My Atkins friendly low carb smoothy..... Half a cup of choc unsweetened almond mink half cup reg unsweetened almond milk a little bit of unsweetened cocoa powder a tad bit of cream 1 oz raspberries and a tspn of splenda and some ice. Add more splenda if your not counting carbs and like it sweeter.
I've been on a real smoothie kick lately and I am always looking for new ideas.
My current smoothie of choice is 1 banana, half a scoop of plant based vanilla protein powder, about 3/4 c almond milk, and some ice.
Simple but it tastes just like a banana milkshake to me!
Cup of homemade kefir, tablespoon of maple syrup, and a handful of whatever berries (rasp, straw, black, blue) I have in the freezer. I think I like rasp/blue smoothies the best but I love the smell when i open a bag of frozen strawberries - they smell like summertime and remind me of the warm sunny day when they were picked.
I've been lurking for a while and getting all of your good ideas. Here is my current smoothie recipe.
I have developed a sort-of smoothie that really fills you up for about 60-90 calories, depending on what kind of milk you use. This is not a nutritional smoothie, but rather a treat that will make you feel like you are having a big dessert, but really you are just getting some milk and a few calories from the other ingredients.
You must use a regular sized food processor, not a blender, not a mini-chopper. It will NOT WORK in a regular blender. It might in a vita-mix or something like that, but I don't have a fancy blender.
You must also buy xanthan gum and guar gum powders. These are available at health food stores, and cost quite a bit, but will last you a long time since you use a tiny bit of each. Some people's digestive systems don't tolerate these, but most people are fine with them.
Detailed instructions:
Put approximately 1 cup to 1.5 cups of ice cubes in your food processor. Blend until a fine ice powder is reached. You don't want chunks of ice, but more snow-like texture.
Add 1/2 cup of milk. I use 2%, but if you wish, you can use skim.I have never tried this with alternative milks, but I know that it doesn't work well with water, as the milk is necessary to get the creamy texture. Again, process in FP until well mixed. You may need to use a rubber spatula to combine well.
Add a packet of crystal light, or if you want, 2/3 or so of a packet of sugar-free Jello powder, whichever flavor you like. The jello has more calories. I LOVE the pink lemonade, and orange jello. I also like the lemon lime Crystal light, and raspberry is ok too. I have not tried all flavors. Again, process in FP. Start it on a slow speed so that the powder doesn't go flying around in you FP and coat the top of the machine.
Note: If you want this to be really filling, use the Crystal light that has fiber in it, or add a tsp or so of fiber yourself. It will make you feel quite full. It can also give you a stomach ache, so watch how much fiber you can tolerate.
Once well blended, add 1 teaspoon xanthan gum and 1/4 teaspoon guar gum. Again, start your FP slowly so the powder doesn't go flying. Then process on high for 30 seconds or so. DO NOT OVERPROCESS or it will get a very weird texture.
Serve! I eat it in a frosted glass with a spoon. This makes two servings, or one really big serving. I keep the leftovers in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes, but it will degrade as the ice melts or if it freezes completely.
Variations with slightly higher calorie content:
Chocolate
Use four tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder instead of Crystal Light or Jello with sweetener (I like Splenda, or Stevia sometimes). Cocoa usually has between 15-20 calories per tablespoon, but it also has valuable anti-oxidants, so it is good for you, unlike the alternatives. I cut down on the ice when I do the cocoa version.
Coffee
Add instant coffee granules (I use decaf so I am not up all night!) and sweetener.
I am sure there are other variations, but these have been my most successful experiments to date! Sometimes I feel like a mad food scientist doing this.
Orange smoothie
WW vanilla smoothie powder (Or any vanilla flavor protein powder or even vanilla extract)
1 cup crushed ice
1/2 cup water
1 - 2 frozen banana
1 cup diet orange soda
I'm on a PB2 kick lately too.
Banana-Strawberry-Peanut Butter Smoothie
1/2 Banana (I eat the other half)
3-5 Strawberries (Depending on size)
2 Tablespoons PB2
1 Scoop Vanilla Soy Protein
1 cup Almond Milk (I'm lactose intolerant other milks would work fine!)
This makes about 2 cups worth. I need to make it a bit smaller because I can never finish it!
I made smoothies a lot last summer and will start up again soon. I use homemade lowfat yogurt and frozen berries - that's it. I might add a bit of splenda for sweetener. Adding protein powder is a good idea too - I'll have to try that to boost the protein a bit.
I make green smoothies - a banana, a handful of berries and a handful of whatever greens I have on hand, usually spinach. Mix it with a little bit of water and that's it! It always comes under 200 calories and fills me up really well.
I kind of take an everything but the kitchen sink approach to smoothies. I don't measure things, but it always ends up tasty. Depending on what I have around a typical smoothie might contain:
1 Banana
1 fresh orange
handful or 2 of whatever frozen fruit I have in the freezer (typically strawberry, blueberry, mango, peach, pineapple)
~ 1 c plain soy yogurt (I like Wildwood or WholeSoy brand)
Hemp protein powder
Flax milk (or almond or soy or hemp milk) to desired consistency
I usually end up with 2 pint mason jars full plus a little left to chug while I'm getting ready to go. I like the mason jars because they're portable. Smoothies get me through long days at school and 12 hour clinicals at the hospital. Can be a real saver for afternoon hunger pangs and fuzzy brain!
Last edited by shananigans; 03-27-2012 at 12:59 PM.
Here's our two favorites at the moment since we got a blender (LOVE my blender!).
2-4 frozen bananas + glass of water + A couple spoonfuls of hot chocolate powder.
2-4 frozen bananas + 2 glasses of water + 1 cup of frozen blueberries.
These are both REALLY delicious. They've become a staple for us, because we both have a big sugar tooth (especially near the end of the day), so we usually have one of these before/with/ or as dinner. Both of these "recipes" give us nearly two glasses each.
I've tried orange and carrot mixtures as I love orange carrot juice, but unfortunately our blender leaves them VERY pulpy. Usually I love pulp but this is way too much.
Last edited by 3FCer344892; 03-29-2012 at 02:22 AM.
