By: Ireland Lee

There are still many questions and misconceptions that come up when making a smoothie, some of which include “What is the best liquid to use in a smoothie?” “Can I use regular milk in a smoothie?” and “Can peanut butter be added to a smoothie?” Making smoothies can come across as being one of the easiest recipes to master, but we are going to provide you with how to build a healthy smoothie anyways.

1. Pick your base. Many choose either Greek yogurt or regular milk. However, you can also substitute with a non-dairy option like Tea Zone Non-Dairy Creamer (just add water), almond milk or coconut water if you are vegan or have a dairy intolerance. To make it more like a slushy, use ice cream instead, or ice.

2. Decide what fruit you want to use: frozen fruit or fresh fruit. Any and all fruit is acceptable. Just be careful using frozen fruits as it can be more difficult to blend. With the right amount of liquid, you can replace whole fruit or fruit pieces with powders or syrups; however, by doing so it decreases the nutrition value and increases sugar. A common fruit that is used in most smoothie recipes are bananas, often frozen, whether it's a tropical smoothie or a sweeter one. To up your smoothie game and make it a little fancier, you can add dragon fruit to the mix.

3. Choose a sweetener (optional). This part is optional because it isn’t always needed. Typically, fruit can be sweet enough on its own. If you do choose to add one though you can use monk fruit sweetener, honey, agave, peanut butter, or vanilla extract.

4. Pick a protein (optional). A protein is another smoothie substance that is not always needed. More people add this if they are regularly working out and need some extra boost or they are using the smoothie as a meal replacement. However, this is a very beneficial addition for anyone. Not only does it allow you to get in some Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Omega-3s, and Vitamin A, among many other nutrients, but protein as well. This can prove most useful if you have a harder time eating enough to get your daily intake. Options that are chosen for this are certain protein powders, eggs, or peanut butter. You can really use any protein powder for smoothies as it will just blend in with the rest of the ingredients.

5. Add a little green (also optional and encouraged). Adding greens to a smoothie can leave a taste that is little to be desired. If done correctly, it can be masked. A great way to get your greens that is often the route of choice are spinach and kale. Tea Zone Matcha Green Tea (Grade A) Powder is an option that can take the place of greens and add some caffeine.

6. Blend all your ingredients together. This is the most crucial part of the smoothie making process. Make sure that you are using a good blender like this one or else there will possibly be fruit and vegetable chunks remaining becase lets face it, none of us want that.