By Jen, on March 21st, 2010%
Looking to boost the flavor and nutrition of your breakfast smoothie? Try adding green tea to the mix. Simply use brewed and chilled green tea in place of some of the liquid like soymilk or juice. Or, blend matcha tea powder into your favorite smoothie. Matcha is powdered whole leaf Japanese green tea. Only a small amount of the high quality tea is needed to impart the flavor and color of green tea to smoothies. Here’s a simple green tea smoothie recipe made with matcha tea.
Matcha Mango Smoothies
1 1/4 cups mango chunks
1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk or low-fat milk
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon matcha tea powder
1/2 cup ice cubes
Honey or agave syrup (optional)
Add mango, soymilk, yogurt and matcha tea powder to blender container. Cover and blend until smooth. Add ice cubes; cover and blend until smooth. Taste for sweetness. Add honey or agave syrup if needed; cover and blend to combine. Pour into 2 glasses.
Makes 2 servings (1 1/4 cups each)
Tip: Adding too much matcha tea can result in a bitter flavor. Start with a small amount of matcha and adjust according to taste.
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By Jen, on December 13th, 2009%
I’m a pain to go grocery shopping with. I can’t resist wandering through every aisle, taking the time to inspect the ingredients and nutrition of new foods that catch my eye. Often the package goes right back on the shelf, discarded for regrettable ingredients or nutrition stats. Sometimes the effort pays off with a healthy (and tasty) food find. One of my recent finds is coconut milk beverage. It’s similar to soymilk or almond milk, but is made from coconut. I prefer the unsweetened variety for it’s creamy texture and subtle coconut flavor. Great in coffee, over granola or in smoothies.
Creamy Tropical Smoothies
1 cup refrigerated unsweetened coconut milk beverage
1 cup mango chunks
1 medium banana
few drops pure vanilla
Add coconut milk, mango, banana and vanilla to blender container. Cover and blend until smooth. Pour into 2 glasses.
Makes 2 servings (1 cup each)
Tip: If you like a thicker (and colder) smoothie, blend in a few ice cubes or make with a frozen sliced banana.
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By Jen, on December 1st, 2009%
Don’t drink your calories. That’s the mantra of many trying to shed some pounds. Should smoothies be an exception to this diet rule? Yes (and no). Smoothies made with simple ingredients like soymilk, plain yogurt and real fruit are a nutritious mini meal, perfect for breakfast on the go or an after workout snack. But, smoothies made with more processed ingredients like flavored smoothie bases and frozen yogurt or sherbet tend to be much higher in calories- a mega meal in a glass. Better to sip simply when it comes to smoothies.
Here’s a favorite smoothie I created. I love the combination of blueberry and mango, but you can switch up the fruit if you like. Try peaches instead of mango or strawberries in place of the blueberries. You can’t go wrong with this easy smoothie recipe.
Blueberry Mango Smoothies
1 cup unsweetened soymilk or low-fat milk
1/2 cup mango chunks
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
Maple syrup, honey or agave syrup (optional)
Add soymilk, mango, blueberries and yogurt to blender container. Cover and blend until smooth. Taste for sweetness. Add maple syrup if needed; cover and blend to combine. Pour into 2 glasses.
Makes 2 servings (1 1/4 cups each)
Nutrition Tip: Try adding a boost to your smoothie. Blend in a little almond butter, protein powder or ground flaxseed.
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