Beating the Winter Blues: smooothiesss!!!
If you’re anything like me, then you believe the only things that should be cold are the things you drink. I am definitely NOT a winter person, and tend to get pretty down in the cold, winter months. One thing I like to do to cheer myself up and put myself in a summer state-of-mind is to make smoothies! Smoothies are yummy, easy to make, and an easy way to pack in extra nutrients that you may not get with your normal daily diet. Instead of following recipes, I usually make up my own with whatever I’m in the mood for and whatever I have handy. Some of my favorite ingredients to use are: different frozen fruits (strawberries, bananas, mango, pineapple, etc), mint, honey, peanut butter, protein powder, chia seeds, and almond or coconut milk for thicker, creamier smoothies, or coconut water for lighter ones.
I don’t usually measure the ingredients out, but a good guideline is: fill up half the blender with fruit (depending on the size of the blender. For reference, I use a Magic Bullet), throw in any extras (protein powder, chia seeds, etc), and then pour liquid in over everything and then add 1 or 2 ice cubes, depending on how much of the fruit was frozen.
Here are some of my favorites from this winter:
1.
Ingredients: strawberries, pineapple, banana, coconut water, vanilla protein powder, chia seeds, and mint.
Strawberry/banana is usually my go-to, and I added a little extra to this one with pineapple and mint! I almost always add protein powder and chia seeds to get some extra nutrients in, and I love adding mint to give it a little tang!
2.
Ingredients: pineapple, banana, coconut water, vanilla protein powder, chia seeds.
3.
Ingredients: banana, avocado, almond milk, honey, mint, vanilla protein powder, chia seeds.
Warning: this smoothie is veryyy thick and creamy. I add honey because I have a major sweet tooth!
4.
Ingredients: banana, oats, peanut butter, honey, vanilla protein powder.
Basically the equivalent of breakfast in a cup…
5.
Ingredients: pineapple, coconut milk, mint.