Roy G. Biv Smoothies
Seven great smoothies that span the entire rainbow!
Roy G. Biv Smoothies
Jump to RecipeI’ve had a few requests over the last few weeks for some smoothie recipes because I let it slip that Betsy and I generally just have a big smoothie for breakfast everyday. Turns out our daily smoothie recipe is a mix between yellow, red, and indigo, but that’ll make more sense to you later.
Smoothies can be so varied I really struggled for awhile on how to present a wide spectrum of recipes in one post. That was, of course, until I saw a guy riding a bike last weekend with a rainbow sticker on his backpack. When I saw the rainbow I thought, now those would be some awesome smoothies!
Anytime I think of a rainbow, I can’t help but think of the mnemonic device for remembering the order of the colors: ROY G. BIV!
After some tinkering, I present to you, the ROY G. BIV Smoothie Team!
Each of the recipes I used are below, but before that, there are a few quick notes on smoothies that I think are important.
First, smoothies are all about balance. You want to combine some sweet with some bitter. You want to make sure that your acids are balanced. Really if you do that and taste as you mix, you can’t go wrong. These recipes should all be seen as jumping off points. Mix and match and find your own, well, rainbow. (I should be a motivational speaker with lines like that!)
Second, whenever possible try to use frozen fruit instead of fresh. I usually use mostly frozen fruit just because it’s easier but some fresh fruit is fine. The thing to remember is that if you use fresh you have to throw in some ice which waters down the smoothie a bit.
Third, keep some juice (orange, apple, cranberry, pomegranate, etc) on hand as well as some milk or yogurt. Those can smooth out your smoothie…
So let’s take a trip through Roy G. Biv!
All of the smoothie recipes in this post are adjusted for 2 Cups of smoothie which is about enough for one big serving. The cups in this post hold about 1 cup of liquid so I halved the recipes for this post because I didn’t need 7 cups of smoothies floating around.
The Red Smoothie. This is pretty straightforward. After I tasted it, I added a pinch of sugar because it was just a bit too bitter for my tastes. I also used frozen raspberries, but if you use fresh you’ll need to add some ice.
The Orange Smoothie. This one is just like a shot of vitamin C. It’s refreshing and delicious and if you’re afraid of flavor mixing, this is the one for you! If you can’t find clementines, you can use any orange-like fruit. Tangerines for example would be awesome.
The Yellow Smoothie. This one seriously tasted like a milkshake. The banana and milk made it really creamy and the mango was nice and sweet. If you served me this blind, I’d guess there was ice cream in it.
The Green Smoothie. Ok. I was a little worried about this one. Basically I just picked out a bunch of green stuff and threw it together! At first, it tasted kind of funky (some would say it tasted healthy), but then I added a pinch of sugar and a tiny pinch of salt and that totally mellowed out the flavors. The sugar and salt are not optional in this one if you want it to taste decent.
The Boozy Blue Smoothie. Ok. It turns out that there are no really blue foods. Sure there are some flowers and stuff, but there’s just nothing that pops with blue color. Blueberries are totally mislabeled. They are purple, people.
So I figured if I couldn’t find a food that was blue, I might as well making something with booze in it! This was actually really tasty and I could imagine sipping a few of these on a beach somewhere.
The Indigo Smoothie. This one is a really basic one, but the Pomegranate juice has huge flavor. Sometimes Pomegranate juice can be a bit bitter though and so the yogurt smooths it out nicely.
The Violet Smoothie. Ok. So this one was maybe my least favorite of the seven. It was pretty strongly flavored. I thought about maybe adding some plum to the mix which I think would keep it pretty violet but might mellow it out a bit.
In other news, I’m not entirely sure what the difference is between violet and indigo. It’s possible I’m slightly colorblind.
The Equipment. Of course, to make smoothies you’ll need a good blender. Now you could spend hundreds of dollars on a blender, but I’m not sure that’s really necessary if you’re just getting into the smoothie thing. I’ve had this really excellent professional Oster model blender for almost a year now and I use it almost daily. It’s nothing fancy but it has all metal parts and only two speeds: pulse and GO. What else do you need?!
Mine performs just like it did on day one!
Day to day though Betsy and I, surprisingly, don’t make our smoothie choice based on color. Like I said at the beginning of the post, we normally do a mix between the indigo, red, and yellow varieties.
It’s very possible that I had more fun making and writing this post than any post in Macheesmo history. There were moments when I had to just stop, look at my counter full of crazy colors and ingredients, and laugh out loud. It was so much fun.
I hope you all try some of them out and pass along this post to your friends. Also, leave a comment obviously and let me know which one you want to try or if you happen to know a blue food that I missed!
In addition to looking delicious, this post is, in my opinion, the most aesthetically pleasing post you've done. Gorgeous!
What a fun and informative post! Thanks for brightening my morning!
the yellow one will be first on my list to try….
Wish I had been here to try these! Our normal smoothie recipe isn't quite so monochromatic, or exotic. The one I make everyday is 1 cup of OJ, 1 banana, 2 large spoonfuls of plain yogurt, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1/2 cup frozen raspberries or strawberries, and sometimes a bit of frozen mango. I'm pumped there's some pom juice in the fridge now to throw in!
Yes! I also have a smoothie every morning. I am drinking mine right now (10:30 is morning for unemployed people) I usually do: a fresh bananna, 2 of the following frozen things depending how i feel: mango, cherries, raspberry, blueberry, peach. Then I add some big scoops of plain lowfat yogurt, 2 tablespoons of whole flaxseeds, and some pom juice. I always add a few ice cubes to calm it down and keep it cold, but i never add sugar or salt. I drink way more than 2 cups worth though, I think I average about 4 cups.
As for avocado in a smoothie, I prefer it with tequila http://www.thefoodinmybeard.com/2008/07/avocadodr…
Nice man. Love that drink.
Such a pretty post! They all look delicious! I think the green is the only one I would be wary of!
Thanks! Can't wait to try every single one of these minus the green one.
No love for the green!? I thought it was pretty tasty people… just different.
I love this post – the colors totally made me smile! Great idea!!
You should put this on Foodgawker. Beautiful!
Rejected!
Cool post. Fun colors. I'm definitely trying the banana smoothie. Love avocados- but kinda scared of the kale. Hmmm. May try it though!
These are beautiful, and they do look yummy…
How about a little carrot juice for the orange smoothie…
oranges and carrots make a great morning eye-opener.
ps. I can’t think of any “true” blue foods, but you could use
a dash of food coloring if you’re feeling blue at breakfast time.
Oooh. You could possibly use purple potato or taro for the violet instead. The color won't be as strong if you use taro but it'll taste really good. Pineapples and peach are awesome flavors for yellow.
Good idea… a potato smoothie would be interesting… ;)
Fantastic post and great recipes. I'm definitely going to try the avocado one. :)
I organize my closet with a little help from Mr. Roy G. Biv, so why not concoct smoothies with him too? Love the picture of all the glasses lined up. Glad you has so much fun blogging! Can't wait to broaden my smoothie spectrum:)
I love smoothies and i love those pictures!! Beautiful!
Too cute this post is. I like all the ideas (except maybe the avocado) and I need to add in my protein powder. Your smoothies should be proud as a peacock.
rejected from foodgawker!?! they are crazy! amazing pictures.
This is such a creative idea, i love it!
you are so clever. i love this or these rather. so, since you said its ok to put booze in my smoothie then that means its ok for breakfast? COOOOOL.
This is brilliant! Just found your blog and I love it. These are great photos and amazing smoothie recipes! Can't wait to read more!
Not only did this post inspire me to make more smoothies, it also prompted me to represent Roy G. Biv at the easel in my preschool class. Just lining up all the containers of paint in clear cups drew even my most hesitant painters to the Art center. Why didn't I ever think of that? Thanks again!
Wow. I'm impressed by how many teachers responded to this! :)
Great blog on smoothies. I am using the mango and orange recipes for a project for kids in Honduras. I can buy bananas for about a nickel each, and mangos for about 10 a piece. With milk, it's a great nutritious snack for kids. And in the winter months, we have abundant oranges and clementines, again dirt cheap. thanks!
That's awesome! I hope the kids like it :) Thanks for the comment!
Um, that blender is $200. I just bought an Oster with about 6 speeds/settings for $40. I hate it…its crap. I am learning that you get what you pay for with blenders.
Oh, and a tip for you: I make a lot of smoothies too. If the ingredients I use one day call for a bit more sweetness, I like to add a date or two. They truly are nature's candy…and clearly more nutritious than just plain sugar.
This is the most absolute wonderful list of smoothies. I've printed it out thanks!!!!!
My recent post Tonsil Stones – A guide to fresh breath
I would need to replace the blue curacao with something else bc I'm breastfeeding but other than that, they all sound wonderful and look incredible :) I have a Magic Bullet so it should be no problem. Just to go out now and grab those ingredients :D
Love the smoothie recipes! The colors are so pretty
My favorite smoothie is frozen mango, orange juice, one carrot, a handful of spinach. It's so good!
And if I have it – I'll add 1 tablespoon of chia seeds…
Hi Nick, linked into your site from Jenn's Slim Shoppin'. I LOVE YOUR BLOG!!! Thank you for the great pictures and recipes.
This is awesome! As for making the green more palatable, use spinach instead of kale! It's sweet instead of super bitter, and it turns BRIGHT green!
Also, I wonder how pineapple would color a smoothie. I don't like bananas in my smoothies, so I might have to experiment.
This is an awesome idea for a party!
Mmm, I'm all about the Boozy Blue Smoothie, even if it'll turn my mouth blue! Worth it for the taste though, beautiful post :)
My favourite is frozen bananas, frozen raspberries, fresh strawberries, a little watermelon and some of this fruit and veg juice that has carrot and apple and spinach and something else in it. A tablespoon of whatever yogurt I have in the fridge (normally low fat wild strawberry, because it's my daughters favourite.
Frozen bananas are freakin' amazing! They give the smoothie this amazing texture. I have a tendency of buying too many bananas, then some are always overripe by the time I get to eat them, so I just peel them and wack them in a clip-lock bag in the freezer to use next time I want a smoothie or to make 'nana muffins or to make this my spiced banana bar (see url)
It's been awhile since I'd heard roy g biv. Fun!
Your posts reminds me of a quick and easy purple smooth that is my favorite by far.
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 frozen banana
8 oz. pineapple juice
Holy moly that’s a good one. I am going to try the green smoothie. I’m intrigued.
In answer to your (not quite a) question, indigo is a very dark blue with a trace of purple in it, and violet is a lighter shade of purple with a touch more red in it.
Just found your website and I LOVE it, I love cooking and trying new things out but I am a smoothie lover and have been not sure if it has already been posted but in all my time of smoothie making I noticed that Apple juice works awesome with any type of smoothie that has strawberries it sweetens it and I like the way it taste with the berries.
This was an awesome post as all of your post are remarkable!
Thanks kate! Glad you are liking the recipes!
It irritates me when wealthy people get on there high horse like “its your fault if you eat unhealthy” when all this stuff costs a arm and a leg.
It takes a lot of money to eat healthy, and being wealthy is 90% of the time passed down from the parents (skills, teachings what made them rich, actual cash, good schools).
I would love to be able to afford all this.
Mike, I actually mostly agree with you. In fact, one could argue that evidenced by the fact you have the internet, you are probably wealthy in respect to the world… why? because you were born in a country with easy access to resources.
That’s neither here nor there though… the point is that this post actually had nothing to do with that socio-economic status. I never “get on my high horse” and say that it’s easy to eat healthy. In fact, I don’t think I would ever say that because I don’t think that’s it’s necessarily true.
I just wrote a post about smoothies…
Oh my goodness! I just tried the yellow and it was Delicious! I gave some to my roommate and she asked for a bowl of banana ice cream after she was finished. When I told her that in fact there was no ice cream she didn’t believe me. THAT’S how amazing it is!
Yum to the yellow smoothie! Absolutely delish and nice and easy!
Love all these great ideas. My kids will love all these new smoothie ideas. Thanks!
It’s been awhile since I’d heard roy g biv. Fun!