Drink Up!

The Raw Divas

I seriously cannot believe that I haven't posted anything about smoothies. I'm not much of a cook (yet); I primarily bake and make delicious smoothies, but smoothies truly are my forte. During the summer I often lose my appetite, so smoothies serve as a perfect meal replacement. I also struggle with meeting my caloric needs some days, so smoothies are a great boost of energy and protein post-workout. I could always go buy a smoothie, but I prefer to make my own, especially since there's no Jamba Juice locations anywhere near me.

My classic smoothie consists of soy milk, vanilla soy protein, frozen fruit (mixed berries or strawberries and mangoes work well), peanut butter, and honey. Almond milk is another great option, but I always have soy milk in my house so I tend to go with what I have. I never actually measure out my smoothie ingredients, but I've also found some healthy smoothie recipes to try.

•  All-Around Good Smoothie: Flax seeds have great health benefits and this recipe provides an easy way to integrate flax seeds into your diet. I'd most likely substitute the milk in the recipe for soy or almond milk and omit the yogurt (I don't like yogurt in my smoothies at all), but either way this recipe is a great breakfast substitute. At 345 calories, it will keep you as full as a meal would, but you can lessen the calories by not adding any yogurt.
• Green Smoothie: Green smoothies can be intimidating at first, but if done right, you can't even taste the vegetables. Spinach is a very mild green, so if you start off with spinach you'll still get a smoothie full of nutrients without a bitter taste. This website lists 12 green smoothies to try, using spinach, kale, or dandelion. 
• Strawberry, Kiwi and Banana Smoothie: I love kiwis! Strawberry and kiwi really is a great flavor combination and the apple juice is a refreshing change from milk. You don't need to add any extra sugar since the fruits alone are sweet enough.
• Post-Workout Smoothies: Men's Health Magazine has a fantastic smoothie selector. All you have to do is select what kind of smoothie you want and you're met with tons of options. One of the most interesting is a green tea based smoothie, which consists of water, vanilla soy milk, green tea, honey, frozen blueberries and a banana. I've never given much thought to adding tea to a smoothie, but at only 296 calories, this smoothie is an awesome choice. While I'm not a fan of adding ice cream to smoothies (it turns it into a milkshake, in my opinion), the pumpkin smoothie sounds too delicious to pass up. It includes low-fat butter pecan ice cream, canned pumpkin, low-fat milk, vanilla protein powder, and flax seeds. It's heavy on the sodium, so it's more of a treat drink, but the protein powder and flax seeds make it acceptable enough. Honestly, I could go on and on with the creative smoothies on Men's Health, so really if you check one site out it should be this one!

Posted in: drinks, fruits, health, smoothies, vegetables