I get asked all the time about my favorite smoothie recipe, but the truth is that I don’t have one. Smoothies aren’t about following a recipe. They are about combining your favorite flavours, the nutrients you need, and really whatever odds and ends you have in the fridge.

To help you get started, here is a basic formula for creating YOUR perfect smoothie.

Step 1: Fruit

Really any type of fruit will do. Frozen is usually less expensive and makes your smoothie nice and cold without adding extra ice. You can even freeze your over-ripe bananas and throw them in. When I look at my client’s smoothie ingredients, their biggest problem with fruit is usually keeping it to one portion size. Most people will fill their blender with fruit and then top it off with orange juice. What you are left with is a huge glass of sugar! One cup of fruit is plenty to fill you up and make your smoothie taste fantastic.

Portion: 1 cup

Step 2: Greens

A lot of people are thrown off by the idea of adding greens in their lovely fruit smoothie. Adding in some spinach or baby kale will hardly change the taste of your drink and it let’s you tick off one vegetable servings first thing in the morning. And don’t forget all of the health benefits that come with eating leafy greens. This is especially important for those of us who aren’t big fans of eating vegetables at meals or snacks. You can also sneak in some extra veggies for the picky-eaters in your life.

Portion: 1 large handful

Step 3: Healthy Fat

Healthy fats are an important part of meals and snacks including smoothies. Not only are they important for brain health, hormones, joints, cardiovascular system, etc., but they also add a thick and creamy consistency to your drink.

Step 4: Protein

Adding protein to your smoothie helps to make it a complete meal and also balances out the sugars that you are getting from the fruit so you don’t end up with a huge blood sugar spike and then crash.

Step 5: Liquid

My go to liquid for all smoothies is plain old water. With all the other ingredients in there I don’t feel like I need a flavoured liquid as well. That being said, you may want a milk or milk-alternative to add a bit of creaminess to your shake or something like coconut water to add electrolytes to your post-workout drink.  Whatever you do, try to avoid adding juice if you have already added fruit so that you don’t double-up on sugar.

Portion: About 1 cup, depending on how thick you like your smoothie

Step 6: Extras

There is no limit to what else you can throw into your blender when you are making your smoothie. The key is to making sure everything you add is providing you with good nutrients and you aren’t “doubling-up”, like adding extra sugar or over-doing it on fats. Here are some of my favorites.

Like I said before, smoothies aren’t about recipes, they are about experimenting! However, if you are someone who likes a little more guidance, here are a few of my regular blends.

Green Smoothie:

Immune Boosting Smoothie:

Chocolate-Peanut Butter- Banana (aka my three favorite things in the world):

Plain and Simple: