The smoothie rides again!

One of the first nutritional changes I made years ago to my lupus regimen was the addition of fruit smoothies to my diet. Every morning for almost two years, Johnny and I would fire up the blender, adding frozen fruit (either freshly frozen fruit or a bag of frozen berries from the store), a half a banana, and a good dose of orange juice to create a frothy, fruity, culinary delight. We dabbled with adding ice, peanut butter, honey, and a ton of different fruits or juices - mango, pear, apple, etc. - but we always seemed to come back to our berries and banana combo. The one thing we never strayed from was making our smoothies dairy-free. I'd heard (and still believe this is true to some degree), that dairy products have natural inflammatory properties, so I decided to keep the smoothies as anti-swelling as possible.

Not only did my joints like the freshness of those drinks, but they seemed to have a huge effect on my energy level! I couldn't believe the difference. We truly enjoyed our fresh and fruity drinks, but having downed a good 500 smoothies or so, we simply burned out after a couple of years.

I'm not sure what has recently inspired us, but after almost a 4- year hiatus, we're back on our smoothie kick! We've been pulling out the blender and whipping up a batch every other morning or so. I'd forgotten how refreshing they can be, and just how much energy they seem to give me. I think it's a noticeable difference from one day to the next...which is fascinating. Like one little fruity concoction can make that big of an impact.

So if you're looking for a jump start, and your morning bagel is weighing you down, why not consider making a smoothie? I'm not much a fast-food junkie, but I just recently tried the smoothies at McDonald's (hold the yogurt), and it was pretty good. No Gorman masterpiece, of course...but definitely worth trying if you're looking for an introduction into the world of smoothies. (And if there's a Smoothie King near you - DEFINITELY check it out. Their concoctions are meals in and of themselves!)

Enjoy!

Comments

Sportsgirl said…
Try this recipe:

100ml coconut cream with 1 cup water OR coconut milk
handful of spinach or kale
1 banana (small-med size)
2 sticks celery
dash of vanilla extract
*optional chia seeds

I have this or a variation of it a few days a week. Sometimes I'll add extra fruit or extra vegetables.
Sara Gorman said…
Oooh - yummy! Is it sweet at all? My sweet tooth is a consideration in almost everything I eat...so I'd love a hint of sweetness. What could I add, do think? Honey? Agave syrup? Let me know!
SG - TOO FUNNY! pat and i LOVE the new smoothies are mcdonalds!! it's only a few doors down ... so we grab one more often than we probably should! but, they are only 210 calories! xoxo
Sportsgirl said…
It's sweet enough for me - I usually use a whole medium banana and that gives the smoothie enough natural sugar. If you do want extra sweetness both honey and agave would be good.
I almost always put vegetables into my smoothies - boosts the vitamin content and also increases my vegetable intake!
The coconut cream/milk is awesome because it doesn't froth like milk does. I have just bought some almond milk to try too.
Anonymous said…
Just hold those awful bananas when GG comes to visit!!!

Popular Posts