Smooth Moves - Chocolate Cherry Banana
I'm actually sitting here sipping on this one while I write. It may be my new fav. It tastes super decadent thanks to the creaminess the frozen banana provides. So, like I mentioned before, I start at least every weekday with a smoothie. First things first, the prep. I prep five days worth of smoothies, takes me about 15-20 minutes. Here is everything I used this week.
If you can't tell, I shop at Publix. It's crazy close to my house and after going to the same one for three years, I know most the staff, and I flippin love that store. Anywho, I use a mix of fresh and frozen fruit. I typically buy frozen, but when they start having the crazy sales in the summer, you better believe I buy that fresh stuff and freeze it. In the big plastic cereal container is my Juice Plus Complete, that's how I store it. I start out with a third cup of plain Greek yogurt, 1) for protein, 2) for the bacteria that yogurt provides. Then I measure out the desired fruit. I use a third cup per fruit if I use two different fruits, and a half cup if only doing one fruit. Bananas I do the same, if the only fruit is a banana, I use the whole thing. Otherwise, I only use half a banana per smoothie. Then I dump in a scoop of the desired flavor of Complete. They end up looking like this.
Yummy right? No, they look totally gross like this, don't lie to yourself. But they end up tasty once they all come together in the blender. Toss these suckers in the freezer, and your halfway to a yummy, nutritious, satisfying breakfast. Most nights before bed, I'll pull out the next morning's to give it a chance to soften so I don't burn up my nine year old blender. Then in the morning I just dump all this in the blender, add a cup of my vanilla soy milk, and pulse away. You notice how I said pulse? Yeah don't just turn it on and think "OH! This is easy." No, you're going to ruin your blender and the smoothie won't emulsify like it needs to. You pulse it until it starts to come together, and then once you see it start coming together, then you can hold the pulse to allow it to emulsify. This is the best way to get the best texture. I didn't figure this out on my own. I saw it on an episode of Alton Brown's Good Eats where he talked about his weight loss journey. It's on Hulu, go watch it.
Okay, so here we are, what you've been asking for, a smoothie recipe. Again, my flavors are ALL based on the Complete powder.
Chocolate Cherry Banana Smoothie
1/3 cup frozen pitted cherries
1/2 a medium banana
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 scoop Dutch Chocolate Complete
1 cup vanilla soy milk
1. Combine all products in blender and pulse until combined. If mix looks too thin or runny, drop in three or four ice cubes to bulk it up with out adding calories.
2. Dump in your favorite cup and savor. Don't just gulp it down. Savoring is key to keeping you satisfied.
Nutrition Facts:
Calories - 342
Fiber - 11g
Protein - 26g
Carbs - 49g
Fat - 4g
Sugar - 29g (from the fruit and sweetened soy milk)
*If you use a straw, try to use paper or a reusable smoothie/stainless steal straw. Did you know that Americans use an average of 500 million straws per day? PER DAY!*
Yummy right? No, they look totally gross like this, don't lie to yourself. But they end up tasty once they all come together in the blender. Toss these suckers in the freezer, and your halfway to a yummy, nutritious, satisfying breakfast. Most nights before bed, I'll pull out the next morning's to give it a chance to soften so I don't burn up my nine year old blender. Then in the morning I just dump all this in the blender, add a cup of my vanilla soy milk, and pulse away. You notice how I said pulse? Yeah don't just turn it on and think "OH! This is easy." No, you're going to ruin your blender and the smoothie won't emulsify like it needs to. You pulse it until it starts to come together, and then once you see it start coming together, then you can hold the pulse to allow it to emulsify. This is the best way to get the best texture. I didn't figure this out on my own. I saw it on an episode of Alton Brown's Good Eats where he talked about his weight loss journey. It's on Hulu, go watch it.
Okay, so here we are, what you've been asking for, a smoothie recipe. Again, my flavors are ALL based on the Complete powder.
Chocolate Cherry Banana Smoothie
1/3 cup frozen pitted cherries
1/2 a medium banana
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 scoop Dutch Chocolate Complete
1 cup vanilla soy milk
1. Combine all products in blender and pulse until combined. If mix looks too thin or runny, drop in three or four ice cubes to bulk it up with out adding calories.
2. Dump in your favorite cup and savor. Don't just gulp it down. Savoring is key to keeping you satisfied.
Nutrition Facts:
Calories - 342
Fiber - 11g
Protein - 26g
Carbs - 49g
Fat - 4g
Sugar - 29g (from the fruit and sweetened soy milk)
*If you use a straw, try to use paper or a reusable smoothie/stainless steal straw. Did you know that Americans use an average of 500 million straws per day? PER DAY!*
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