Strawberry Banana Breakfast Smoothie

I'm sick. The on again, off again runny/stuffy nose, pounding head, sore sore throat kind of sick. And let me tell you - it's getting pretty old. I keep reminding myself of Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail - tissues all over the house, still in pajamas mid-day, still in bed mid-day - and not wanting to accept flowers from anybody! (okay... maybe not that extreme, but still.)

So to state the obvious - my post is definitely an easy, quick, go-to remedy for any sore throat. This breakfast smoothie can be altered in many different ways - add a little spinach to make it a green smoothie, add any kind of fruit, juice, protein powder - do what you want to make this "your" go-to breakfast smoothie. I know I'm going to be making it long after I'm feeling 100% again!

Strawberry Banana Breakfast Smoothie
2 SERVINGS 
PREP: 5 minutes           COOK: 0 minutes            READY IN: 5 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 8 whole strawberries (frozen or thawed)
• 1 medium banana (frozen or thawed)
• 1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1 1/4 cup soy milk
• 1/2 cup rolled oats

DIRECTIONS

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1. Mix ingredients in blender until smooth. Add more or less milk, depending on desired consistency.

NUTRITION FACTS

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     1 cup serving    276 calories   4.8 g fat   50.2 g carbs    10.2 g protein    23.9 g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from AllRecipes

Chocolate Strawberry Protein Smoothie

I love playing around with different protein drink combinations. I'm a chocolate lover, but having the same chocolate smoothie gets old fast. Real fast. I thought to myself, "what goes well with chocolate?" Then it came to me. Chocolate covered strawberries. Delish! So I decided to throw some in my drink and see what happened. The result was yummy. My husband was my taste tester and his answer was "it tastes healthy". Not sure that's a good thing. But then I caught him finishing off the extras, so it can't taste too healthy. :)

Chocolate Strawberry Protein Smoothie

1 SERVINGS 

PREP:5 minutes           COOK: 0 minutes            READY IN: 5 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder
• 1 cup frozen strawberries (frozen is best so the smoothie is cold)
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (optional, I like the texture it adds)

DIRECTIONS

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1. Combine all ingredients in a blender. 

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 serving   377 calories  10g fat  47g carbs   34g protein   11g sugar   

Enjoy!

Ginger Pear Cranberry Smoothie

I've lately had a habit of making smoothies for myself for breakfast after I work out. Around our house, this usually means that my husband has breakfast with the kids, while I'm trying to fit in a workout and a shower before he leaves for work. I throw together my smoothie sometime mid-morning after I've wrestled my kids off me enough to dry my hair and put on at least a smidgin of makeup.  By the time I get to my breakfast, my kids are hungry again and think that my smoothie is just the thing to satisfy their yearning for "second breakfast." So, we sit ourselves down to the breakfast table, pull out a few straws, and share mommy's smoothie. It has actually turned into a nice time to sit for just a second with my kids and reset our morning in a positive direction (as my desperate attempts to fend them off while I get myself ready are typically not my best parenting moments).

I'm always on the search for new smoothie recipes to keep it interesting. This combination is full of seasonal flavor. The pear keeps it sweet and smooth, the cranberry lends a nice tartness, and the ginger-cinnamon bring it all festively together - almost like you're eating a holiday pie! And the spinach? Well that makes it green, of course, along with giving it a boost of super-healthiness! I will confess that in an effort to reduce our sugar, I've trained myself and my kids to have our smoothies without a lot of added sweetness, which is one of the reasons I like adding in other flavors like the ginger and cinnamon. If you feel that this comes out too tart for your taste, you could add in a small amount of sweetener (honey, stevia, or some other sweetener). but I'd definitely encourage you to try it "sugar-free!"

Ginger Pear Cranberry Smoothie
1-2 SERVINGS (depending on if you have children begging you to share!)
PREP: 5 minutes           COOK: 0 minutes            READY IN: 5 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 1 ripe pear
• 1 cup fresh (or frozen) cranberries
• 2-3 cups fresh spinach
• 1 cup of your preferred milk (we usually drink plain or vanilla soy milk, but I tried vanilla coconut milk with this recipe)
• 1-2 dashes ground ginger
• 2-3 dashes ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

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1. Place all the ingredients in your blender, with the spinach on bottom. 
2. Blend until the cranberries are well blended. 
3. Serve and enjoy!

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 unshared smoothie   210 calories   2.6 g fat   45.9 g carbs    6.7 g protein    24.8 g sugar   

Enjoy!