Monday, June 01, 2009

Breakfast Smoothies

For those who don't know, I have celiac's which means I can't eat anything with gluten in it. That means wheat and its various cousins, which leaves me with very few food options so I tend to eat the same old stuff again and again. Steak, chicken, cheese, veggies, rice. Not terribly exciting. So I have started making a smoothie most mornings so that I can eat healthier than I have been.

So here is my recipe, more or less. It varies tremendously by what is on sale.

The night before I fill up a cool whip tub with the following:
frozen spinach
frozen mixed veggies (corn, cauliflower, broccoli, whatever)
cherries
peaches
blueberries
blackberries
finely ground flax seed

I put the container in the fridge overnight then add it to 2 cups OJ and 1/2 cup of milk and then add an orange, banana, nectarine, or whatever is available to get the consistency right. Put it in a nice big insulated cup (has to hold 32+ ounces) and drink that over the course of the morning. I still need some protein but this otherwise satisfies my cravings and is surprisingly good. I don't notice the spinach and gets a lot of healthy food into my diet in a somewhat sneaky way. And I don't think my tastebuds have noticed just yet that I'm not popping snickers all day long.

Notes:
Some people suggest adding an egg to the smoothie. Prolly wouldn't taste it but I have little desire to try it.
If you use cauliflower, or lima beans for that matter, don't put in too much. It requires copious amounts of liquid and therefor doesn't play nice with the blender (unless you are lucky enough to own a BlendTec)
I am sure I am saving money by buying fresh cherries on sale, but pitting them is a royal pain in the arse.