in advance to take with or to store in the fridge to drink later in the day. Problem is, if I don't drink them while they are fresh they don't taste good to me. It's the texture that bothers me. The texture is kind of chewy or gummy or something and they are hard to get down. So I don't know if I need to add more water....when I make my smoothies I always use one or two oranges as a base for the liquid and then add a little water. They taste great that way as long as I drink them within an hour of blending. So could it be that I am not adding enough water or is that horrible texture just what happens when you store them and drink later? A few times I went to drink my smoothie later and I couldn't get it down so I put it in the freezer and ate it later like a sorbet. It was good - but I like to drink my smoothies. HELP!!!

[laura-jane]

Do you have a high-powered blender (a la Vitamix of Blendtec)? I found that once I upgraded to a better blender this problem wasn't as bad for me. I know what you mean though.

Another idea is to get a small travel blender and take it with you if possible so that you can reblend prior to consuming.

[DebB]

I thought it might just be me - but I like to drink my green smoothies right after blending. I don't care for their flavor if they've been stored for a while.

I've even vacuum sealed them in a glass jar with the Food Saver, so I know it's not an oxidation issue. It simply tastes the best to me if I drink it as soon as I blend it. *Ü*

[phdezra]

Hi. I'm relatively new to all this (only a few weeks), but I've been making Green Smoothies since early March. I have found that the texture does get a bit thicker/gel-like/separated in the fridge if stored overnight. I do not have time to make one in the morning, so I make a quart the night before.

Fresh definitely tastes better... as in within an hour. I use a Blendtec and my base recipe is (organic produce if avail):

3-5 leaves Kale
5-7 leaves baby Spinach
1 stalk Celery (optional, for me sometimes)
1 Banana
1 Pear or 1 Apple
1 Orange
1/2 squeezed lemon
1/2 tspn Stevia powder (optional)
2 cups water (filtered/purified if avail)


The longer I blend it, the smoother the texture. Initially, my Smoothies were thick and had chunks of dark greens (esp when I rotate some Chard or Collards into the mix). I didnt realize that I need to blend and blend and blend. The Smoothie "button" setting on the Blendtec runs approx 25 secs (or so); if I see when it is done that it is not smooth enough, I usually add a little water and run for longer. I know some people blend the greens FIRST since they take longer to smooth out.

If the texture is smoooooooooth when it comes out initially, I find that it is less "piecey/chewy" the next day. Hope that helps. I'm attaching a photo of my smoothie from today using recipe above.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/4433242492_b11a13b5c8.jpg

Again, I am new at this, so just my Raw $0.02. Enjoy.

Ezra

[DebB]

Hi. I'm relatively new to all this (only a few weeks), but I've been making Green Smoothies since early March. I have found that the texture does get a bit thicker/gel-like/separated in the fridge if stored overnight. I do not have time to make one in the morning, so I make a quart the night before.

Fresh definitely tastes better... as in within an hour. I use a Blendtec and my base recipe is (organic produce if avail):

3-5 leaves Kale
5-7 leaves baby Spinach
1 stalk Celery (optional, for me sometimes)
1 Banana
1 Pear or 1 Apple
1 Orange
1/2 squeezed lemon
1/2 tspn Stevia powder (optional)
2 cups water (filtered/purified if avail)


The longer I blend it, the smoother the texture. Initially, my Smoothies were thick and had chunks of dark greens (esp when I rotate some Chard or Collards into the mix). I didnt realize that I need to blend and blend and blend. The Smoothie "button" setting on the Blendtec runs approx 25 secs (or so); if I see when it is done that it is not smooth enough, I usually add a little water and run for longer. I know some people blend the greens FIRST since they take longer to smooth out.

If the texture is smoooooooooth when it comes out initially, I find that it is less "piecey/chewy" the next day. Hope that helps. I'm attaching a photo of my smoothie from today using recipe above.

Again, I am new at this, so just my Raw $0.02. Enjoy.

Ezra

Hi Ezra ~ I've got a BlendTec too and for my ingredients, I run it through 2 'smoothie' cycles and that works really well. I add frozen fruit to mine so 2 cycles works great. *Ü*

[GoingtoRAW]

Do you have a high-powered blender (a la Vitamix of Blendtec)? I found that once I upgraded to a better blender this problem wasn't as bad for me. I know what you mean though.

Another idea is to get a small travel blender and take it with you if possible so that you can reblend prior to consuming.

I couldn't afford the Vitamix so I bought the Jack LaLanne Health Master. It worked fine for a almost a year and then it broke. They replaced it and the second one broke. They wanted to send another replacement - I said no thanks...just give me my money back. Even with the Health Master I still had the problem with the texture after an hour though...cannot stand the taste. I then lost my job and couldn't afford anything more than a Black and Decker blender that also made smoothies. That worked just fine until for almost a year. It broke a little over a month ago. I then had to drag out my Walmart version of a Magic Bullet, which I have been using. It does the job OK but even the largest container is not big enough to make the size smoothies I want...so it takes me twice as long to make my smoothie. That's OK - I will do that until I can afford to buy a blender and I have to save for a Vitamix so I won't have to go through this again.

I just started a new job - I guess I could take the "Magic Bullet" thingy with me and reblend my smoothie before I drink it. I have to figure something out because those green smoothies are like a magic potion for me and I don't feel my best when I don't drink them.

[phdezra]

Hi Ezra ~ I've got a BlendTec too and for my ingredients, I run it through 2 'smoothie' cycles and that works really well. I add frozen fruit to mine so 2 cycles works great. *Ü*

Yes - you are right. I forgot about two cycles. I just started doing that today and noticed the difference! Smoooooooooooooth as a baby's.....! :D