Smoothie Queen

No, I’m not married to the Smoothie King…though if he asked me…::voice trails off wistfully::

I’ve had a handheld blender for the longest time, just too lazy to actually use it. Lately however, I’ve been craving smoothies. Not sure why. Oh I know. I bought some expensive healthy drinks and realized I can make them my own self. Plus they’ll be fresh and cheaper.

Also, my stash of eggbeaters ran out, leaving me w/nothing to eat in the AM and I figured not only will a smoothie be easy to get down, I can use all my almost ripe fruit, that I usually gag @ eating.

I wanted an easy to make recipe. Something w/6 or so ingredients and no more than 2 pieces of fruit.

Armed w/my recipes and a brand new blender I was ready to go. Here was my first concoction:

Banana Berry Smoothie

• 8oz Soy Milk
• 4oz Orange Juice
• 4 tablespoons of non fat vanilla yogurt
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 small-medium banana
• 1 handful fresh blueberries
• 2 tablespoons of wheat germ (I ended up stirring this in @ the end b/c I forgot to take it w/me to get blended)

And yes, you busted me, I actually used 7 ingredients, sue me.

So I blended it all up, the blender is really good & fast, then stirred in some wheat germ, then drank it. Could be b/c I used so much soy milk, it had that consistency. I wasn’t even sure I blended the banana, but no chunks were to be found. I expected the blueberries to disappear, but saw flecks of their flesh in the mixture. It wasn’t as thick as I imagined, I read to use more liquid b/c bananas thicken it up a bit, so the 12oz I used seemed to have done the trick.

Other than that, I guess it was good. I say guess b/c I’m not a smoothie person. I’m an Oreo McFlurry kinda gal. A Venti Double Chocolate Chip w/extra whipped cream Frapachino kind a gal.

But it was yummy and healthy. Here’s why:

Soy Milk

Significant soy protein reduces Total Cholesterol, LDL cholesterol (the “Bad” cholesterol) and Triglycerides.

Orange Juice

An orange has over 170 different phytonutrients and more than 60 flavonoids, many of which have been shown to have antiinflammatory, anti-tumour and blood clot inhibiting properties, as well as strong antioxidant effects.

Non fat vanilla yogurt (no splenda or asparateme was added, I was scared to get plain yogurt, but since I’m blending it w/smoothies and not eating it str& from the jug, I can be brave)

Yogurt boosts immune response, lowers LDL, raises HDL cholesterol. Lower body fat is linked to the consumption of calcium-rich foods, yogurt, specifically, significantly increases fat loss.

Honey

A spoonful a day keeps free radicals at bay.

Banana

You get cardiovascular protection from the potassium and fiber. It also improves elimination.

Blueberries

Packed with antioxidant phytonutrients called anthocyanidins, blueberries neutralize free radical damage to the collagen matrix of cells and tissues that can lead to cataracts, glaucoma, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, peptic ulcers, heart disease and cancer.

Wheat Germ

An excellent source of Vitamin E and Folic Acid.

Fiber
Not specifically added, but totally implied w/the banana, the blueberries and the wheatgerm. A drink like this will keep a girl regular for days to come. Hrmmm wonder if I can blend up my precious Fiber One too.

Too many sources to link to where I got the info, just google it. Since making my first recipe and guessing it was okay, I’ve come to love my AM smoothies. I’ve gotten more creative. Now I freeze my fruits and it gives it a nice chill plus, no more blueberries and strawberries going bad in 2 days. The minute I buy them, I divvy them up in 5 bags and toss them in the freezer. I also put ripe bananas in there.

I’ve also gotten more creative. Now I add ground flax, raw spinach! (you don’t taste it when it’s all chopped up), less soy milk (I’m going to just use water when my milk runs out), and other healthy stuff that I wouldn’t eat by themselves, but drinking them down is very doable.

I always kid my life is like a Seinfeld show, but remember when Elaine borrowed Kramer’s meat slicer and looked around her apartment for things to slice? That’s me w/the blender.

I keep looking @ things like…cheese I can blend cheese! Sweet potato! I can make a sweet potato drink!!

Next up I have frozen peaches, I’ll be buying some frozen mangoes next shopping trip. But I can make just plan ‘nana smoothies when I run low on misc fruit. Now that I can zap fruit so fast, I can go back to buying blackberries and raspberries which I hate to admit, don’t like.

I also want to add some protein powder and even make it w/cooled down freshly brewed green tea!

I really love this blender. Smoothies have become both my breakfast and my post cardio meal in the AM. It’s 500 calorie well drunk. Plus it forces me to drink veggies I’d otherwise ignore.

You know the old sayin’: “If you can’t eat ‘em, drink ‘em.”