Faith, thank you for your always-great and really useful posts! I want to build a better smoothie!! The raspberry rosewater smoothie catches my eye and I can't wait to try it.

A touch of rosewater goes so well with red berries. I've used it to make rhubarb-rose syrup (springtime) which is delicious over thick yogurt, and strawberry-rose shakes (not for breakfast...for a treat...):

http://www.maureenabood.com/2012/02/09/strawberry-rose-valentine-dream/

http://www.maureenabood.com/2012/05/31/rhubarb-rosewater-syrup/

I really like the idea of freezing smoothie ingredients ahead of time in muffin tin molds. Brilliant!

I am all about sneaking spinach into smoothies for some added greens: http://www.thedabblist.com/blueberry-spinach-almond-smoothie/

I blend raw beets which lends a sweetness to the smoothie and makes it super bright red :D. My super detox smoothie has beet, tomato, celery, banana, honey and chia seeds for protein.

Nice round up of tips. Tahini, which I think it mentioned in at least on the articles, is my go to ingredient for making smoothies a bit more filling and covering any unpleasant tastes if things don't come out as good as I hoped.

Faith,
I love this compilation of smoothie recipes (and photos)!

In an effort to promote better elimination as well as finding an alternative to dairy (yogurt, kefir) and bananas, I've been using soaked flax seeds for my family's morning smoothies.

When the seeds are soaked properly, the omega3 fatty acids are bio-available, which helps with hormone balance and does wonders for the complexion.
This tip was on a blog about health and appearance that I regularly read. http://skinofgold.com/flax-seed-fiber-radiant-skin

- Lilac girl

LOVE the muffin tin idea. I've got some bananas that need to be dealt with today and I've been digging for small plastic containers to freeze. I've got a silicone muffin tin so this will work perfectly. Thanks!

Re: the orange smoothie - we've been throwing in fresh peeled oranges with about 1/4 to 1/2 the orange peel. Really adds a lot of intense orange flavor.

The best smoothie addition for protein I've ever found was powdered egg white (sometimes called meringue powder, in the baking section). It makes the drink a little foamy in a nice way. You could use raw egg white but I am concerned about salmonella in our eggs. The powder is pasteurized. A handful of raw oats is also good to make the drink more filling.

I freeze my extra fruit on trays, then throw into freezer bags once the pieces are solid. Also, canned fruit works well for smoothies, especially pineapple.

Yeah, I usually have a smoothie every morning for breakfast. Today, I tried banana, pear, kale, and spinach and it was AWFUL. I think I need a Vitamix...

(it was the texture)

Raspberry rose water smoothie sounds absolutely delicious. I will give it a try. Hopefully there are still fall raspberries at the farmer's market...

I've learned the hard way that too much greens can destroy the texture and taste of a smoothie. My ratio? Every 1-1.5 cups of packed greens needs a half cup of fruit. I usually use water, toss in scoop of protein powder and a few ice cubes. Also, I use greens I've frozen myself. When I noticed my fresh ones start going (I'm a single person, it's hard to eat them before they go), I just toss them (washed, dried) in a freezer bag. They work perfectly in smoothies.

I got a really good tip from a friend: If your blender is compatible- you can use a 12 oz ball or mason jar instead of the large factory jar. Its just the right size for one person. And there is less clean up!

Ground flax seed tops it off in our house. Adds just the right amount of nutiness. Yum!

Thank you so much for sharing these amazing things!Really love the post!All the smoothies sound tasty and I want to try all of them!

My favorite smoothie is also one of the easiest. get strawberry-banana yogurt. Then get 5 strawberries and a banana. Put the yogurt in the blender, add the strawberries and banana slices. Add a cup of crushed ice. Then blend. Too easy.

i skip the yogurt entirely. for a berrie smoothie, i use ice cubes, a splash of water (or apple juice, if i have any), fresh raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and black berries, and a banana. if the fruit is fresh and not frozen it'll be easier to blend. the ice cubes will cool it down. this is delicious, but high in carbs.

i'm also partial to kale-based smoothies and juices. 6 kale leaves, 1 cucumber, 4 celery sticks, 2 green apples, 1/2 lemon, 1" ginger. blend and either drink as a smoothie or strain it through an almond milk bag and have the juice. leftover pulp can either be composted or used in other dishes.

I started using silken tofu in my smoothies when I couldn't eat dairy, it really helps keep me full until lunchtime! My very favorite, go-to smoothie is 1 banana, 1/5-1/4 block of silken tofu, a bunch of frozen berries (pre-packaged berry medley), and 4-ish oz pomegranate juice. Sometimes I throw in some oats, yogurt, coconut oil, chia or flax seeds, when I need some extra filling and fat.

Always chop and freeze my kale stems. Add to fruit, usually blueberries and/or strawberries, flax seed and soy milk. Delish and I am getting a kale nutrient boost.