skinny superfood smoothie

So this smoothie is kind of the pregnancy edition of an earlier smoothie I’d posted.  When I met with my midwife for my 8 week appointment, she told me to eliminate A LOT from my diet.  I thought my diet was pretty healthy before, but apparently a lot of the foods I love aren’t great for you when you are pregnant.  Goodbye orange juice and Honey Bunches of Oats. (Heart shatters.)  Orange juice was hard to give up since I craved it pretty much my entire first trimester.  My midwife said my favorite breakfast beverage basically just converts to sugar as soon as it hit my bloodstream.  I felt so betrayed… All this time I thought I was being so healthy and I was just craving sugar?

Needless to say, I really had a hard time drinking my usual smoothie without orange juice.  The flavor was just gone without it.  I tried making homemade oj, but found that I just didn’t have enough time in the mornings before work even with a great juicer.  So, I slowly modified the ingredients until I came up with something that tasted just as good without my beloved oj. The secret?  Pineapple, carrots, and lime juice.  Those three little treasures resurrected my bland little smoothie giving it a sweet, tangy taste without any processed sugar.

I made two other tweaks to the original recipe.  I started subbing unsweetened almond milk for Greek yogurt since one cup has 45% of the calcium I need every day.  Score for me and the baby!  Almond milk also has a good amount of protein, but you are welcome to sub a protein powder or add Greek yogurt to the smoothie instead.  Also, I detracted the banana because this kid has given me a serious banana aversion. The texture, taste, smell… everything just seems awful now.  (And, I seriously loved bananas before… Need proof? Please see these Strawberry-Banana Bites, these Banana Walnut Muffins, and this amazing Banana Coffee Cake.) 

Still packed with greens, carrots, and berries, this smoothie deserves its name.  It’s a little leaner and a little less sugar-y though.  

Click to read more ...

easy green smoothie bags

I'm still full! Stuffed! Two turkey dinners left me utterly and completely stuffed.  In the best possible way, of course. :)  So, Monday morning I whipped not just one smoothie, but a whole weeks worth. These little smoothie bags make my daily smoothie regime much easier.  Instead of prepping all the ingredients each morning, I just dump one of these little bags in the blender and add a wee bit of oj and coconut milk.  Easy peesy. 

The secreat ingredient to these little bags is the green ice cubes.  They do require some prep, but they are packed with green goodness... kale, spinach, and a touch of mint.  A regular detox cocktail. By whipping up green juice and freezing it in ice cube trays, I don't have to worry about my greens going bad and I can pack more greens into my smoothie. Which I certainly need these week.  Here's to detox. 

Click to read more ...

cool cucumber-mango smoothies

Hi There! It's a quick post today. Fall is just around the corner and I am getting the itch to buy school supplies. I am dying to ransack Target and leave with bags of new clothes, lunch boxes, and #2 pencils.  Unfortunately, I'm not sending anyone off to school this year so I'll have to suppress the urge. Maybe, I'll just get a new skirt or something... Maybe. 

But if I were sending some tikes off to school, I would start the school year off right with with a healthy, easy breakfast smoothie.  It's fresh, fast, and yummy. If your kids like things on the sweeter side, add 2 tablespoons honey or use vanilla yogurt.