Smoothie Time

“When I'm good, I'm very good, but when I'm bad, I'm better". 

― Mae West

This quote kind of defines my relationship with food. Hahahahaha. Anyway, I thought I would do a post about smoothies. I'm sure you know how to make a smoothie. But this is about how I make a smoothie. My goal is to avoid having them be a calorie and sugar bomb (yes EVEN fruit! I know it's natural but it's still sugar). With these variations you will be getting a meal supplement that provides plenty of protein (to fill you up) and not a lot of sugar/carbs that cause the bottom to drop out later.

The Big Boss which Eric says would be better if it was named The Big Hoss Hehehehehe

I have had a regular blender and two different 'smoothie blenders'. I much prefer the second option. A regular blender is just too big to make a single serving and honestly I could never pour it neatly into a go-cup.  I find more and more I am wanting to blend and go so when it was time to purchase another smoothie maker I took it up a notch. It has two cups, two of those lids for a straw and several other lid options seen here. (I got mine from a Groupon type deal, not Amazon.com)

So what do I put in them? I'm glad you asked. I put in protein powder. When shopping for protein powder there is a ton of factors to consider. I am considering MY top priority to be Sugar & Carbs. This Jay Robb stuff is low in both. And, BONUS, look at him! He is SO HOT! He is like almost as hot as Jacob Eric! Just kidding, the bonus is that it tastes good and comes in several flavors. I get it at Kroger (choc and vanilla only) but HEB carries all the fancy flavors like Pina Colada, Tropical Dreamsicle, etc. 

On a plain jane day I just put in almond milk, ice and protein powder (unsweetened vanilla, not the sweetened chocolate! That is Everett's. This pic just had both). Simple. Out the door. If it's first thing in the morning I have subbed in coffee for the almond milk.

If I am feeling awake like putting some actual effort into it I might do some 'add-ins'. These would be chia seed or flaxseed meal (which I keep in the fridge). I have also experimented with a handful of baby spinach and a handful of kale (NOTE: you are gonna need an actual VitaMix to do kale. NO GO. Spinach did fine).

Let me warn you to proceed with caution here. Eric is NOT a fan of the add-ins and if I put that stuff in I have to tell him it is a TRACIE smoothie. He finds this changes the taste/texture thing a bit too far for him. The add-ins are quite a nutrition/fiber boost but just know you may not like it either.

I encourage you to do your own research and find your own combination. Just know that for weight loss you  want to avoid yogurt or fruit or juice in the smoothie. Those taste great but you would then have to treat them as something from the dessert category, rather than a meal.

How do you make YOUR smoothie? What is your blender of choice?