I suppose that this book is for people who are already into whole foods. To people who aren't accustomed to such foods might read ingredients like Lecithin granules, Asorbic Acid, Sprilla and go "What the heck is that?" But, I'm weird, and I already have all that stuff. :)
It's also for people who have a good blender (obviously) and preferably a juicer, though store bought juices are fine. You just get more health benefits from fresh juices. And I'm glad the Author does understand that not everyone has a juicer.
That being said though, I've always enjoyed making healthful and delicious juices and smoothies. But the few other books I have, mainly the juice books, the recipes are a bit too fancy for me. Not to mention expensive. Great for entertaining guests I suppose, but just for me? Nah. Smoothies, for the most part I've just made up on my own. But realizing how many calories I was consuming with them woke me up a bit. I LOVE that this book has not only very yummy smoothies, but nutritional info for each one! I also love that they are all designed for specific health needs. Losing weight, Working out, Pregnancy, Boosting Immunity, etc. It also has a section for kids. What a wonderful way to get more healthy foods in my son's belly without his knowing it because they taste so damn awesome!
I love this book. And even though, as a few have complained, there are no pictures (I always look for cook books with beautiful photos) - this is the only Smoothie Book I need.
A side note about the cost of smoothies and juicing - I think this book saves you money. It has you making ice cubes from strong teas or fresh juices to add into future smoothies. So in my freezer, I have it stocked with labeled freezer bags of Beet Juice, Watermelon Carrot Juice, Coconut Milk. Today I planned on making up some Chai Tea Ice Cubes for the Chai Smoothie later. Juicing yourself in small amounts and freezing them really cuts down on the cost of produce. You use less, and your produce doesn't spoil before you get a chance to use it all.
Even still, if I see an apple looking a little sad. I just juice it instead of throwing it away.
Apples are also a good cheap filler for juicing. Any produce on the expensive side, I juice with apples to use less of the more expensive produce. The taste isn't changed much, and it adds fiber and other nutrients. The Ultimate Smoothie Book: 130 Delicious Recipes for Blender Drinks, Frozen Desserts, Shakes, and More!
Unless you are near a health food store, forget this book. for example some of the ingredients include tahini,stewed rhubarb,carob powder, gingerroot, pickled plums among others. The recipes aren't simple. The 500 smoothie book is far better and much simpler. I wasn't expecting to need a culinary degree to make smoothies. Was very disappointed in this book. The book I got was the older one with 101 recipes. Maybe this new one is better but again I would try something else if you want simple and fast.
In an effort to add more fruits and vegetables into our diet, I've been looking at smoothie recipes. My chiropractors really recommend them as an energizing breakfast, packed with nutrition. I think this can be true if the smoothie recipe focuses on healthy ingredients without added sweeteners.
The Ultimate Smoothie Book contains a lot of great information regarding the best ingredients to use in smoothies and what nutritional benefits each food adds. It is well-organized with informational sections before you actually get to the smoothie recipes. The smoothie recipes are also organized into categories which makes it easy to find the type of smoothie you are looking for. I love that each smoothie recipe also has a nutritional breakdown per serving.
I was a bit thrown off by the book beginning with a section on juicing. I wasn't looking for a book on juicing - I was looking for smoothies! Calbom puts a great emphasis on using fresh fruit and vegetable juices in her recipes, which would unfortunately necessitate another piece of kitchen equipment which I am not interested in purchasing at this time. Calbom also uses ice frequently in her smoothie recipes and claims that a regular blender will be able to handle this. Maybe some blenders can handle ice well enough to make a truly smooth smoothie but I know mine cannot.
The majority of the recipes included in The Ultimate Smoothie Book look really tasty. Unfortunately, I've decided that I'm going to need to wait until I have a better blender and warmer weather to actually try them out. Smoothies in the middle of winter just don't sound very appealing!
I bought this book based on the five star reviews. I was choosing between 500 Smoothie Recipes and the "Ultimate Smoothie Book". Now, the book has arrived, and I'm now sorry I bought it. Yes, the book has a few excellent pointers, but the quality and selection of the recipes were unsatisfying.
The positives of this book is that detailed nutritional and caloric information is included with each recipe. There is also a section that teaches you how to choose organic fruits and vegetables in season, juicing and selecting a proper juicer. You can also learn how to make almond milk to use in other basic recipes (this is a plus for people on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, where almonds are a necessity, and where store-bought almond milk is off limits due to added sugars). There is also a whole section dedicated to making coconut smoothies (including coconut oil/milk,etc; for health benefits), and coffee-break shakes, and smoothie pick-me-uppers. There are also shakes for weight loss, pregnancy, healing and body building.
I have many problems with this book. First, I agree with another reader who criticized the lack of pictures in the book. Yes, I do own excellent recipe books without pictures like "The Joy of Cooking" and "Nourishing Traditions". But, in a smoothie book -- where results can be (and often are) inconsistent (take green smoothies for example) -- you want to know what the end product will look like before spending your hard-earned money to make one.
Second, another concern, there are only five total Basic Smoothie recipes.
Third, some of the recipes in the book have NOTHING to do with smoothies. There is a section dedicated to...(drumroll) TOPPINGS. Oooookay. Some might argue that the toppings could be an excellent addition to top smoothies (like a sundae). Nope. The toppings are for things like breakfast granola and dinner entrees. Hunh? If I wanted a book on dessert and entree toppings, I would have bought a different recipe book. Complete waste.
Last, I was hoping for more recipes for yogurt smoothies included. Not many were. I know that's not something the author could have "foreseen" and I should have taken the time to look through the index, maybe, online, to see how many were included.
My advice is to look at this book (through the online "look inside me" feature on Amazon.com, check it out from a library, etc; before purchasing this book. I give this book two and a half stars....only because of the nutritional advice, but warily. - Healthy Eating - Cookbook - Juicing - Nutrition'
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