Smoothie Saturday: Oh Be-have Smoothie

I haven't posted a smoothie recipe in a while. Not that my smoothie addiction has abated at all. If anything, it's gotten worse and I've spread the plague to my mom. She already was smoothie-ing but I asked if she was putting veggies in there. The response was not enthusiastic. I suggested she try a handful of baby spinach leaves because she'd never taste the diff and would be getting veggies at breakkie, always a good thing.

What mom didn't know is that spinach is a gateway veg. But boy she knows now! After the spinach got her over the eww veggies in the smoothie hurdle, she started chucking all sorts of planty love in the blender.

I try to take advantage of the local stuff and collards are just everywhere now. Peaches, not local yet, but still yummy are showing up juicy and plump. And there is always a knobby bit of ginger around.

Low...perfection came out of convenience! The pairing of collards and peach is yummeriffic. The peach kisses you with it's summer flavor - the flirt! Then the ginger pinches you on the backend - cheeky thing! Be-have! And the collards are so out of the ballpark healthy you can fly after sucking this bad boy down.

Collards, Fresh - 3 cups
Peach, Fresh - 1 large, pitted, rough chopped
Ginger, Fresh - little piece for a little taste, big piece if you like things spicy
Water - 3/4 cup
Protein Powder - 1/2 scoop
Guarana - 1 tsp (optional)
Date, Medjool, Pitted - 1 each or 2 T date sugar
Liquid Stevia - 5 drops
5 or 6 ice cubes

If you have a heavy duty blender, chuck it all in and hit the button. If it's a regular blender, put everything in but the ice and puree. The add the ice and let er rip again.

Nutrition Info:
Calories: 221
Carbs: 43.7g
Protein: 12.5g
Fat: .3g
Cholesterol: 10mg
Sodium: 38.5g
Fiber: 8.6g

Smoothie Saturday: Vegan Pepperland Smoothie

So many people ask me if I'm vegetarian when they see what I eat. I'm not. I'm just a true omnivore who tries to keep it healthy which means alot of plant based foods.

The USDA replaced the Pyramid with My Plate which easily shows how much plant vs meat we should be consuming. As a dietetics professional, I thank the gods of nutrition daily that the pyramid with all of it's confusing color stripes is gone. Really, who looked at that and thought "Yeah, that's a solid straightforward explanation of what to eat to stay healthy"? My Plate is so straightforward my grade school daughter understood it immediately. Now, that's how nutrition gets done!

All of that aside, my omnivorous self came up with a vegan smoothie to have on Meatless Mondays. Even if you're not vegan, give it a try - it doesn't even need a sweetener.

1/4 cup hemp milk, original
1 rounded Tbsp brown rice protein powder
1 tsp freshly grated orange zest
1/2 frozen banana
1/2 whole red bell pepper
1/2 whole yellow bell pepper
1 whole peeled orange
4-5 ice cubes

Calories: 254
Fat: 2.5g
Carbs: 48g
Protein: 15.5g
Fiber 12.6g

Toss everything but the ice cubes in  a blender and spin until smooth. Then add the ice cubes and spin again. Enjoy!

Smoothie Saturday: Anything Goes Smoothie

Sometimes I have lots of stuff laying around with no real plan for it.

Sometimes I don't have time for a regular meal.

It's the Anything Goes Smoothie to the rescue!

Greek yogurt makes it smooth and creamy, the agave sweetens the deal and ice cubes froth it to chilly perfection. Anything else can be subbed out. Knock yourself out - use apple in place of peach or cooked carrots instead of bell pepper. Sub the brown rice protein powder out with any one you like and ditch collards in favor of kale, spinach or turnip greens. Anything goes! It's a thick and frosty treat that packs a nutritional punch. And it's vegetarian, if anyone's keeping track. Hmmm, could be vegan if cultured soy was used instead of Greek yogurt...where's my blender?

What? {blink, blink} Oh right....here's the recipe:

1/8-1/4 cup of water
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 whole small ripe peach
1/2 bell pepper
3 large collard green leaves, center vein removed
2 rounded tblsp vanilla brown rice protein powder
1 tblsp agave nectar
3-4 ice cubes

Start with 1/8 (aka 2 T aka 1 oz) water and only add more if needed to get the smoothie going. Throw everything in the blender except the ice cubes and puree till smooth. Then toss in the cubes and hit it again.

Calories: 281
Fat: 3.1 g
Carbs: 37.8 g
Protein: 30.2 g
Fiber: 6 g






-DK

Smoothie Saturday: Sunshine Smoothie

Full of flavor and color, this smoothie not only tastes great and looks pretty, but has antioxidants, protein, live yogurt cultures and fiber. What more could anyone want?

Steam off the carrots ahead of time and toss in the fridge so they are cool and ready when you need them.

1 cup steamed & cooled baby carrots
1 whole fresh peach
1 navel orange, peeled
1/2 cup nonfat unsweetened Greek yogurt (I use Fage)
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tsp Splenda Blend
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
3 or 4 ice cubes

Throw it all in the blender and let 'er rip. I usually blend all the ingredients but the ice and toss that in after everything else is liquidy and smooth.

Calories: 352

Total Fat: 1.5g
Sat Fat: 0g
Carbs: 65.4g
Protein: 15.6g
Fiber: 15.5g

-DK

Smoothie Saturday: Secret Smoothie

Eating healthy is no prob for this omnivore but sometimes I just need chocolate! How to satisfy the sweet tooth but keep the nutrition rockin'? Flavor the smoothie with the yum ingredients and use the more nutritious stuff for body and texture.

Cocoa, banana and peanut butter are a classic flavor combo (and add antioxidants, a serving of fruit and protein). For bulk and creamy smoothness there's uber healthy beans and avocado.

I use smoothies for breakfast or quick lunches when I'm in the middle of projects and don't want to stop to prepare a meal because, generally, the calories are too high for a snack.

3/4 cup nonfat milk
1/2 scoop protein powder
(I used Whole Foods vanilla whey)
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp Splenda Blend
1 ripe banana
1/4 cup beans, cooked and cooled
1/3 of a whole avocado
1 tbsp peanut butter
3-4 ice cubes

Put all the ingredients, except the ice, in a blender and whiz until smooth. Add the ice and blend again until smooth.

Calories: 520
Total fat: 17g
Saturated fat: 1.8g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.8g
Monounsaturated fat: 5.1g
Carbs: 68.9g
Protein: 23.1g
Fiber 12.3g

This smoothie is a great way to sneak beans and avocado into kids, providing they don't see what goes in the blender.

-DK

Smoothie Saturday: Yogoyummie Smoothie

This is a great after dinner snack smoothie when I realize I've had barely any fruits/veggies all day, virtually no milk and I've eaten almost all my calories. (I've lost 55 lbs so far and only have 10 more to go, but that's a whole post of it's own!)

2 cups kale
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 red apple
2 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp Splenda Blend
1/4 cup water
3-4 ice cupes

Toss everything but ice in the blender and spin until smooth. Then toss in the ice and do it again. For a little variation, I sometimes throw in a tablespoon of dried goji berries. They add nice red flecks to the green smoothie and since there's also 2 cups of kale in this baby, it's so good for me I can just about fly after drinking it.

Calories: 189
Total fat: 1g
Sat fat: 0g
Carbs: 33g
Protein: 15g
Fiber: 7g

-DK

Smoothie Saturday: Rainbow Smoothie

Didn't have enough calories after a busy day today so I whipped up this yummy number. Not having enough calories over time leads to a decrease in metabolism so eating enough healthy stuff is crucial to maintaining my weight loss. Veggies and protein, great colors for healthy antioxidants and parsley for a bright kick.

1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/2 orange bell pepper
1 medium red apple
1/2 cup parsley
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 scoop protein powder
1 tsp Splenda Blend
1/3 cup water

Toss it all in the blender and spin till smooth.

Calories: 301
Total fat: .8g
Carbs: 47.5g
Protein: 31g
Fiber: 7g

-DK

Smoothie Saturday: Just Dandy Smoothie

Boy oh boy do I love me a green smoothie! There is just so much nutrition in kale and dandelion greens for so little calories. I do recommend purchasing dandelion greens in a well stocked market. Rummaging through the back yard can yield greens contaminated with pesticides, fertilizers and microbes unsuitable for consumption.

3/4 cup dandelion greens
1 cup kale
1/2 scoop protein powder
1/2 frozen banana
1 cup frozen, fresh, halved strawberries
1 tsp Splenda Blend
3/4 cup water

Put everything in the blender and spin until smooth.

Calories: 218      Total fat: 2g        Sat fat: .1g
Carbs: 42g         Protein: 12.8g     Fiber: 7.1g

When I buy bananas and it starts to look like they may get too ripe faster then the family can eat them, I cut them in half - wrap 'em in plastic and pop them in the freezer. Strawberries on sale? Buy extra, rinse, dry, halve and put them in a ziplock freezer bag. That way I have them whenever I need a smoothie fix. And I'm getting them at the best price. Muy RTB.

-DK

Smoothie Saturday: Brapple Berry Smoothie

As my exploration into the world of green smoothies continues, I find that you can blenderize just about any veggie. The leafy greens go right in raw but the more hearty varieties like carrots need to be steamed first and cooled. I usually cook off a whole pot and toss it in the fridge. That way it's ready to go side dishes as well as smoothie fodder whenever I need it.

The local supermarket had a great sale on broccoli so, of course, I had to put it in a smoothie. And I'm not a snobby I-only-eat-the-florets-foodie cause the whole bunch costs less then just buying the tops. Plus, the stems have their own benefits like fiber and minerals. This one didn't exactly turn green but it does have enough of the green stuff in it to count.

1 C broccoli, steamed and cooled
1 C strawberries, sliced
1 apple - whole, red variety, cored
1/2 scoop whey protein powder
1/2 C unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp Splenda blend
3-4 ice cubes

Toss everything but the ice in the blender and spin till smooth. Add ice and spin again. This is a pretty thick smoothie - do yourself a favor and get the extry big smoothie straws. If it's a little too thick to blend easily, add 1/4 cup of water and it'll smooth itself out. The strawberries can be tossed in fresh but the berry flavor is much stronger if you freeze them first - I rinsed, dried and halved mine before freezing so they'd be ready to go. The first batch when the strawberries weren't frozen had a faint broccoli flavor, not unpleasant, but not something you could sneak past a non green eater. The second batch with the frozen strawberries was muy yummy and there was no broccoli flavor at all.

Calories: 276
Total fat: 1.8g
Carbs: 52g
Protein: 13.5g
Fiber: 11.5g

-DK

Smoothie Saturday: Hot Pink Health Smoothie

Leafy greens like kale and collards are the hands down kings of nutrition with Andi scores of 1000. But we're gonna ease into this whole leafy-green-in-the-smoothie-thing nice and easy like, since my family and most of my coworkers recoil in horror at the color of my smoothies with the deep dark leafy ones.

Cabbage has a score of around 405. Not quite the powerhouse the others are but still a workhorse nutritionally. And it doesn't change the color (or taste) of the smoothy for those a little squeamish about the green.

The recipe on today's post is my version of this cabbage smoothie recipe. I only modified it because I didn't have the raspberries onhand and I like to eat some protein with each of my meals. That's what great about smoothies, unlike other things in life, they are infinitely adjustable.

2 C cabbage
1/2 large fresh banana, frozen
1/2 C strawberries, frozen, fresh
1/3 C cherries, whole frozen
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
1 1/2 tsp Splenda Blend
3/4 C water
3 or 4 ice cubes

Put it all in the blender (except the ice) and, well, blend. I had to turn off the blender, push the food down toward the blade with the back of a wooden spoon and turn it back on to get everything liquified. When it's all smooth, toss in the ice and let 'er rip until it's a smooth, frosty-pink treat.

Calories: 268
Total fat: 1.2g
Sat fat: 0.2g
Polyunsat fat: 0.3g
Monounsat fat: 0.1g
Carbs: 46g
Protein: 20g
Fiber: 8g

-DK

Smoothie Saturday: Groovie Smoothie

It's started innocently enough. A way to help get in my 5 servings of fruits & veggies a day that tasted good and was quick to make (and consume). Portable even, for the on the go gal that I am.

But, it's become so much more.

The smoothies have taken over...can't stop imagining different combinations or looking for recipes to include whatever produce is on sale this week. I've been drinking them almost every day for a week and today I had 2!

But smoothies don't have to be evil calorie filled nightmares made with unfoods like "smoothie mix". They can be groovy harbingers of nutritious love, man. Take the one I had for breakfast - 4 servings of fruits & veggies, live yogurt cultures, protein, fiber, vitamins & minerals galore. Healthy also doesn't mean tasteless and boring...

Smoothies can be bright:

orange, peach, ginger

or decadent:

chocolate, peanut butter, banana

or sexy:

hot pink berry

or adventurously nutritious:

blueberries, collards, ginger

Whatever you like, whatever you have on hand - you can make a smoothie out of it. Oh, and I plan on it! Stay tuned for Smoothie Saturdays - a different smoothie recipe every week. Until I get this eating jag out of my system or my family pries the blender out of my hands. Whichever comes first.

-DK