Smoothies

Remember how I said I've been trying to eat healthier lately?  Yeah... about that..... :) Actually, I've been doing pretty good!  I've had my times of weakness, but I've read somewhere that you need to enjoy some cheat days.  And I have :)  But here's the thing:  Among the sea of things I can't eat (or choose not to eat), there are things that I CAN eat, that I actually WANT to eat, that I actually look FORWARD to eating!  (Wow, pretty sure that sentence is grammatically incorrect on so many levels....)  Anyway, one of the things I actually enjoy having that is good for my body, as well as my taste buds, is my smoothies.  And let me tell you something, and I don't ever want you to forget it;  I am falling in love with Greek Yogurt.  I can't stand to eat it plain, but you better believe it is AWESOME for cooking and in smoothies!  And it is SO GOOD for you too!  With about the same amount of calories as regular yogurt, Greek yogurt has DOUBLE the amount of protein and about half the amount of sugar.  I was buying Chobani Vanilla Greek Yogurt, but now I just buy the Kroger brand at Smiths for half the price, and I like it just as much :) They have Vanilla flavored, sweetened with Stevia, and IT IS BOMB!  Alright, now back to the smoothies.  My first smoothie actually has three different variations, so with this one recipe, I am actually giving you three.  I know, right?  ;)  K here it is

Smoothie # 1:

Berry Smoothie

-1 cup Frozen Berries (I used Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend from Costco)
-Couple of Ice Cubes
-1/2 Cup Greek Yogurt 
-3/4 Cup Milk
-Stevia to taste - I probably put in about a Tablespoon or more... I like my food super sweet okay?  Step off :)

This shake is SO GOOD.  It's tangy, tart and delicious :)  A good way to jump start your morning :)

Banana Berry Smoothie

-Same ingredients as above, only with a little banana added to the mixture.  I used a little less than half a banana, and it was perfect.  It made the smoothie a little sweeter, which I love of course :)

Cocoa Berry Smoothie  

-Same ingredients as the first Berry Smoothie, but with a little cocoa powder added to it.  So I was thinking; "Hey, people eat chocolate covered berries all the time......." So why not make a chocolate berry smoothie?  You can put real chocolate in there, and it will probably taste amazing - but if you want to keep it a healthy smoothie, then just add cocoa powder.  This will give your flavor a little kick in the pants  :)


Okay, now for smoothie # 2


So a few months back I googled 'Spinach Smoothies' and got this awesome recipe that I have been using for months.  Just recently I have seen it floating around pinterest, so a lot of you may already have pinned it/tried it, but I thought I would put it on here anyway because I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!  Really.  So here you go!

Spinach Smoothie 

- 1 banana cut up and frozen (2 hours in the freezer should do it)
-Couple handful of Baby Spinach
-1 Cup Milk
-Heaping Spoonful of Peanut Butter
-1/2 Cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt * (Or plain, but you might need to add some Stevia if it's plain Greek)
-2 Ice Cubes

*I freeze half of the yogurt along with my bananas.  It makes the texture of the smoothie thicker, like a shake :)

The lady says to just throw it all in the blender and mix up, but that wasn't really working out for me.... So I start with the ice cubes on the bottom,  then I put the spinach in and pour the milk over it.  I blend those three ingredients up until it's mixed well and slushy.  Then I add the frozen banana and the frozen Greek yogurt.  Blend well.  Then add the remaining yogurt and the peanut butter and blend through.  Voila!  You, my friend, now have a blender full of smoothie awesomeness that is both super healthy for you and tastes great!  
You can find the original recipe here: http://iowagirleats.com/2012/01/04/my-top-secret-diet-weapon/


Okay, last thing....  So one of the other things that I look forward to eating that is healthy is those whole wheat banana pancakes I posted about a few weeks ago - EXCEPT, I have added a few ingredients to make it even tastier.  So go check that post out again if you want to kick up the flavor a notch on those pancakes :)  Hope you all enjoy!!