RECIPE: Ultimate Green Smoothie

Ultimate. Green. Smoothie. Three powerful words make up an equally powerful nutritious drink! The ingredients are simple. The process is simple. The results are AMAZING!! Granted, this drink won't win any awards for it's beauty, but it tastes FAR better than it looks AND it's very healthy!!

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla Coconut Milk
1/2 cup vanilla Greek Yogurt (I prefer ZOI)
1 ripe Banana
2 small Carrots (cleaned and cut into chunks)
1/2 cup frozen Blueberries
3 - 4 cups organic Spinach
1/2 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spices
1 teaspoon grated unsweetened Coconut
8 Ice Cubes

DIRECTIONS:
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

 Serve. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Banana Blueberry Spinach Smoothie

Y'all are going to think we consume nothing but smoothies! Not so - I assure you! I'm not going to post any more for a few days ... Smoothies - Not recipes! I'm planning on doing some real cooking ... Just you wait! (However, this is one of my most favorite smoothies!!!)
BANANA BLUEBERRY SPINACH SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 cup vanilla Greek Yogurt
1 Banana
1/2 cup frozen Blueberries
2 cups fresh organic Spinach

DIRECTIONS:
Place all ingredients in a blender. 

Blend until smooth and creamy.

Pour. Enjoy!

RECIPE: White Chocolate Macadamia Smoothie

Who doesn't love white chocolate macadamia nut cookies? Who doesn't love smoothies?? I experimented today ...
WHITE CHOCOLATE MACADAMIA NUT SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 cup vanilla Greek Yogurt
1 Banana
2 tablespoons White Chocolate Chips
2 tablespoons Macadamia Nuts
6 Ice Cubes

DIRECTIONS:
Place all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. This may take a while if the macadamia nuts are whole. 

For best results, chop them first. Pour. Serve. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Strawberry Mango Smoothie ... With Avocado and Spinach!

Conrad isn't completely sold on the idea of "drinking vegetables" mixed with fruit, so I took yesterday's recipe and added avocado and spinach and drank it myself. It was awesome! Smooth, rich, creamy, nutritious ... green ... what more could one ask for!


STRAWBERRY MANGO SMOOTHIE WITH AVOCADO AND SPINACH

INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup ZOI vanilla Greek Yogurt
6-8 fresh Strawberries (I used fresh)
1/2 cup chunks of Mango (I used frozen)
1/4 Avocado
2 cups fresh Spinach
1 teaspoon Agave
6 ice cubes

DIRECTIONS
1. Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy.
2. Pour. Serve. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Strawberry Mango Smoothie

Even though "Smoothie Month" is officially over I am still making and loving drinking them. With Spring and Summer just around the corner, I am going to be trying even more varieties. I will post my findings as I progress.


STRAWBERRY MANGO SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup ZOI vanilla Greek Yogurt
6-8 fresh Strawberries (I used fresh)
1/2 cup chunks of Mango (I used frozen)
1 teaspoon Agave
6 ice cubes

DIRECTIONS
1. Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy.
2. Pour. Serve. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Strawberry Banana Spinach Smoothie

One thing I must say ... When I have a smoothie packed with fresh fruits and spinach I usually do not feel the slightest bit hungry until late in the afternoon. That is one of the most important things I have discovered while doing "Smoothie Month" and I wanted to share. I start thinking about preparing dinner and I feel like I've had a surprising amount of fruits and vegetables already during the day. That's a very good feeling!
I thought I'd end the month (Happy Leap Day, everyone!!) with one of my favorite smoothies. I will continue to explore and post smoothies, so don't anyone get upset. :)
STRAWBERRY BANANA SPINACH SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt
1 banana
6 fresh Strawberries
1/2 cup frozen Blueberries
1 teaspoon organic Agave
6 - 8 Walnut halves
6 Ice Cubes
2 - 4 cups fresh Baby Spinach

DIRECTIONS:
1. Add all ingredients to blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
2.  Pour. Serve. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Strawberry Banana Smoothie

I bought a huge package of beautiful strawberries at the market, so I decided to use some in another smoothie this morning. I'm varying my ingredients to get a better idea of what I like and what I don't. I will admit during my "Smoothie Month" I have made a couple of smoothies that aren't going to be posted here ... One was so bad I took one sip and poured it out! Maybe someday I'll blog about that one, but not right now. :) Here's what I made this morning and it was very much like a strawberry banana milkshake.

STRAWBERRY BANANA SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS
1 cup Whole Milk

1/2 cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt

1 banana

8 fresh Strawberries

6 - 8 Walnut halves

6 Ice Cubes

 DIRECTIONS:

1. Place all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.

 2. Pour. Serve. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Strawberry Peach Banana Smoothie

Conrad's 16 year old son was here this weekend. He spent the entire weekend studying for his Physics final. I felt sorry for the kid and asked him if he wanted a smoothie mid-afternoon. I thought it might give him an added boost of brain power. Whether it worked or not, he loved it.
STRAWBERRY PEACH BANANA SMOOTHIE
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt
1 banana
6 Strawberries
1/2 frozen Peach
6 ice cubes

 DIRECTIONS:
1. Add all ingredients to blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
2. Pour. Serve. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Pumpkin Coconut and ... Spinach Smoothie?

I have to admit I was skeptical about adding such things as spinach or avocado to smoothies. After all, I think of fruit, yogurt, milk, and ice as the main components of smoothies. Man, was I wrong! There are literally millions of options and combinations of ingredients for making smoothies! Here's one that sure to blow your mind, but trust me ... It's delicious!!
PUMPKIN COCONUT SPINACH SMOOTHIE

It's GREEN!!!
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unsweetened Vanilla Coconut Milk
1/2 cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt (I just discovered ZOI brand, and I LOVE it!)
1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened Coconut
6 Ice Cubes
1 teaspoon Agave (not pictured)
2 - 4 cups organic Baby Spinach

DIRECTIONS:
1. Add all ingredients to blender - adding spinach last. The amount of spinach used will vary on how tightly you add it. 
2. Blend until smooth and creamy. (Yes, it will turn BRIGHT GREEN!!)

 3. Pour. Serve. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

For a thick, rich, nutritious smoothie that will remind you of the Holidays, try this recipe. Smoothies are notoriously nutritious, and with a hand full of ingredients, they can be made quickly and consumed while you're on-the-go.
PUMPKIN PIE SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1 banana
1/2 cup Pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 tablespoons walnuts
(I never measure nuts for smoothies - I just grab them with my fingers and put two sprinkles of them in.)
6 - 8 Ice Cubes

 DIRECTIONS:
1. Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
2. Pour. Serve. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Cinnamon Bun Smoothie

Sometimes nothing but something sweet will satisfy a craving. I can find very few times when a Paleo Smoothie won't satisfy that urge to indulge ...  Even when you crave a big, sugary cinnamon roll!

CINNAMON BUN SMOOTHIE

 INGREDIENTS:

1 cup unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

1 Banana

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon pure Maple Syrup

6 Ice Cubes

 DIRECTIONS:
1. Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
2. Pour. Serve. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Power Smoothie

I have to admit - This is not one of the prettiest smoothies I have ever seen, but it tastes fantastic! When you were a kid you probably colored easter eggs with the little fizzy tablets in vinegar. (I know I did!) After all the pretty eggs were ready it seemed to be tradition to experiment with the dyes by putting one egg into every color or by mixing them all together to see what the final outcome would be. Inevitably, you'd have one brownish egg from that process. Well, this smoothie is somewhat of a 'brown easter egg' experiment!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 banana
4 large strawberries
1/2 cup blueberries
1 teaspoon agave
6 ice cubes
2 - 4 cups raw spinach

 DIRECTIONS:
1. Place all ingredients in blender. Place spinach in last. Fill blender to the top with spinach.
2. Blend until smooth and creamy.
3. Taste. Add more agave (to taste) if you prefer a sweeter smoothie.

 Enjoy!

***Interestingly, the longer this smoothie rests the greener it becomes! Here's a view just before the last sip!

RECIPE: Blueberry Strawberry Banana Smoothie

With Valentines Day being just round the corner, our local grocery stores have lots of beautiful strawberries for sale. Since all of my smoothies start out with almond or coconut milk and a banana, I've been experimenting this week with different fruits and flavors. I suppose I should make February "Smoothie" month! Sounds like a new challenge to me!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 banana

4 large strawberries

1/2 cup blueberries (I used frozen)

1 teaspoon agave

6 ice cubes

 DIRECTIONS:
1. Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.

 2. Enjoy!