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| Kale, banana, blueberry, and OJ smoothies. |
I've never been a fan of liquifying my meals. I like the act of chewing. I'll start drinking my meals when I'm 85, thank you very much.
Recently, however, I have discovered the beauty of smoothies...for a snack. See, smoothies have never filled me up when I've tried replacing a meal with one of them. I'm always hungry an hour or two later, wishing I had just masticated some solid food. Also, protein powder scares me, and, back in the day, I used to think that was the only satiating ingredient in a smoothie. But over the last few weeks, I have discovered the beauty of utilizing frozen fruits and vegetables to make simple, delicious smoothies that are packed with nutrients.
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| Strawberry, banana, cocoa powder, and almond milk smoothie. |
I always thought making smoothies had to be expensive, but you really only need a few simple, affordable ingredients to make a tasty one. I've only whipped up a couple of smoothies so far, but my favorite combination to date is a handful of frozen strawberries, a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder, a tablespoon of peanut butter, and vanilla almond milk. I also love the texture bananas give to a smoothie - they make them ultra thick and almost creamy.
I've also used kale, frozen spinach, and frozen blueberries in my smoothies, and all have been successful. I'm still getting used to drinking leafy green vegetables, but I like knowing my body's getting the nutrients it needs in a simple snack. I also just bought frozen peaches today, which I am quite excited to use in my next smoothie!
As a snack, my simple smoothies keep me satiated for longer than I'd expect them to. I still don't think I could ever replace a meal with one and be completely satisfied, but the snack smoothie works for me.
I love smoothies but am sort of lazy about cleaning my blender every time I want one! Your post reminds me of all the frozen fruit in my freezer - and I am intrigued by the addition of cocoa. Maybe I should make a big batch of smoothies to have throughout the week!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a great idea! And the addition of cocoa did make a big difference. It wasn't overly sweet or chocolatey, either, which I liked.
DeleteI have a smoothie every now and then! Glad you are discovering what a great snack they can be.
ReplyDeleteI love the sound of that combination. I always used to do chocolate Silk, vanilla yogurt, a frozen banana, and a scoop of peanut butter. I don't think I've dug out my blender since we moved.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like an awesome combination! For some reason, I never even thought of using chocolate Silk...I'll have to try that sometime soon!
Deletelove smoothies, and i think i'm with you as a snack :) i need a blender at work! not sure if i have a favorite combo, but i definitely take advantage of frozen fruit (way cheaper!) and sometimes remember to throw in frozen kale or spinach, too!
ReplyDeleteI've just started getting into green smoothies. I find that using a little nut butter and banana in green smoothies makes them absolutely delicious! My go-to is spinach, banana, almond butter, and almond milk.
ReplyDeleteI still have yet to try almond butter because of its hefty price. Do you have any recommendations as to where I should buy it? Thanks in advance!
DeleteWhat's in that first one? It looks chocolate.
ReplyDeleteI confess, that's the only reason I read on -- I am not a smoothie person. But, that said, I can see that they'd make good snacks, and I am struggling with healthy snacks lately.
The first photo is made up of kale, banana, blueberry, and orange juice!
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