Cucumber Melon Smoothies

Yes, I have become slightly obsessed with smoothies. As I mentioned before, I am just not a breakfast person so these are a great compromise for me getting something in my stomach to kick start my metabolism first thing in the morning. Yes you can just search the internet, and I often do, but I like to record my favorites. I also see that a lot of recipes make large smoothies, and I am aiming at a 12-16 oz serving size. Plus I love stuff I can prep in advance to save time later (especially when I am still waking up!). Hopefully you find my sharing this with you helpful n_n

Shopping List: 1 honeydew melon 1 english cucumber 1 bunch mint lime juice honey

Per packet: 1/2 c honeydew 1/4 c cucumber 6 mint leaves 1 Tbsp lime juice 1/2 Tbsp honey

This resulted in 8 packets. I split the cucumber and melon into eighths, but the amounts per packet were pretty spot on. The only thing I had leftovers of was the mint--I used a little over half. Depending on the size lime juice and honey you buy, you will probably have leftovers of these as well. I just used honey I had on hand, and bought one of those little bulb bottles of lime juice which didn't have much left when I was done.

Even though this is more of a delicately flavored smoothie, I included the flax and almond butter anyway. You could taste the almond butter, but it was subtle enough to not ruin the flavor of the smoothie. This is also probably one of the most refreshing smoothies I have made! It is great for sipping on while chilling on the porch on a warm summer day. I feel like this well become more of a snack than a breakfast for me n_~

I definitely prefer sandwich bags. My packets are at most 2 cups of fruit and greens, but I like the extra room because I can lay the bags flat and the fruits and greens can spread out and don't make huge clumps when they freeze (which works much better in the blender).

I have also found I need to upgrade blenders. I was using my mom's GE 12 oz single serving blender, but I find I need a little more room to get all the frozen fruit to blend nicely (I particularly had problems with the Tropical Green smoothie). So I have invested (kind of..it was only $14) in the Hamilton Beach single serve blender which holds about 16 oz and gives that extra room I need for blending.

Now that I've bombarded you with a month of smoothies, what are your favorites? Do you eat them for breakfast, snacks, or other meal replacements? What about those of you who are lactose-intolerant, gluten free, or vegan? Share your favorites and suggestions in the comments!

Tropical Green Smoothie

As much as I love my banana-[insert random berry(ies) here] smoothies, I thought I should start changing it up. Add a little variety to my mornings. So I am trying something new and adding another smoothie to the mix. My boyfriend's little sister had gotten something similar to this from Jamba Juice and let me try it. It was really yummy and the tropical fruits completely overpower the greens in flavor so you get the benefits of the greens without the taste. I've done a little searching on the web for similar recipes, and this is what I've come up with for a 12-16oz single serving smoothie.

Shopping List: 1 bunch spinach 1 bunch kale 1 pineapple 2 mangoes 4 bananas

Per packet: 1/2 c spinach 1/2 c kale 1/4 c pineapple, chunked 1/4 c mango, chunked 1/2 banana, sliced

This resulted in 8 packets. The measurements I will say are approximations as I pretty much just split whatever I had into 8 packets--really I was fairly close to my measurements and I think I was only a little short on the greens, but I still managed to get a handful of each per packet.

Following suit of my last two smoothie posts, I make these lactose free and try to boost the protein. In doing so I add 4-6 oz unflavored soy milk (I find with the frozen fruit I need closer to 6 oz, whereas with fresh fruit I use 4 oz and about 1/2 c by volume of ice), 1 Tbsp plain creamy almond butter, 1 Tbsp ground flax seed/flax seed meal.

This time I used sandwich bags! You definitely need the extra space for the greens anyway, plus I'm hoping the fruit won't clump up into one giant frozen chunk like they did the with banana berry smoothies in the snack bags n_n (Ignore the fact that I folded them over for the pictures! >.< )

What are your favorite smoothie recipes? Are there any you are particularly fond of for meal replacements (e.g. breakfast)? Share them here!

Banana Berry Smoothie Packets

Breakfast smoothies have become my go to. They keep me nice and full until lunch, they are healthy, and they kick start my metabolism. As any nutritionist or trainer will tell you, breakfast is a very important meal. However, I am not a breakfast person at all so this is my compromise.

I shared some of my recipes a while back, comparing my lactose free protein shake with a commercial one. This is just how things have evolved since that post in my kitchen. What's great about preparing these packets is 1. you just have to mix with your base (in my case, soy milk, almond butter & flax seed, but you could do water, milk, even throw in some protein shake mix) and 2. you do not need to add ice! I have upgraded to ALL THE BERRIES, so that is the breakdown I will give you.

Shopping List: 1 pint strawberries 6 oz raspberries 6 oz blackberries 6 oz blueberries 4 bananas

Per packet: 3 strawberries, quartered 7-10 raspberries 7-10 blackberries 10 blue berries 1/2 banana, sliced

In dividing up the strawberries, I had enough to make 7 packets. From there I split up the raspberries and blackberries until there were none left, so the number I give you is more of an approximation. The blueberries I did actually count out 10 per packet, and I had a handful of them left (although not for long, as my dog thinks they are delicious and ate them all...after of course rolling them around the kitchen floor and chasing them.) I also ended up with 1/2 banana left over, but depending on the size of your strawberries you may be able to get an 8th packet out of them.

I used snack sized ziploc bags for these. The fruit just barely fit into the bags. It was also 1 solid block of frozen fruit when I took it out to make my smoothie, so I had to break it up in order to get the blender to mix everything. I would have gone with sandwich bags, but I did not discover we were out until I was about to bag all my cut up fruit. In the future I will use them to avoid this ice chunk and recommend you do too n_n

Now to start exploring more smoothie options. I hear some good think about some mango or pineapple smoothie involving spinach and kale...wonder how well I can freeze up those packets?

Lactose Free Protein Shakes?

I've decided Mondays will be my random post of the week day. It might be shop related, or it could just be something I am personally interested in like today.

As you may have read a few weeks ago, I am trying to get back into shape. This is for both personal reasons as well as health (I've got enough things to worry about, I don't need to throw weight onto that list and possibly cause complications later on). I do like to eat healthy normally, so my main problem is exercise. To combat that I hit the gym every day on my lunch for 25 minutes on the elliptical. I need to get myself back into a routine, as my current fill-in position is spoiling me with really flexible hours, and then I will be taking my dog for a walk every day too. I'm hoping to fit in a DVD workout or yoga every night too, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Even though I like to eat healthy, I don't take the time to pack lunches and I often skip breakfast. Skipping breakfast is just a bad idea when it comes to keeping your metabolism in line, and not packing lunches means I'm getting a lot of fast food or prepared food (and lately, I have found myself preferring all-natural & organic options whenever possible).

To take care of the breakfast issue, I have started making smoothies. I am never very hungry in the morning, but I am always thirsty, so I found this a good compromise. I make myself a good smoothie and beef up the protein which keeps my fairly full until lunch so I am not snacking (whereas with just water, I would find myself nibbling on things around 10/11 am). Since I am lactose-intolerant, I do not use the protein shake powders and went to look for natural alternatives.

I opted for almond butter, ground flax seed, and soy milk in lieu of water and a protein shake powder. My three current flavors are strawberry banana, raspberry banana, and strawberry raspberry. My quick recipe for a 12 oz smoothie is as follows:

All Natural Fruit Smoothies Fruit (choose 2 of the following: 1/2 banana, 3 strawberries, 6 raspberries) 1/2 c soy milk (regular, not vanilla) 1 Tbsp ground flax seed 1 Tbsp creamy almond butter Ice (I use a single serve blender and fill it about 1/2-2/3 with ice) Throw all ingredients in your blender, I recommend starting with the ice and ending with the soy milk, and blend until you are happy with the consistency. I do recommend cutting up the fruit (except the raspberries, they are pretty small already) and avoiding giant chunks of ice to get a smooth texture.

Below are the nutritional facts for each smoothie:

Strawberry Banana 249 calories 25 g carbohydrates 13 g fat 10 g protein 13g sugar

Raspberry Banana 237 calories 26 g carbohydrates 13 g fat 10 g protein 12 g sugar

Strawberry Raspberry 194 calories 10 g carbohydrates 13 g fat 9 g protein 5 g sugar

And here you can compare to the nutritional facts if you were to use 1 packet or scoop of a protein shake (HMR 800 Vanilla, in this instance as that is what my mom uses) and water instead of the soy milk, flax seed, and almond butter:

Strawberry Banana 249 calories 38 g carbohydrates 2 g fat 17 g protein 52 g sugar

Raspberry Banana 237 calories 39 g carbohydrates 2 g fat 17 g protein 30 g sugar

Strawberry Raspberry 194 calories 23 g carbohydrates 2 g fat 16 g protein 44 g sugar

Calorie-wise, both methods are the same. My method gives you about half the protein (but considering the only protein you gain from the fruit is 1 g from the banana, I consider the 9 g decent), but also less sugar and carbohydrates. My method does have more fat, but at least it is the good kind of fat that you get from nuts.

This has started becoming my breakfast. Since adding the flax and almond butter, I have noticed they are much more filling. Also these additions didn't really alter the taste too much. On the days where I am extra hungry though, I'll reach for single servings of granola (bar or loose), instant oatmeal, or instant cream of wheat (I prefer Farina). I've also lately become enamored with Emerald Nut's Breakfast on the Go! The breakfast nut blend with glazed walnuts is my current favorite, and at only 180 calories, my breakfast is still kept reasonable.

Next time, I'll go into what I do for healthy snacks to tide me over during the day. And possibly in the future I'll discuss how bento boxes help me pack appropriate portion sizes for lunch and keep me feeling full until dinner. I can't guarantee these will be the next two Monday posts, as other more interesting things may pop up, but they will be forthcoming.

Wednesday's post will focus on how I size infant footwear, and I may possibly go into the roller skate booties and what makes them unique (or that may be next week's post if it seems like too much info for one).

Friday's post is still a mystery! I converted a neat knitting pattern to crochet, and if I can get permission from the author I will be sharing both versions. Otherwise I have a video game character that may get typed up if I can find my original notes this week.