Pina Banana Colada Smoothie

No time for breakfast? Make a smoothie! I love this combination of bananas and pineapple – a little taste of the tropics to start my morning.

Pineapples are rich in enzymes, which is great for your digestive system. It's also an excellent source of vitamin C. I like to throw in some chia seeds, but it's completely optional. Along with bananas, this smoothie is high in fiber, vitamins and a perfect start to your day!

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Bali Banana Date Smoothie

I'm super excited to share this guest post from my friend Heather. I met Heather a few years ago in San Francisco, and we've been friends ever since. She's an inspiring, positive person – the kind of person you want to be around all the time. She's also the nutrition expert for The Skinnytaste Cookbook, please welcome her!

Hi there, I’m Heather! I’m a dietitian and the founder of www.heatherkjones.com – a weight loss site that focuses on healing and hope instead of diets (ugh) and deprivation (no thank you!). I’m also the creator of Smaller Size Bigger Life, an online group coaching program for women who struggle with emotional eating, compulsive overeating, or body image issues.

I’m thrilled to guest post on Skinnytaste today (thank you, Gina!), and I’m so honored to be the nutrition expert in the upcoming Skinnytaste cookbook. Gina poured her generous heart into this beautiful book and I know you’re going to love it as much as I do!

So I’m a huge fan of green smoothies, in fact I drink a Skinny Green Monster at least a few times a week. But on a recent trip to Bali I discovered a banana smoothie that just blew me away.

The simple combo of banana, dates, yogurt, honey, ice, and (surprise!) cinnamon, makes a refreshing and tasty concoction, especially for sipping on steamy days. I drank one of these delicious smoothies every morning before heading to the pool or biking thru the rice paddies.

Here’s to a healthy and happy summer. Enjoy!

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Superfood PB Banana and Cacao Green Smoothie

Whenever I go to my local health food store, I like to challenge myself and purchase something I've never tried before. Last week I bought a small bag of raw cacao nibs which come from the bean of the cacao plant and is rich in antioxidants, fiber and magnesium. What I was expecting when I opened the package was the bitter taste when I put a spoonful in my mouth. But after asking around on Instagram I got tons of great feedback and ideas. I realized if you combine them with something sweet, the bitterness subsides and tastes like rich dark chocolate.

I've been playing around with them all week and decided to try them in my smoothie. Here, I combined almond milk, peanut butter, a really ripe banana with a few drops of stevia along with a handful of spinach. Aside from all the health benefits associated with raw cacao which you can read more about here, this tasted great and was very satisfying.

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Roasted Strawberry Protein Smoothie and a Vitamix Giveaway

Roasting strawberries in this smoothie brings out their amazing natural flavor in this creamy, protein packed smoothie – what a great way to start the day!

I discovered a new way to add protein to my smoothies... cottage cheese! This is a great discovery for me because I'm not a fan of the tang of yogurt in my smoothies. Cottage cheese makes it creamy with no tang, and has more protein than yogurt so it's perfect! I also love adding chia seeds to my smoothies which is an excellent source of fiber and omega-3's which is available at Target.

I'm sooo excited to review my new Vitamix blender for the first time. Wow, what power this blender has. And guess what… it's now available at Target! And Target is giving one away to a lucky winner!! All you have to do is leave a comment here and share your favorite smoothie recipe along with a way I can reach you if you win (email, twitter, Instagram). That's it, easy!! Good luck!!

RULES:  Giveaway is provided by Target and the Target Inner Circle and will run until Monday evening, March 31, 2014 open to all U.S. residents 18 years and older. A winner will be chosen at random using Random.org. Chosen winner must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize or another shall be chosen. Good luck! 



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Kale, Banana, Chia, Hemp Superfood Smoothie

Baby kale, chia seeds, banana and shelled hemp seeds – this smoothie is packed with nutrients and it's quite delicious and satisfying. It's also vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free.

If you're wondering why I haven't been around as much these past two weeks, I just spent an amazing two weeks on set in NYC for the Skinnytaste Cookbook photo shoot! It was a wonderful experience and I worked with a great group of inspiring people who truly love their job. I miss them already, but I'm also happy to get back into a normal routine and this smoothie was the perfect way to start my Monday morning!

I'm obsessed with sweetening my smoothies with dates. It's the best way to sweeten a smoothie naturally without the need to add sugar plus it adds fiber. I just wish someone would invent a date paste, it would be so much easier to dissolve in the blender (does this exist?). Until then, I find it helpful to let the dates soak in a little boiling water to soften them before adding to my blender, and I let my blender run a little longer. 

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Blueberry Kale Smoothie

Don't be afraid by the color of this smoothie, I promise it tastes better than it looks! The dark color is from antioxidant rich blueberries and kale (one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet). Black is the new green!

Combined with almond milk, peanut butter, ripe banana and dates, this smoothie is naturally sweet, filling and so good for you!

For those of you on Weight Watchers, I never know if I should count the fruit in my smoothies. Some say no, others say yes. I've decided to count the dates, but not the banana and blueberries – your call!

Here's a helpful tip: When your bananas are brown, freckled and look like they're ready to be thrown out – peel them, cut them and put them in your freezer, they are perfect in smoothies! Buy organic berries when they go on sale, and freeze them too!


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PB + J Smoothie and Better Blog Retreat

Strawberries, blueberries, peanut butter and almond milk – this is my favorite smoothie to order when I'm at my gym. It tastes almost like peanut butter and jelly – but it actually has no grapes.  I often make this myself at home; the peanut butter is a great source of protein and keeps me full until lunch and I just love how it tastes.

I just got a new KitchenAid 5 Speed Diamond Blender thanks to the Better Blog Retreat and I immediately knew I was going to make this smoothie to put it to the test. The blender is quite powerful and crushes ice perfectly. I give it two thumbs up!

I've been doing so much traveling these past few weeks and I'm a bit behind in sharing my amazing four days spent in Park City, Utah with some of my favorite blogging friends for the Better Blog Retreat hosted by Maria from Two Peas and Their Pod and Heidi from Foodie Crush. 

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Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

If you're looking for a heart healthy, dairy-free breakfast loaded with fiber you can eat on the run, this is it!

In South America, it's common to drink avena, a delicious oatmeal shake usually made with whole milk, cinnamon and sugar. My oldest daughter loves it, you can see my original recipe here. I've made it with pumpkin, but I was curious to see what would happen if I used unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze almond milk instead, along with blueberries and banana. The outcome was really good, I added some raw sugar to sweeten it, but you could even use stevia or whatever sweetener you would normally use.

This is best if you make it and drink it right away. If you only need one serving, cook all the oatmeal in water as instructed below, but use only half of the cooked oatmeal in the blender and save the other half for the next day.

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Just Peachy Green Smoothie

At least 3 to 4 days a week, I start my morning with a green smoothie because it's a quick way to enjoy a nutritious breakfast without having to cook a thing. Just throw everything in the blender and breakfast is ready in less than a minute. I especially love this time of year when stone fruits are in season, especially sweet juicy peaches.

Which is the perfect time to make this delicious smoothie, because frozen peaches just aren't the same. For this protein packed liquid breakfast, I combined the peaches (skin and all) with a frozen ripe banana, some hemp seeds for extra protein, almond milk and baby spinach (you can't taste it, I promise!) My toddler loves green smoothies and always reminds me to buy spinach when I'm out (cracks me up!).

I often get asked about my blender, and I can't say enough good things about my Blendtec Total Blender. I never really knew what I was missing until I owned it, and now I'm not sure I could ever live without it. It's so powerful, perfect for whipping up smoothies and so much more. If you don't have one, no worries, I used to use my magic bullet and it worked just fine.

And just one note about counting points in smoothies, as per Weight Watchers the official answer is yes, you should count the fruit when you calculate the recipe in recipe builder when making smoothies. That being said, I've been told many WW leaders don't. One WW leader mentioned on my Facebook page: "you should let your weight loss be your guide. If you're doing smoothies within reason, I wouldn't count the points". So it's really up to you, if you don't count the fruit, this smoothie is 3 points plus.
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Mango Banana Green Smoothie

Start the morning RIGHT with the super delicious, creamy green smoothie made with frozen banana, baby spinach, fresh mango, hemp seeds and unsweetened almond milk.

I usually start my mornings with a big green smoothie, so I'm loving the new Superfood Smoothies book, by Julie Morris and LOVED this recipe! While thumbing through her book, their were several recipes with ingredients I don't usually have on hand, and hemp seeds was one of them. But I've been curious about them, because I was looking for more ways to add protein to my smoothies without using yogurt, so off to the health food store I went to pick some up.

Guess what, they are really DELICIOUS, similar to the taste of raw sunflower seeds. They are one of the best sources of protein on the planet according to Julie, and include all 8 essential amino acids. The recipe below is for two, but if your making this for yourself, just divide the recipe. Be sure to freeze your bananas so your smoothie is thick, almost like the texture of a milkshake.

If you're wondering where to find raw shelled hemp seeds, I've seen them at Costco, my local Organic Supermarket, the health food aisle of my supermarket, or you can order them on Amazon. Be sure they are shelled and unsalted. Of course if you wish you can sub them out for another seed such as sunflower or flax.

This will be on my regular rotation from now on, and I love that it's 4 points plus on Weight Watchers for 16 oz, plus it's perfect for dairy-free, clean, vegetarian, gluten-free, and Paleo-friendly.

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Tropical Papaya Batido (fruit shake)

A sunlit, vitamin-packed tropical fruit shake made with pink-hued papayas, fresh squeezed oranges and bananas.

Happy Monday! Monday morning are especially difficult the day after daylight savings, don't you think? This pick-me-up fruit drink is the perfect fix! Vitamin packed, dairy-free, and loaded with vitamins and fiber.

My aunt brought over this beautiful papaya, excited to make this fruit drink for me. If you've never tried papaya, it has a soft, buttery, pinkish-orange flesh with a taste similar to cantaloupe, with black seeds in the center which you discard; it's known for it's antioxidants and anti-inflammatory effects.

Any restaurant or home you visit in Colombia, where my Mom is from, fresh fruit shakes made with exotic fruits are always on the menu for breakfast or lunch.

Papaya is an excellent fruit because it's high in Vitamins A and C, folate and potassium. In addition, it is a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin E, and vitamin K.  It reminds me of a cantaloupe, only sweeter and softer. Fresh squeezed oranges were added for added vitamins and sweetness along with bananas to make this the perfect start to any morning.

Since this is made with nothing but just fresh fruit, I'm assuming the Weight Watcher Points are 0, correct me if I'm wrong. Enjoy your day!


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Blueberry Banana PB Smoothie

After being on vacation for a week, it felt great to get back into my normal routine.  My morning started at the gym where I ran/walked 2 miles. Then I came home to make this purple smoothie with frozen blueberries, a banana, and a little Greek yogurt and PB2 for protein.

PB2, if you're not familiar, is a roasted peanut powder, made with just roasted peanuts, salt and sugar. No artificial ingredients, it's non-GMO, and 2 tablespoons contains just 1.5 g of fat so it's a perfect way to enjoy peanut butter, without the added fat. To make it into peanut butter, you simply add a little water.

Personally,  I love adding it to my smoothies but when I have a sandwich, I stick with the real thing. If you want to use regular peanut butter here, 1/2 tablespoon is the equivalent to maintain the same calories and weight watcher points.

Weight Watchers Note: I added the fruit in recipe builder, but I will leave it up to you if you want to count the fruit or keep it 0 points. Since I couldn't get a clear answer, and some Smoothie recipes on the Weight Watcher website include the fruit, while other recipes do not, I decided to count them.

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