Don’t Stop Blending: Avocado Banana Smoothie

my latest smoothie adventure combines a few of my favorite ingredients: avocado, bananas and almonds.  avocado may seem like an interesting choice for a smoothie ingredient, but the flavor is subtle and is a great complement to the banana and almonds.  in addition to a yummy source of fiber, potassium, vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid, avocados are also a “nutrient booster” as they enable the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha and beta-carotene and lutein.  you could easily add spinach to this recipe and benefit from a more complete absorption of the leafy green’s beta-carotenes.

• 1/2 – 3/4 cup of almond milk  (this depends on how thick you like your smoothies)
• 1 scoop whey protein powder
• 1 heaping tablespoon of ground flax seed
• 1/4 of a regular sized avocado
• 1/2 of a banana
• 1 heaping tablespoon of sliced almonds

the first three ingredients are pretty much the base of every smoothie i make.  this smoothie didn’t incorporate frozen ingredients or ice, so the almonds were great to give a slight crunchy texture.  to mix it up in the future, i may add a frozen banana or a few cubes of ice.

enjoy this healthy treat!

 

Don’t Stop Blending : Spinach and Blueberry Smoothie

this is the first installment of a new Jollyspins feature : don’t stop blending.  i had wanted healthy recipes to be a part of the Jollyspins blog, but since my cooking skills are still hit & miss, i decided to start with something that is totally yummy and requires zero cooking — smoothies!

i recently purchased a magic bullet blender, and it has easily become my favorite appliance (model similar to the one i have).  true to non-cooking form, i have only used it for smoothies, but there are a ton of other uses!  it is super easy, i just load my ingredients and then lock down for 15-20 seconds, unlock and give it a good shake, and blend again until i have the consistency i’m looking for.

this week’s smoothie is a yummy spinach and blueberry smoothie.  my proportions are based on the magic bullet container, so feel free to adjust if you are making for more than one person in a regular blender.

• 3/4 cup of soy or almond milk (i used soy here, but i also love trader joe’s vanilla almond milk)
• 1 scoop whey protein powder
• 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed meal (here is the one i use)
• 1 loose cup / handful of fresh, baby spinach.
• 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries

given the spinach and flax seed this smoothie has an earthy, nutty flavor, and is a totally yummy and healthy way to start your morning!  i have been putting ground flax seed on everything lately and will share the benefits of this super ingredient in a later post.

enjoy!