Green Smoothies and Protein Shakes

In addition to my Cellerciser, an investment that I decided to make early on in my journey to health was a Blendtec Blender. I love it. My husband and I had gone through 4, or maybe 5, inexpensive blenders in our 11 years together, so I decided to bite the bullet and get a really good one. I bought it at Costco since they double the manufacturer's warranty.

In this post I'm just going to give a general explanation and list the things that I put in my smoothies and shakes, and then I'll post some of my favorite recipes after I figure out exact amounts of each ingredient and total carb information. I don't do smoothies on a regular basis any more, but I did them 3-4 mornings a week as breakfast for several months.

For shakes, I use Nutiva Hemp Shake in both the Berry Pomegranate and Chocolate flavors, as well as Nutiva Hemp Protein for an extra protein boost. I also use Nutiva Organic Coconut Oil (1 or 2 tablespoons). So for example, I would use half a banana, a handful of frozen berries, a full serving of both the Berry Pomegranate Hemp Shake and Hemp Protein, coconut oil and coconut milk. Or half a banana, the Chocolate Hemp Shake, some ice, coconut oil and coconut milk.

In green smoothies, it is greens that make it green. I use spinach, mixed baby greens, and occasionally kale, and put in two big handfuls. I will put a couple handfuls of frozen fruit (strawberries, peaches, mango, blueberries, cherries, papaya, pineapple are the frozen fruits I get at Costco), a full serving of Nutiva Hemp Protein, a tablespoon of powdered wheat grass, a tablespoon of aloe vera juice, and the blend of flavors that I was using would determine the liquid: coconut milk, rice milk, carrot juice or water. I also sometimes throw in some apple slices (with the peel), orange slices, or carrots.

For an occasional treat I will use a scoop of Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss ice cream in a shake. It is made with coconut milk, is agave sweetened, and low glycemic. And it is DELICIOUS. The other night I put a banana, a scoop of chocolate Coconut Bliss, a few ice cubes and about 8 oz So Delicious Coconut Milk in my Blendtec and gave it a whirl - a Banana Chocolate Vegan Milkshake. This definitely falls under the "Treats" category since it is pretty high carb with a banana in there, but at least it is a sugar free treat. If you're carb load is low for the day, I say go for it after a protein filled dinner!