Yummy Smoothies

Guys… I am officially in week 2 of 6 for my half marathon training. It has been going really well. I am actually amazed at my progress. This past Saturday I ran 7 miles… not bad at all.

As you know, I promised that I would try to stay on track nutrition wise. I have to admit, I could do better. For me, one easy way to improve my eating habits is to add smoothies to the daily menu. The spring is officially here, and the summer is not that far behind ( yay ) that means fresh fruits and veggies galore. It is super refreshing to have a smoothie either first thing in the morning, or mid afternoon for extra boost of energy. I promised I would share some of my recipes. Fair warning though… These are not earth shattering recipes… These are for folks like me, the idea of green juice is repulsive, yet you try to be on point with your nutrition. I use quality protein powders, water or almond/ coconut milk, fruits and other fun additions. So I guess technically these are protein shakes not smoothies… I know many food bloggers use yogurts to make their drinks, but i really don’t care for the taste of a yogurt juice 🙁

I came up with these to: 1.make protein shakes taste better, 2. incorporate more fruits into my diet, 3.create easy, no frill or fuss aka no crazy ingredients needed, delicious meals/or snacks on-the-go, 4.make my fitness journey more fun.

And finally, I needed to put my amazing Vitamix Pro blender (the best Christmas gift ever!!!) into a good use.  I hope you guys enjoy this post! Check the recipes below.

 

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Just a few tips I wanted to share with you…

1. Add good quality Vanilla Extract.
2. If you want to bring out the deep chocolate flavor, add Espresso Powder.
3. Use milk (of your choice, i.e. almond, coconut, diary) instead of water, to make shakes more creamy.
4. Cinnamon is naturally sweet, so it always makes a great add on.
5. Replace peanut butter with the powdered version for low calorie alternative.
6. Good quality blender makes all the difference…if you truly enjoy shakes, invest in one!

   

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Pina Colada

8-10 oz of almond coconut milk blend

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

1/2 frozen banana

1 pineapple ring… or two

1 tbl unsweetened shredded coconut

1 tsp chia seeds

Ice

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Pumpkin Latte

8 oz of freshly brewed coffee

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

2 tablespoon of canned pumpkin pure (add more if you like)

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Dash of cinnamon

Dash of pumpkin pie spice

Ice

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Vanilla Latte

8 oz of freshly brewed coffee

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Ice

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Creamy Vanilla

8-10 oz almond milk

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

1/2 banana ( I like to freeze mine to reduce the amount of ice)

1 tsp of chia seeds

Dash of cinnamon (optional)

Ice

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Mocha

8 oz of freshly brewed coffee

1 scoop of chocolate protein powder

Dash of espresso powder

Dash of cinnamon

Ice

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Purple Monster

8 oz water

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

3/4 cup of mixed berries (blueberry/ rasberry/ blackberry)

1/2 banana

Ice

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Reese’s PB Smoothie

10 oz water or milk of your choice

1 scoop of chocolate protein powder

1/2 frozen banana

2 tbl PB powder (like PB2)

Ice

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PB & J

10 oz water

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

2 tbl PB powder (like PB2)

1/2 cup of blueberries

Dash of cinnamon

Ice

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Hope you guys enjoy these, as much as I do! What are some of your favorite recipes??? Comment below!

Thank you for reading,

XO