Whole Story

Summer is so close you can nearly taste it. Luckily with homemade smoothies, as the temperature goes up, you can hydrate healthfully (and deliciously) without running out of steam or savings.

A meal. A snack. A thirst-quenching blessing on a hot day. Being able to make your own smoothie without overspending is a warm-weather essential.

Here are five of our favorite money-saving tips to keep homemade smoothie costs low and flavor high.

• Smooth operator. Buy and freeze fruit when it’s in season and prices are at their best. Used in place of ice, it thickens your drink and is a great way to use fruit before it spoils. (To see which fruits freeze well, visit our guide to fruit. )
• Thrifty mixer. Use up and experiment with beverages already in your fridge such as orange juice (a Sure Deal) or flaxmilk (another Sure Deal). 
• Measured savings. If you overestimate quantities, any leftover in the blender can be frozen into ice pops!

• Green machine. Kale and spinach in a glass? Sure! A smoothie is a great vehicle for that handful of healthy leafy greens sitting in your fridge. Try a Double Green Smoothie, Get Your Greens Smoothie or create your own with what you have.
• Blend in. Add-ins can round out the drink’s nutritional value and might save you from taking a supplement separately. Try flax seed oil (print the coupon) or spirulina powder.

Looking for tasty inspiration before you customize your own homemade smoothies? Try a Blueberry Muffin Smoothie, a fresh and filling breakfast shake reminiscent in flavor of a blueberry muffin.

Oats and omega-3 essential fatty acids from 365 Everyday Value^® Organic Flax Oil (get the coupon) help you power through a busy morning or long summer day. A base of 365 Everyday Value^® Organic Juice gives it a bright boost. That’s one delicious deal for about $2 a serving!

Blueberry Muffin Smoothie

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups 365 Everyday Value® Organic Orange Juice 2/3 cup fresh blueberries 1/2 cup rolled oats 2 tablespoons 365 Everyday Value® Organic Filtered Flax Oil 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 cup ice cubes

Method

Purée all ingredients in a blender and serve immediately. 

Serves 2. Dairy free, low sodium, vegan, vegetarian.

About $2.04 per serving. We do our best to estimate recipe ingredient costs, but market variations do happen.

Thirsty for more savings? With the current issue of The Whole Deal value guide, you’ll get $55+ in coupons, more than a dozen Sure Deals, 10 new budget recipes, a daily meal planner and seasonal money-saving tips making it easy to sip, slurp, nibble and chew your way into summer without breaking a sweat. How do you keep homemade smoothie costs low? We’d love to hear your recommendations for flavorful ingredient combinations, too.