Ronna Benjamin
I might be a little bit competitive, but I think you will like my liquid lunch better than hers. And no, it does not involve alcohol.
In the spirit of transparency, I have only 3 food rules:
1. I eat everything except sweet pickles and 3 bean salad;
2. I’m always hungry.
3. I don’t drink things that are green (other than pea soup.)
So when I saw Felice’s new liquid lunch post, it made my stomach turn. I called her on it: it’s green, its not thick, it looks gross, it probably tastes grosser, where’s the frozen fruit?, where’s the protein?, why would you want to drink that for lunch? My dear, you have suggested a lunch that only skinny people would try.
For those of you that are like me, who want a nice, thick, sweet but healthy milkshake looking smoothie that fills up your stomach so much that you cannot even get off your chair, nay think about food for hours, here is my smoothie recipe.
I call it the “healthy smoothie that fat people love” because it is better than a McDonald’s shake. Really, it is…and it is totally healthy. And probably not too fattening.
Sorry, a bit of bad news to start: 1. you need a Vitamix (though you can try it in a blender…); 2. I can’t give you measurements–I hardly ever measure. But trust me, you can just wing it. The amounts don’t really matter.
I start by pouring Organic unsweetened almond milk in the Vitamix. At 40 calories a cup, you can afford to be generous– and keep adding at the end if your smoothie is too thick.
Add- 1/2 tsp chia seeds. Don’t pour them those little seeds right in, be sure to measure- they are fattening! I keep the measuring spoon in the package so I am not tempted to pour. If you have patience, wait 5 minutes for them to steep and get soft and jelly-like. If you don’t, and you are like me, just keep going.
Add 1 tsp of flax seeds (optional).
Add- cut pieces of frozen fruit– pineapple, raspberries, blueberries, or any other frozen fruit you have– bananas are particularly yummy. Combine them, mix them up- there are no rules. I never throw away left over fruit salad or brown bananas. I always put leftover fruit in a plastic zip lock bag, lay them flat in freezer, and you always have fruit frozen ready to be broken up and added to your smoothie. Or just buy a big package of frozen mixed berries.
Add 1-2 scoops of vanilla protein powder (the more powder, the thicker your smoothie will be.)
Add a scoop of Organic Greens– the Superfood kind. Don’t add so much that it will change your smoothie from its beautiful pink– you are just trying to make it a little bit healthier. OR you can add fresh spinach instead if you have it in the refrigerator left over from that salad you intended to make, but never did.
Add 3 PITTED prunes (my signature ingredient for keeping regular…and don’t try this with a regular blender –just leave them out.)
If you are particularly adventurous, add fresh ginger, mint OR tumeric.
Mix up.
Add a few ice cubes if it is not thick enough. Add water or more milk if it is too thick.
Taste.
If you have a super sweet tooth, add a packet of Stevia.
The best part– it is so thick, you can’t really get it through a straw. Get a spoon, and you might mistake it for soft serve. Enjoy. And let me know what you think.
Now doesn’t that beat a green juice for lunch any day?