Well, that was then! I've been searching for green smoothie recipes lately that don't make me wretch. I finally found one from Iowa Girl Eats on pinterest that didn't sound too scary. This one called for greek yogurt, milk, spinach, frozen bananas, and peanut butter.
First Attempt (4/12): I hadn't frozen any bananas yet, but I had frozen blueberries. I didn't have greek yogurt, but I had fat free vanilla yogurt. I gave it a whirl in my new Ninja Pulse (love it!) and voila! I have a
OK!
I'm convinced - I can do green smoothies. Let's see what I come up with tomorrow!
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Today's NOT Green Smoothie(4/13):
I slept in and worked out on an empty stomach. I had salad from last night for lunch, but I was still hungry. I didn't really want a green smoothie, but I had a hankerin' for something sweet. I decided a protein smoothie would do the trick! I bought Jillian Michael's Whey Protein Powder in Vanilla at Target and hadn't tried it yet. So, that's what I did today.
Ingredients:
6-8 ice cubes
about 1 cup of coffee (leftover so it was cold)
a spoonful of hot coco mix
a scoop of the protein powder
(I drank most of it before I remember to get a picture!)I blended it for just a few seconds on my new Ninja Pulse (which I heart) and drank it up! It was very good, but not quite a smoothie. Maybe more ice next time? I had also just gotten the cup out of the dishwasher, so it was hot. It may have melted the ice too much. I feel full now. And my sweet tooth is satisfied. A friend of mine made something very similar to this for me last week. Thanks, Carrie!
I'm sure I'll be trying more green smoothies very soon. I've got frozen bananas and strawberries now. I'll give it another shot tomorrow! I'll update as I go.
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Today's VERY Green Smoothie (4/16):
It isn't quite dinner time yet, but if I waited until dinner to eat, I would eat way too much. I needed just a little something to get me to dinner time. A smoothie must be the answer! I didn't need a protein packed snack, but I needed a little substance.
I looked in the fruit bin and the freezer and came up with mango, banana, and strawberries. I grabbed the spinach too. It was VERY green!
Here's what I used:
1/2 fresh mango cut up
1/2 frozen banana
a handful of frozen strawberries
a handful of spinach
1/4 cup water
I blended it up in my super duper Ninja Pulse. When I took the blade out, it looked a little thick. I added some more water and blended it a few more seconds.
It really reminds me of a strawberry banana smoothie from one of the places in the mall that would cost $5 and have 500 calories in it. Yummy!
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My Sludge-Looking Smoothie (4/17):
I worked out on an empty stomach this morning (I do not recommend it). I needed something I could make quickly and take with me for breakfast, so a smoothie was the answer!
I wanted to make one with several types of frozen fruit and see what I got.
Here's what I used:
3 frozen strawberries
a little over half of a frozen banana
almost a cup of frozen blueberries
a generous handful of spinach
water
1 scoop vanilla whey protein
(See, it was so on-the-go that I had to take the picture in the car! And do you love my new bracelet?)
It was very good! I didn't originally put the protein powder in, but I decided that I would need it to have more staying power than just fruit would have. It didn't fill me up like most of my smoothies have, but I was unusually hungry today too. I'll do this one more often, with and without the powder. I think it will actually taste much better without the powder!
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Another NOT Green Smoothie (4/18):
Today I wanted something really fruity and tangy and pretty for breakfast so I made what I named the Tangy Pink Smoothie. I grabbed some fruit and yogurt and here is what I came up with.
1/2 frozen banana
handful frozen raspberries
about 5 frozen peach slices
1/2 cup fat free vanilla yogurt
water (enough to make it blend well)
Threw it all in the Ninja Pulse and let 'er rip! It didn't blend really well at first, so I kept adding water. Too much frozen stuff! It turned out very pretty and fruity and tangy! The only thing I didn't like was the little raspberry seeds, but I can get over it.
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I've lost 10 pounds as of today!!!
But, anyway, I made a Strawberry Banana Vanilla Smoothie (4/19):
I weighed myself first thing and I was thrilled to see that I've hit my next goal: a total weight loss of 10 pounds! The weight seems to really be coming off now. Nothing is a better motivator than success, in my book. I was inspired to make a healthy smoothie for breakfast today.
I slept in a little and I was pretty hungry, but I knew I'd be eating an early lunch and I'm eating out. I don't want to spend too many calories on breakfast, but I don't want to go to a restaurant starving either.
I've been wanting to make a pure strawberry banana smoothie, so I chose today.
Here's what's in it:
1/2 frozen banana
enough strawberries to fill the cup 1/2 way
handful of spinach
1/2 scoop protein powder
enough water to make it smooth
I mixed it all up and it's a lovely shade of greenish-brown.
Nice. It tastes ok, but I wish I had added Stevia rather than the protein powder. Maybe I'll take another stab at it!
