[Part of a series called Protein Power.]
Lately I’ve been in a smoothie mood. How about you?
Maybe it’s because we are over our heads busy trying to get our house ready to sale & I don’t want to mess around with a lot of prep time in the kitchen. Or maybe it’s because it’s spring & I can’t seem to get enough greens (& smoothies are an easy way to get more in).
Whatever it is, right now I’m lovin’ smoothies & I throw in as many greens as I can to add lots of nutrients without impacting the taste too much. Plus, they’re easy, filling, & of course, nutritious.
I go in phases (like right now) where have to have a green smoothie every day. Especially a green smoothie, like this one.
 |
| Easy Breakfast Slaw |
I’ve found kale, chard, or spinach to be great choices for green smoothies, but whatever you do, do not, under any circumstances, use mustard greens. You’ve gotta take my word for it. I did that once & it was like drinking a mustard milkshake–yummy, right?
I also added a half a scoop of Garden of Life’s raw protein powder (which added about 4 grams of protein), but I didn’t include this in the recipe below.
If you’re new to green smoothies or have a sensitive palate, try halving the amount of kale in the recipe. I don’t mind a little kaley flavor, but I know some people might not be crazy about it.
If you’re one of those, use 1 cup instead of 2 cups.
***
“Kale Me Up” Banana Berry Smoothie
GF, SF
Serves 1-2
Here’s what you need:
- 1/2 c. mixed frozen berries
- 1 frozen banana (it tastes much better if the banana is frozen, makes it more creamy)
- 1 c. ice (about 6-8 half moon cubes)
- 1 TBS. stevia in the raw (or 1/2 TBS. agave, which will add calories & sugar)
- 2 c. kale
- 1 TBS. hemp nut seed
- 1 1/2 c. coconut milk
 |
| This is what makes it sweet |
 |
| Kale is a super food! You want to eat more of this stuff. |
 |
| The berries will add anti-oxidants, to help make your skin glow! |
 |
| This is about 2 cups of kale. |
Nutrition Info: Entire recipe: 340 calories, 11 g protein, 59 g carbs, 10 g fat, 9 g fiber.
Nutrition Notes: If you want to lower the fat content, use a low fat non-dairy milk instead of coconut milk. Even though coconut milk is high in fat, cup for cup, especially if you get the low cal kind, it can be 1/2 the calories of a conventional soy or rice milk. If you want to up the protein, add another tablespoon of hemp seed, or a scoop of your fave protein powder, and/or use soy milk (which is naturally high in protein).
This recipe, submitted to Diet, Dessert, & Dogs blog, here.
***
Have you tried So Delicious coconut milk? What do you think of Jillian Micheals?
must be green smoothie time b/c i'm on a kick too!!
every morning after my work out–mmm
and makes me feel so good from the inside out!
my basic is unsweetened vanilla almond milk with flax, frozen banana, spinach and then either fresh pineapple or maybe berries or a prune for sweetness
the tone it up girls just launched a new protein powder i'm going to try (not really a think i normally include as i get enough protein the way it is) but we'll see
seems like a good product
http://www.perfectfitprotein.com/order.php
if you want to check it out
I've been using coconut juice in my smoothies lately, and using a small amount of coconut oil in raw recipes. I love Jillian's workouts! She's just my style!
Ann: Wow! What a great tip. Thank you so much for sharing!
Guess what I discovered with the intense greens? They can be made into green smoothies without tasting the intense flavor if they are quickly blanched or wilted first! No joke, I've done greens that I could NEVER handle raw in a smoothie. Arugula, radish tops, dandelion. It takes out the "bite." It might even work for turnip or mustard greens! I might have tested it, but I can't remember as it was a few years ago. I'm not one of those "raw only" girls. I think cooked greens are VERY beneficial.
Melanie: I buy the aneseptic boxes (non-refridgerated) for about the same price as boxed soy milk. They're fairly comparable in price.
Melanie: Yay! I'm so glad you had success w/ the price matching.
Yes, I agree, I love the combo of cardio & strength. I'm addicted to strength training & I like short intervals, so her style appeals to me.
That smoothie sounds delish!
We've been going through a lot of coconut milk lately, as we got tons of pineapple at a good deal and have been loving this divine smoothie: http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/12/pineapple-banana-coconut-cream-smoothie.html
I don't normally go through that much coconut milk though and I totally forgot you can get coconut milk in the refrigerated section…how does it compare in price and quality to the cans?
I love Jillian Michaels too. Since cracking some rib cartilage recently, I haven't been doing any exercise for a few weeks while it heals. (I've been really yearning to run and exercise again! But I'm afraid to do the heavy breathing yet…and I can't do the ab work or some stretching/movements that are in all of my vidoes…) But for most of this year, I've been doing a variety of Jillian Michaels exercise dvds everyday! I love that it is high intensity and includes cardio and strength training with HIIT intervals. When I would go to do other exercise with friends or go for a run I felt like I was cheating that day because it wasn't nearly as intense as a Jillian workout!
On another note, I price matched at Walmart for the first time today! So easy and I saved some moola! Whoohoo!