Chocolate-PB-Banana Smoothie

Ok, so this wasn't exactly a difficult recipe to come up with, but it's so freaking delicious that I had to share. I've been super into fruit smoothies, sometimes with kale and/or spinach in them. This is a bit more of an indulgent smoothie.

Now don't let the word indulgent throw you off. While this does taste very dessert-y and it may not have as many fruits and veggies as a health-nut smoothie, it's far from bad for you. In fact, this smoothie is probably the perfect post-workout drink. Not to mention, even with all the delicious in it, it's still only about 250 calories!

As you may have heard recently, chocolate milk is the new "it" post-workout drink. Instead of just water or a sports drink, chocolate milk has protein, carbs, and sugar, so you get a little energy boost and you give your body something to metabolize. Well, this smoothie has chocolate and milk in it. It also has yogurt (even more protein), peanut butter (yet more protein), a banana (vitamins, minerals, carbs, natural sugars), and ice (for hydration). I've gotten back into a workout routine lately and I feel like I'm going to be having this smoothie quite a bit!

 Ingredients
1/4 C. skim milk
1/4 C. plain or vanilla yogurt
1 Tbsp. smooth peanut butter
2 tsp. chocolate syrup
1 medium banana, cut into pieces
5 or 6 ice cubes

Method
- Add milk, yogurt, peanut butter, chocolate, and  cut-up banana to a blender. Cover and blend for about 30 seconds.
- Add the ice cubes, and blend for 30-45 seconds, or until no chunks of ice remain.
- Drink!

Now I have to admit that I didn't actually measure anything when I made this, so I'm guessing on the amounts I used. It would be really difficult to mess this up, though, and depending on your tastes, you may want more or less of something anyway. Love chocolate? Add another tsp. or two. Hate peanut butter? We're not friends. Like a thicker, more frappuccino-like smoothie? Add more ice and blend it a little longer. Want a sweeter/more tropical taste? Use almond or coconut milk instead of skim. Play around with it!

Enjoy!

Joy the Baker

Joy the Baker is awesome. If you've never been to her blog, you should check it out. She just released a cookbook and to break it in, I'm going to do a series of posts about it.



I've actually been baking quite a bit recently. I made my mom Chocolate-Butterscotch Brownies to take in to her classroom. I made my dad an Apple-Raisin Pie because he put in a request. But those posts will have to wait. Because this week is Joy the Baker Appreciation Week. JtBAW, for short. (Ok, let's not actually call it JtBAW.)

Last year, one of my bosses at the Brooks Center told me I should check out Joy's website, and I've been hooked ever since. She has a quirky personality, and a very familiar way of writing that draws you in. I feel like we're old friends, even though we've never met. (Although that will totally change when I go to her book signing in Brooklyn at the end of the month!) She's the one who got me into collecting random plates and dishes. I sent her an e-mail when I started my collection, and she even responded! She's that cool.

To start off this series, I made something a little out of my comfort zone. Not preparation-wise, but out of my eating comfort zone. I made a Kale-Spinach-Banana-Peanut Butter Smoothie. I know, it sounds scary. Let me share the recipe, and then we'll discuss.



Ingredients
1 heaping cup of chopped kale leaves
1 heaping cup of spinach leaves
1 1/2 C. skim milk (or soy or almond milk for a vegan option)
1 frozen banana, cut into chunks
2 tsp. honey
1 Tbsp. natural creamy peanut butter

Method
- Remove kale leaves from the center stalk and roughly chop. Clean spinach leaves and remove any thick stalks.

- In a blender, blend together the kale, spinach, and milk until no large chunks of leaf remain, about 45 seconds. Stop the blender and add the banana, honey, and peanut butter. Blend until thoroughly combined. Drink right away.




So the taste is much more pleasant than I expected. The predominant flavors are the peanut butter and banana. It doesn't taste salad-y at all, which is what I expected. My problem is with the texture. The little leaf bits are a little too... leafy... for me. I blended it for a good couple of minutes, but maybe a little longer would help. I don't know.... I drank it all though, and it does taste great. I'll have to either play with it to get it smoother, or just get used to it. I have a ton of spinach and kale now, so I've got to make more!




So there you have it. We kicked off Joy the Baker Appreciation Week with something super healthy! Make sure to check out Joy's blog. She also has a couple of podcasts available on iTunes. The first is just the Joy the Baker podcast with Tracy from shutterbean. (If Tracy ever releases a cookbook, that's a whole other appreciation week.) This is the one I listen to (although I'll admit I'm a few weeks behind). They actually rarely talk about baking/cooking, and it's pretty girly most of the time, but they're hilarious together. She also has one called We're About to be Friends. I haven't checked this one out yet, since I'm horrible at keeping up with podcasts. I'm sure I will one day, though!

Enjoy!

Super Smoothie

So today is the first in a series of three posts this week. I found a contest from this healthy living spa, Green Mountain at Fox Run. It's a spa/weight loss retreat just for women in Vermont. So while I couldn't actually go there, the contest says nothing about only women being able to enter. I think most of my readers are women anyway, so I'm reaching their target demographic.

The contest is to make some of their healthy living recipes and post them on your food or healthy living blog, and the best post gets a cookbook and a gift card. So I've decided to pick three recipes to make this week and blog about. Today I made their Mixed Berry Smoothie.



It acted as my breakfast/pre-workout sustenance today. It's a pretty basic smoothie, and super easy to make. Here's their exact recipe:

Ingredients
1 fresh or frozen banana
1/2 - 3/4 cup fresh or frozen berries (blueberries, raspberries or blackberries)
1/3 cup fat-free (skim) milk
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate
1 tablespoon honey

Method
Place all the ingredients in the blender or food processor. Cover and blend on high speed about 30 seconds or until smooth. Pour in tall glass; garnish with a fresh berry or sprig of mint and serve.

I followed it pretty much exactly. The only change I made was using about a quarter cup of plain orange juice instead of the o.j. concentrate. I used an overripe banana since we had some to use up, and frozen berries - the mixed kind with blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. I also did not happen to have any sprigs of mint on hand with which to garnish, but it was just for me and I didn't have to impress me.



It made a LOT of smoothie, but since it has practically no fat, and not many calories, I don't feel bad that I totally drank it all. I think smoothies may become my go-to breakfast. It was quick, delicious, and super healthy. I'm excited for summer to get here so I can use fresh berries!



Spa Cuisine courtesy of the spa cuisine collection found at Green Mountain at Fox Run Weight Loss and Health Spa for Women, Vermont and SpaIndex.com: Guide to Spas.