Smoothie Queen

I've gotten on a smoothie kick in the last week. It really is good to blend something yourself. You can see what's being put in it. Not to mention, it's cheaper! Lord knows, I LIVED in Planet Smoothie when I was in ATL. I used to go to the one on Powers Ferry all the time, because it was near the first job I had there. Then I moved to Cobb County and I would stop at the one in Vinings all the time. Since moving back to Charlotte, I've noted that we really don't have Planet Smoothie here. We have Smoothie King. I know it sounds crazy, but there really is a difference, and I'm not feeling Smoothie King.

One of the blogs on my reading list is Healthy Hair and Body. She posted a blog about incorporating protein into your diet, with a link to a smoothie recipe for a peanut butter banana soy smoothie. You can check her post here. The ingredients for the smoothie are as follows:

1 cup soy milk (I chose to use Silk vanilla flavor)
1 medium banana - quartered (quartered? I just chopped it up into pieces. LOL!)
1 tablespoon peanut butter (a prudent person would probably go for natural peanut butter, but this is me. So I used Peter Pan honey peanut butter)
3 ice cubes

I mixed it just like this the first day, with no additions. I wasn't sure if I was going to like the peanut butter and banana together. It wasn't bad. I mostly tasted the soy milk and the banana. I love peanut butter,so I have since decided to tweak the recipe. I now add 2 tablespoons instead of one (the serving size on the jar of peanut butter is 2 tablespoons, anyway). I also added some Aria protein powder that I have had sitting in the pantry and I haven't been using. The protein powder is vanilla flavored, and has a combination of whey and soy protein. It added some extra flavor and made the smoothie a little more creamy. I think I'm hooked!

One of my favorite smoothies from Planet Smoothie is the Leapin' Lizard. It's strawberries, peaches, crushed ice, and their fat burner blast. That's pretty much all I ever ordered from there. Over the weekend, I decided to get the fruit and do it myself. I ended up at Trader Joe's, where I bought the following:

--Bag of mixed tropical fruit - pineapple, mango and papaya chunks infused with passion fruit juice - can you say, yummy?
--A carton of their orange-mango-peach juice. This is yummy as well!
--2 bags of frozen strawberries

I also got some of their to-die-for yogurt pretzels, but that's another post for another time. Unfortunately, they did not have any frozen peaches. They did have blueberries and a mixed berry blend. If you have a Trader Joe's in your area, check it out. I think they were reasonably priced.

I took myself to Food Lion on a whim, and they did have frozen peaches in stock, so I got 2 bags from them. I was ready to make my smoothies happen!

On Sunday morning, I blended a cup of the orange-mango-peach juice with a cup or so of the tropical fruit mixture. It was very fruity and very tart, but it was still good. I put in a little bit of honey, but I probably should have added more. I think next time, I will add some of the protein powder.

This morning, I mixed the following:
--1 cup orange-mango-peach juice (you could just use orange juice, or probably any fruit juice of your choosing)
--1 cup frozen peach slices
--1 cup frozen strawberries
--1 tbsp honey
--1 chopped banana

This mixture was to die for! It's supposed to be 3 servings at 130 cals each. I would be walking around like an anorexic crack head if I only had 130 cals for breakfast, so I drank the whole thing. You'll have to tweak it to your needs, though. This was just like the Leapin' Lizard, with the added mild taste of the banana. This is definitely going to be incorporated into my diet. Nothing like getting the fruit you need, and enjoying the taste.

So far, I've found 3 smoothie blends that I like. I think with the last two fruit blends, I am going to add the protein powder every now and again and see how that works out, as far as taste. I hope to start experimenting with other fruits and recipes. I didn't find it to be any more expensive than buying fresh fruit for the week, and actually it might be slightly cheaper. It takes a little extra time in the morning, but I think the benefits are worth it. Let's just hope my blender holds up. :)