Is it a Smoothie? Is it a Milkshake? Who Cares! It's Delicious!

I hope everyone is having a terrific Sunday!

Yesterday, I mentioned how weekends are a great time to try out new recipes. Well, today I tried a new smoothie recipe that I just had to share with you guys.

Making changes to your diet, aka lifestyle changes, can be hard, especially when those changes involve giving up a lot of things.

No more bread! No more pasta! No more cookies! No more ice cream! What's a girl (or guy) to eat?!

If you're not quite ready to give things up, but still want to start making healthier choices, try adding foods instead of subtracting them.

If you really, really, have to have those Doritos at lunch, have them! But try having some carrots too. For every Dorito you eat, eat a carrot. For every Coke you have, have the same number of ounces in water. If you have cookies for a mid-afternoon snack, have some fruit or raw nuts as well.

Or...

Have a smoothie!

Smoothies are a great way to take in a lot of nutrients and there are so many delicious combinations. Today, I tried  something new and what I ended up with was so delicious that I exclaimed to the dogs, "It's like a milkshake!"

Here it is, my  Chocolate Almond Shake of Joy
Organic Frozen Strawberries
1/2 - 3/4 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
Handful of Organic Spinach
Two Heaping Tablespoons of Raw Meal Chocolate Cacao Organic Protein Powder

Throw it all in a blender or Nutribullet or Vitamix, mix it up, pour it in a cup, grab a straw, and do your best not to suck it all down in less than a minute.

What is Raw Meal Protein Powder?
Protein powder can be a great way add more protein, fiber, and healthy fats, plus live probiotics and enzymes to your diet. However, before adding protein powder to any smoothie or drink, read the label and make sure you are comfortable with every ingredient. And talk to your doctor, especially if you are on medications, have undiagnosed health problems, or an autoimmune disease. While it may be generally safe to say that it is full of nutrients that can only help you, every BODY is different. For example, anyone who suffers from problems stemming from inflammation would want to make sure the powder doesn't contain any nightshades.

The Raw Meal kind that I get is vegan, gluten free and dairy free. Make sure you keep your protein powder in the fridge to preserve those live probiotics and enzymes.

If you want to make the Chocolate Almond Shake of Joy smoothie but aren't ready for protein powder yet, I bet you would get the same chocolately delicious effect by adding a scoop or two of Cacao Powder.

Two of my other favorite smoothies are:

Strawberry Blueberry Explosion
Organic Frozen Strawberries
Organic Frozen Blueberries
1/2 - 3/4 cup water
2 very large handfuls of organic spinach

Pineapple Mang-Oh This is Awesome
Organic Frozen Pineapple
Organic Frozen Mango
1/2 -3/4 cup water
Large handful organic spinach
Small handful organic baby kale

In all of these, the amount of water/liquid depends on the amount of frozen goodies you add. The more you, the more water you will need. As for the other ingredients, I never really measure anything other than by handfuls. I fill my large Nutribullet cup up almost 3/4 way with fruit (which really isn't that much, it just takes up a lot of room), add water and protein powder, and add as many greens as I can. Sometimes, after it mixes up a little and there is more room, I add a few more greens.

Another benefit of smoothies? I hear they cure the dreaded Sunday-Night-I-Hate-That-Tomorrow's-Monday Blues. Or maybe not. But hey, it's worth a shot!