Smoothies...

I am addicted to smoothies. I have been since high school. Boy, do I love them. They are so flexible. They can be super healthy as meal replacements,  a little sweeter as a dessert treat, or simply a great recovery drink after an intense workout. Over the years, I have modified many of my smoothies to attempt to make them lower calorie, higher protein, etc. I am adamantly opposed to adding sugar or any type (yes, that includes agave nectar, honey, syrup) to my smoothies, because I 100% believe that fruits, veggies, a little juice, coconut or almond milk will satisfy any craving. As you can see, I believe hardcore in my smoothies! :)

In college, I used to sneak every possible vegetable and fruit into my smoothies to make up for the immense lack of nutrition in our cafeteria. I have become famous for my several cups of spinach in one serving, and Joel wouldn't touch most of my smoothies for that shear fact. But it worked great for me!

I also like smoothies because I can buy larger amounts of frozen fruit for a smaller amount of money and have it at my fingers anytime without having to worry about shelf life. If you don't care for milk or yogurt in your smoothies, be intentional about adding a protein such as 1 tablespoon peanut or almond butter. Protein always needs to be present.

For each of these smoothies, combine all ingredients in the blender and pour the liquids over to soften the contents.

Berry Smoothie (serves 2):
1 cup almond/coconut/soy/regular milk
1/2 cup water or 100% orange juice
1 banana
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 T flaxseed
2 cups frozen berries (blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries)
2 carrots
1 cup spinach

Citrus Smoothie (serves 2):
1 grapefruit, peeled of course
1 orange, peel this too
1-2 carrots
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
1/2 cup ice cubes
1 cup 100% orange juice

Veggie Power (serves 2):
1 cup 100% orange juice
3 cups spinach
2 T flaxseed
1/2 cup yogurt (yes, vegan yogurt exists!)
2-3 carrots

Dessert Smoothie (Serves 2):
1 cup vanilla sweetened soy milk/ almond milk
2 T unsweetened cocoa
1 T flaxseed
1 T almond butter
1 Frozen Banana
1/2 cup frozen berries