Smoothies

[DLS]

My stomach has always given me problems, and the latest advice is to avoid most cooked foods, wheat, dairy, etc.... Leaving me drinking my strawberry/banana/mango/spinach/almond smoothie. A lot.

So, I've been coveting a Vitamix for several years, figuring I could make great smoothies. I came close to buying one, but given my inherent (read: Scottish) conservatism when it comes to spending money, I decided that an interim step was necessary. Enter.... The Nutri-Bullet! It's like a Magic Bullet on steroids. Apparently, it has a really powerful motor, allowing it to pulverize nuts, seeds, etc. Great! I've been using it for a month now, and I have two pieces of advice:

a) Don't try to take it in your carry-on luggage through airport security. Apparently, one could possibly wield the little rotary blades as a weapon. Yes, I'm serious: I traveled with it so I could guarantee my breakfast. And yes, I was stupid enough to try taking it through security...

b) (Wo)man cannot live on one smoothie recipe alone!

So, please, help me out! I'm trying to make smoothies without reverting to protein powders because I haven't found one that doesn't taste hinkey and I don't want to have to figure out if something in a protein powder is bother my stomach. If you have ANY recipes that you use --- especially if you've found a way of having more protein in them -- I'm all ears!

My current one is:

1/2 c frozen mango
6 frozen strawberries
2c baby spinach
1/2 c raw almonds
1 banana
1 c water

[MINITEE]

you can add protein in a few different ways.

hemp hearts
Greek yogurt
nuts, seeds
egg whites (only if you are OK with raw egg)
nut butters

One of my favorite smoothies is: Banana, peanut butter, chocolate protein (not for you tho), milk. Plain Greek yogurt makes it creamier

Mango, blueberry, vanilla yogurt, vanilla almond milk
Blueberry, banana, vanilla yogurt, vanilla almond milk
Raspberry, vanilla yogurt, vanilla almond milk.

Keep lots of frozen berries on hand and I toss bananas in my freezer the second they turn brown. They are gross when frozen, but I don't like putting ice in my smoothies!

[carm]

I don't have much to add since MINITEE's post is pretty great.

My pre-swim smoothie usually consists of: *for my runs, I always get up more than 2 hours ahead of time so I eat a real breakie*
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1 small banana
2 teaspoons hemp hearts
2 teaspoons chia seed
handful of lettuce or kale
bit of water or almond milk since I have a crappy blender

For protein, I use Vega One or plain Greek yogurt. Another veggie that you can add to a smoothie is beets chopped in small pieces. A lot of people I know also use 1 teaspoon maca powder for endurance and 1 teaspoon of a healthy oil like hemp, flax, 3-6-9 or coconut oil to improve digestion.

For a recovery smoothie, you can add 1/2 lemon or lemon juice, high antioxidant fruits (blueberries, gogi berries, strawberries, acai berries), leafy greens, raw pumpkin seeds (high in iron), omega 3 fats (e.g. avocado) and coconut water.

[DLS]

Wow -- great info! Thanks, Carm and Minitee.

I'm going to skip the greek yogurt (much as I'd love it!) and try the hemp hearts and chia seeds (do you need to add water to them first?)

Yeah, my freezer used to be full of bananas for banana bread, and now it's full of bananas for smoothies! I find that they add a lot of creaminess too.

[carm]

Wow -- great info! Thanks, Carm and Minitee.

I'm going to skip the greek yogurt (much as I'd love it!) and try the hemp hearts and chia seeds (do you need to add water to them first?)

Yeah, my freezer used to be full of bananas for banana bread, and now it's full of bananas for smoothies! I find that they add a lot of creaminess too.

I just add mine straight into the smoothie. If you soak chia, you can actually use it as an egg replacement since it gets very gooey. Happy smoothie-ing.

[eme]

I know that you said no protein powders, but if you have success with the hemp hearts I would recommend trying hemp protein.

I had pretty severe stomach problems and I was able to tolerate it very well (and get some protein, since I had to go vegan for a year). I couldn't eat meat/fats due to my problems and I am lactose intolerant - it was a 'fun' year living with two 'very' meat eaters!

I get mine from Manitoba Harvest (caveat - my coach/triathlon group is sponsored by them) and I like that they are a Canadian (Manitoba!) company.

http://manitobaharvest.com/ - I believe that they have samples, so you might be able to e-mail them and ask for a sample size to see if it works. Just an idea, as I know that it can be very difficult to get enough protein when you have a restrictive diet.

My usual smoothie is:

1 cup frozen berries (I use the Costco three berry blend)
4 tbsp Hemp Protein (I used Hemp Pro 50)
1.5 cups hemp milk (chocolate is my favourite)

I started this my vegan year and it is still my go to breakfast most days.

[Engmomma]

My Braun handblender does wonders on frozen fruits.

I haven't felt well for a few days and with a really sore throat smoothies were awesome.

Froze fruit
Banana
Vanilla Liberte yougurt
Strawberries or raspberries
Milk.
I have added egg whites my only issue is theycan thicken it so much I can't sip through a straw.

[DLS]

Good ideas, folks -- thanks! I'll try to order some hemp hearts from Manitoba (gotta keep it Canadian if at all possible!)

[eme]

Good ideas, folks -- thanks! I'll try to order some hemp hearts from Manitoba (gotta keep it Canadian if at all possible!)

Costco carries Hemp Hearts (at least they do here), so that my save you ordering them.

[DLS]

Good ideas, folks -- thanks! I'll try to order some hemp hearts from Manitoba (gotta keep it Canadian if at all possible!)

Costco carries Hemp Hearts (at least they do here), so that my save you ordering them.

If I can order more than $100 it makes sense to order from Manitoba Hemp, because of the free shipping. But I need to try them first.

[eme]

Good ideas, folks -- thanks! I'll try to order some hemp hearts from Manitoba (gotta keep it Canadian if at all possible!)

Costco carries Hemp Hearts (at least they do here), so that my save you ordering them.

If I can order more than $100 it makes sense to order from Manitoba Hemp, because of the free shipping. But I need to try them first.

Try e-mailing them and asking for a sample pack - explain that you have food restrictions and want to try before you order $100.00 worth of product.

[Half-Mary]

Good ideas, folks -- thanks! I'll try to order some hemp hearts from Manitoba (gotta keep it Canadian if at all possible!)

Costco out here sells big bags of them. Most grocery stores carry them too. I've seen different brands, but always Canadian brands. Manitoba Harvest even sells a small size bag with only a couple of servings in it.

[MINITEE]

Superstore carries Manitoba Hemp products in their Organics section.