I have a major soft spot for smoothies. I touched on it in this post about some of my healthy tips and tricks, but my love for smoothies is deserving of an entire post of itself.
Being a vegetarian almost my whole life, smoothies are not a new thing for me. In high school and university, I forced down many a protein shake (basically protein powder, banana, milk, ice) to try and get more protein into my diet. I had enough protein shakes to turn me off for life. Blech.
But smoothies are another story. They are a fantastical blend of many yummy things, that make for a wholesome, filling and nutritious breakfast or post-workout snack. Did I say they were filling? Yup, so so filling. The volume really gives you that satiated feeling, and staves off hunger until lunch time. It's also very refreshing in the summer because it's a cool and blended treat.
I mix up my smoothie ingredients from time to time, but this is my current go to smoothie recipe: 1 small banana, handful of frozen fruit, a couple frozen spinach/kale cubes OR handful fresh greens, a few coconut water ice cubes, green tea protein powder OR greek yogurt, and a mix of chia seeds, hemp hearts and buckwheat. I top with a little water, or brewed chilled green tea, and give her a good blend.
I had never heard of the Nutri Bullet nor seen the infomercials, but when my 7 year old Magic Bullet gave out, and this baby was on sale for $79.99, I thought I'd give it a whirl. It has 600W (or as I called it before being corrected by my husband, 600 horsepower) versus Magic Bullet's 250W. It makes a huge difference and really crushes through seeds and nuts like nothing I've ever tried (I'm sure the VitaMix is loads better, but I have yet to desire one because they are massively huge and clunky and I just don't want that in my kitchen. Oh, and they cost $500+ ;))
I start my day with a smoothie, and try to use fresh ingredients as often as possible, but since I'm the only one who uses them in my household, I find my produce goes wilty or overripe before I have time to finish it up. That's when I started making frozen cubes and using frozen fruit instead of always fresh. Coconut water is also something that only lasts a couple days, hence why I freeze it. I make up about 5 batches to freeze every week so that they are really easy to grab, and all I add is warm water (to help thaw all the frozen ingredients), my seed mixture and the protein of choice (I have been known to freeze greek yogurt and add to the mix as well!
I use mason jars to hold my baggies while I fill them, and then freeze.
Any great smoothie recipes you're loving right now? Would love to hear them!