Another Green Smoothie Recipe

 

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Smoothie

Makes (2) 16oz servings - cut in half if only making one (obviously...)

1/4 cup skim milk

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt

1 giant handful of spinach (basically as much as I can grab with one hand)

1 banana

Blend these together first to get a smooth consistency with the spinach.  This is typically the base of all of my spinach smoothies.  Both the milk and yogurt can be substituted depending on your tastes.  
Now, add in...

1/2 cup frozen sweet cherries

2 tbsp ground flaxseed

3 tbsp Nesquik chocolate powder
2 handfuls of ice (I'm at it again with the handfuls... but it works!)

Blend until you see the swirling vortex of goodness in the middle top of your mix.  That's when you know it's mixed through (did you know I was once a smoothie barista as Smoothie King?).  

Pour and enjoy.  I promise. 

Well, maybe not promise - as all taste is subjective and relative... but seriously, this is good stuff.

Just Perfect

We've been drinking a lot of smoothies, lately. With the right ingredients, they pack a powerful punch of both nutrition and energy, and if enjoyed in smaller amounts (say, 8 oz. instead of the 24-32oz. that some smoothie establishments offer), can serve as a great mid-morning, late-afternoon, or after-dinner (i.e. dessert) snack.

We've been playing around with some ingredients lately, and my personal favorites always involve strawberries (we go for frozen, so we don't have to add ice). I just opened up my thermos to enjoy the smoothie I made for Cliff and I to split for our morning snack and am relishing the deliciousness of this smoothie. It's just perfect! (And SO easy.)

So, I thought I'd share the recipe in case you're feeling the urge:

Kristine's Trial-and-Error Smoothie (a strawberry banana masterpiece!)
1 cup of nonfat 'french vanilla' organic yogurt (Stonyfield)
1.25 cups of frozen strawberries (we buy the big bags of Dole strawberries at Sam's)
1 ripe banana (if it doesn't have spots, don't use it - you'll miss the flavor)
1 tablespoon of skim organic milk (Greenwise!) (try 2 tablespoons if you like your's not as thick)
.5 scoop of vanilla whey protein powder (EAS) (this scoop is approximately 2 tablespoons, so one tablespoon should do)

This makes about 20oz total, so if you're making for two or saving some for later in the day, it's perfect. If you're only wanting one serving, of course, you can just split the ingredients right in half!