Chocolate Peanut Butter and Banana Dream Smoothie

Happy New Year 2013! 

So - how many of you are back on a regimented eating plan? I know we are in this house. I generally plan to overindulge at the holidays and know full well that I will pack on a few extra pounds and I don't get on myself about it. It's not great but I also don't regret it. This is why my blog has been silent all the month of December... I was so busy baking and eating that I didn't even get time to post my delicious recipes of cookies and cakes! I love food and all of life will constantly be a plan of moderation and swinging scales, so a couple months out of the year is not going to be detrimental to me personally.  Having said that, January 1st we launched with full dedication back into our low glycemic food plan.

This smoothie recipe has been our daily morning breakfast for almost a year. Yes, we like it that much that we still look forward to it. Coming from the book " The Metabolism Boosting Diet" by Dr. Joey Shulman, the plan is based on foods that do not spike blood glucose, take time for the body to absorb, which in turn provides longer satiety, reducing the feelings of hunger which can lead to mindless snacking to satisfy immediate cravings. She offers four different smoothies, but we have managed to stay stuck on this one.

Recipe

1/2 frozen banana

1 scoop chocolate whey protein isolate powder

1 tbsp (15 ml) natural peanut butter

1 tsp (5 ml) cocoa powder (optional)

1 cup (250 ml) unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Handful of crushed ice

Instructions

Blend all ingredients together, pour into a glass and enjoy

Per Serving

296 calories, 12.5g total fat, 27g carbohydrates, 22g protein, 4.5g fivre, 13g sugar

Crystal's Notes

• We use EAS Whey. After tasting several different powders, this was our personal preference for taste.
• We accidentally ordered the Vanilla powder last time but with the added cocoa powder, it's hardly noticeable.
• I also recommend Healthy Planet whey protein powders. This is a line from Fabio (you know, long flowing blonde hair). A lot of care and commitment goes into using high quality products that are beneficial to the body.
• Remember that with these powders, sometimes you get what you pay for. You can gain a great source of vitamins and supplements from these as a bonus and with high quality ingredients can come a higher price tag, but remember that your health is worth it.

•  We buy bunches of bananas in advance and peel, split them in half, baggie them, and stick them in freezer. Since this is a daily plan for us it makes the AM process go faster when we can grab and go.
• We have used "all natural PB" from Whole Foods where you can churn it up yourself. I don't find it as tasteful as the other all natural peanut butters that are pre-made in a jar that you have to mix up with the oil. This will be a personal preference, just watch the sugar count.
• Calories will not be exact. Not all powders will be the same, banana size will vary, and PB may have slight difference. However, it should be pretty close.
• We add a tablespoon per serving of ground flaxseed.

~ Wishing everyone a healthy and prosperous  2013 ~

Enjoy!