Smoothies

I'm a huge fan of smoothies. I find them to be refreshing, enjoyable, and easy. I love to mix it up, using different kinds of fruits, milks, and sweeteners. The thing about smoothies is that, made correctly, they are packed with nutrients and are extremely filling.

There are all sorts of things on Pinterest on how to build a "perfect" smoothie, but I think the most important thing is finding a healthy recipe that you like and building off of that. Personally, despite what other people say, I can definitely taste kale in smoothies and I hate it. I don't want to be able to taste the greens in my smoothies. I use spinach and can't taste it at all. Therefore, no matter how many times people tell me I should switch from spinach to kale in my smoothies, I will not do it. I know what I like, and my smoothies will stay the way they are.

All that being said, I have compiled a small list of my own smoothie recipes for you to try. Everyone likes something different, so these are just suggestions. Try them as listed, use them as a base to build on, or do something totally different. Either way, if you can find a smoothie recipe that you like that is packed with nutrients and drink it at least three times a week (preferably more), your body will thank you. Trust me.

* Smoothie Ideas *

Anxiety Tamer: 1 & 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1/2 frozen banana, 1 cup spinach, 1/2 scoop protein powder. ( approximately 250 calories and packed with antioxidants that help calm anxiety.

Tropical Beauty: 1 & 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1/4 cup frozen mango, 1/4 cup frozen strawberries, 1/2 frozen banana.  (approximately 200 calories. Good source of fiber, Vitamin C, and potassium).

Nana's Chocolate Goodness: This is my very favorite. It is the most filling and most satisfying in my opinion. This smoothie is mostly for providing protein and to satisfy dessert cravings. (Approximately 225 calories). Click the name for my full recipe.

Raspberry-Banana: This is a great summer smoothie. (Approximately 200 calories and high in protein and fiber). Click the name for my recipe.

Do you have a favorite smoothie recipe? Share it below in the comment section. Have a great day!

Nana's Chocolate Goodness Protein Shake

When I was a little girl, I would visit my grandparent's house often. The first thing I would always do was peek into their kitchen cabinets to see what kind of goodies they had. My Nana would always offer to make me a chocolate protein shake. I always had one because I wanted to drink whatever she was drinking.

My Nana always used a soy protein mix called Spir-Tein. She would mix it with chocolate soy milk, ice, and sometimes she would add things like fiber or flax.

When I went to college, my room-mate and great friend, MK, brought a huge container of Spiru-Tein to have for breakfast every morning. Seeing her drink those shakes reminded me of my Nana and my childhood, so I adopted the breakfast habit myself.

I'm still addicted to these shakes. I think they are so good and they are very healthy. The protein powder is PACKED with vitamins and minerals and has 14g of protein. The brand has recently expanded to a bunch of different flavors, but I stick with vanilla because it is more versatile. You can use it in fruit smoothies, peanut butter smoothies, or the chocolate smoothie I usually make. You can also bake with it.

For my smoothie, I use:

1 scoop of Spiru-Tein vanilla protein powder
1 1/2 cups of light chocolate soy milk
1 1/2 cups of ice

Blend in a blender and enjoy. This makes a very large shake. Its approximately 24 oz.

Nutrition: *Calories 225* Carbs 35g * Fat 2g * Protein 19g * Sodium 268 * Sugars 29*

* You can purchase Spiru-Tein at GNC or Amazon.com. Look up the full nutrition label. Its amazing!

Raspberry- Banana Smoothie

Good morning, and happy Sunday!

Yesterday I wanted to make sure I started my day with something healthy, instead of stuffing my face with another scone from work (they are so yummy!). I find that if I start my day off with something healthy, I'm more likely to finish my day healthily as well. However, if I start my day off with high-calorie, bad-for-me things, I tend to go into "oh, what's the point? I already messed up" mode. Then I gorge myself on bad things for the rest of the day.

So yesterday, I packed all of the ingredients for a smoothie and made it at work.

Recipe:

1 cup of original almond milk
1/2 banana
1/2 cup of raspberries
2 Tbs. vanilla Greek yogurt
1 cup of ice

Blend in blender until smooth and creamy. You can also use frozen fruit in this recipe and omit the cup of ice. I loved this smoothie. I didn't even need to add any honey as a sweetener. Give it a try and let me know what you think! :)