One of my favorite quick, healthy, grab and go meals is a smoothie. Since I am the Health Food Stalker and try to avoid loading up on sugar I try to make my own. In the past I’d grab a Protein Berry smoothie at a famous smoothie emporium but the 42 grams of sugar made me really energetic and then I’d crash. No fun at allllll.
So I’ve become a smoothie expert, and now am passing on my vast experience to you. Hehe. Here is my basic recipe, and all the details:
Protein Smoothie (reduced sugar but still yummy!)
First, take some ripe bananas, peel them and freeze them by wrapping a whole peeled banana in aluminum foil. You can reuse the foil!
NEXT:
8 oz “Milk” *
1 scoop unsweetened Protein Powder **
1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen berries/mango/cherries/whatever you like
Put milk, protein powder and flax in a blender and blend briefly. Add the banana (break into pieces if using whole banana) and blend. Add any other fruit until desired thickness. If the smoothie too thick, which I think is impossible, add a little more milk.
If you use unsweetened milk and protein powder your smoothie will only have delicious natural sugar from your fruit. A medium banana has 12 grams of sugar, a half-cup berries less than half of that.
Now, if you REALLY want to get crazy with healthiness add some greens.
I know, many of you don’t like the taste or strange green hue of green drinks, but try to add them to your smoothie, they are SO healthy! Just take some dark leafy greens (kale, collard, mustard, etc… and maybe some parsley) and add them when you blend in the banana.
*Some great “Milk” options are Almond Breeze Vanilla Unsweetened. NO SUGAR and TASTES GREAT! Also Tempt Unsweetened Vanilla Hemp Milk. NO SUGAR and loaded with Omega 3’s and 6’s!
** My FAVORITE protein powder is SPIRU-TEIN Simply Natural Original Vanilla Unsweetened. So yummy, loaded with vitamins, gluten and dairy free, 14 grams of tri-part protein (pea, rice, soy).
Tip: buy this product on-line at iherb.com , instead of paying $40 or so retail iherb charges $27 or so for a huge container with 32 servings. In fact, I order most of my vitamins/supplements from this web site, great prices and great selection.
I used to put my smoothie in a plastic cup and put in my car on the way to work or school. Then I said no more disposable junk and I decided to put my smoothie in a glass that would make a mess of my car and most likely my shirt.
A couple of weeks ago I received a great gift, a reusable large smoothie container and straw! My mom bought it for me at Starbucks and it is awesome, but it cost about $15. Then I was perusing my local Bed, Bath, Beyond and voila, they have the same type of product for half the price. It’s also a little larger than the Starbucks model so will hold as much smoothie as you can drink. Download a 20% off coupon and save even more money and feel good about not adding plastic to our landfills. WOO HOO!
All right, I’ll stop talking now so you can go enjoy your smoothie!!! :)
One of my favorite quick, healthy, grab and go meals is a smoothie. Since I am the Health Food Stalker and try to avoid loading up on sugar I try to make my own. In the past I’d grab a Protein Berry smoothie at a famous smoothie emporium but the 42 grams of sugar made me really energetic and then I’d crash. No fun at allllll.
So I’ve become a smoothie expert, and now am passing on my vast experience to you. Hehe. Here is my basic recipe, and all the details:
Protein Smoothie (reduced sugar but still yummy!)
First, take some ripe bananas, peel them and freeze them by wrapping a whole peeled banana in aluminum foil. You can reuse the foil!
NEXT:
8 oz “Milk” *
1 scoop unsweetened Protein Powder **
1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen berries/mango/cherries/whatever you like
Put milk, protein powder and flax in a blender and blend briefly. Add the banana (break into pieces if using whole banana) and blend. Add any other fruit until desired thickness. If the smoothie too thick, which I think is impossible, add a little more milk.
If you use unsweetened milk and protein powder your smoothie will only have delicious natural sugar from your fruit. A medium banana has 12 grams of sugar, a half-cup berries less than half of that.
Now, if you REALLY want to get crazy with healthiness add some greens.
I know, many of you don’t like the taste or strange green hue of green drinks, but try to add them to your smoothie, they are SO healthy! Just take some dark leafy greens (kale, collard, mustard, etc… and maybe some parsley) and add them when you blend in the banana.
*Some great “Milk” options are Almond Breeze Vanilla Unsweetened. NO SUGAR and TASTES GREAT! Also Tempt Unsweetened Vanilla Hemp Milk. NO SUGAR and loaded with Omega 3’s and 6’s!
** My FAVORITE protein powder is SPIRU-TEIN Simply Natural Original Vanilla Unsweetened. So yummy, loaded with vitamins, gluten and dairy free, 14 grams of tri-part protein (pea, rice, soy).
Tip: buy this product on-line at iherb.com , instead of paying $40 or so retail iherb charges $27 or so for a huge container with 32 servings. In fact, I order most of my vitamins/supplements from this web site, great prices and great selection.
I used to put my smoothie in a plastic cup and put in my car on the way to work or school. Then I said no more disposable junk and I decided to put my smoothie in a glass that would make a mess of my car and most likely my shirt.
A couple of weeks ago I received a great gift, a reusable large smoothie container and straw! My mom bought it for me at Starbucks and it is awesome, but it cost about $15. Then I was perusing my local Bed, Bath, Beyond and voila, they have the same type of product for half the price. It’s also a little larger than the Starbucks model so will hold as much smoothie as you can drink. Download a 20% off coupon and save even more money and feel good about not adding plastic to our landfills. WOO HOO!
All right, I’ll stop talking now so you can go enjoy your smoothie!!! :)