So I’m writing this while I should be at my Zumba class. I have a good “excuse” though. I have a nasty deep cough that tends to act up when I exert myself. I’m pretty sure that I couldn’t actually get through the class today. I’ll do an alternate form of exercise at home, however, that isn’t quite so cardio intensive – no Tabata workouts for me today!
Since joining the dance studio where I won the two month membership at our school raffle, I’ve attended every day except when I had a PTO meeting during class. And I do love dance, although my feet seem to have forgotten how to move sometimes. It’s fun, and the people in the class are generally nice. It isn’t a chatty class though, which I miss about the place where I used to go. And the women are all … “done” women. I’ve yet to see one wear an outfit a second time, and they are all brand name workout specific gear, including their fancy shoes. I feel slightly out of place and like I need to go buy more workout clothes instead of the t-shirts and workout pants I like to wear when working out because they’re already in my closet.
Oh, and the fitness thing? It’s working for me. I officially weigh less than what my driver’s license says, although that’s probably at least partly because I must have been depressed the day I went to renew it and was closer to honest than I usually am. Regardless, I’m thrilled! I have less than ten pounds to go before I’m where I really want to be, and part of how I’m doing it in addition to the exercise is the Shaklee blogger program I’m a part of – they’ve sent me the food for the program for a six month period while I follow the plan and report on my progress. Remember my really depressing photos? They’re slightly less depressing now.
In addition to the pounds, I’ve also lost 4 1/4 inches from my measurements, which feels even better. So what am I eating? The Shaklee plan is two meals a day of their products – either shakes or bars – a snack and a sensible meal (for my weight, with plans varying by your individual weight and goals). The smoothies come in different flavors, and we’ve all received chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.
It’s been interesting to me to see how different people have very different tastes in what they like and don’t like, whether it’s bars versus shakes or smoothie flavors. As with any protein shake, the texture has some heft to it, but it isn’t bad at all – and this is coming from someone with texture issues. That said, I find ways to minimize it. While there are people out there who can take the shake powder and milk and simply shake it together, I need a bigger diversion.
I will tell you straight up that the blender you use makes a huge difference. Cheap blenders? There’s a reason Cooks Illustrated doesn’t recommend them. In fact, they recently reviewed a bunch of blenders, and the only two they recommended were the Vitamix and the Ninja. Fortunately, I have a Vitamix, though as many smoothies as I’m making now (and probably will after the program is over because it’s such a great way to get fruits and veggies in!) it’s probably worth the investment.
The best way I’ve found to get the shakes to taste the best – and I’m not alone in our group in this discovery – is to add the milk and start the blender on low. Add the shake mix and turn the speed up a little. Add whatever fruit I’m using as well as a big handful of spinach, put the cap on and turn it up high. Depending on the fruit I’m using, I may or may not add ice. I’ve found that certain fruits (e.g., pineapple and blueberry) tend to thicken the shake much more than others (e.g., cherries and peaches). Lastly, I’ll add a little vanilla bean paste or cinnamon, depending on the smoothie flavor. Adding the vanilla bean paste does a ton to round out the flavor and smooth it out.
And yes, I’m adding spinach to every single shake I make. Why? I need more veggies, first of all. And you cannot taste the spinach in the smoothie if you put in a cup or even a bit more. How can I say this? Mister Man is the pickiest eater and most texture sensitive person I know. I’ve gotten even him to try the smoothies with spinach, and he agrees you can’t taste it. So win/win, the wee ones now have spinach added to their smoothies, which is great for them, too. And the other reason is that the spinach adds a good thickness to the shake that helps keep the protein powder suspended and absorbs the “grit” that it sometimes has. Just trust me on this one.
So yes, it’s a little weird to drink a pina colada smoothie that is green, but I’m ok with it. The next one is my cherry smoothie that should be bright pink, right? But every shake I have is a little green (or even brown), depending on what else I’ve added to it. Over the past month, I’ve experimented with a lot of smoothie flavors, and I’ve decided on a few favorites of mine.
Nutella Smoothie
Yes, Nutella. It’s no higher in fat than peanut butter, and if I’m watching my overall calories, this is definitely something I can do. It’s about 100 calories more than a normal smoothie for me and very doable before you start doubting it.
2 scoops chocolate smoothie mix (or honestly, use whatever flavor, as the Nutella is strong enough on its own)
3 T Nutella
1 c spinach
1 t vanilla bean paste (or extract if you haven’t converted yet)
3 ice cubes
Orange Dream Smoothie
This tastes almost like an Orange Julius to me, if I close my eyes and pretend. It’s yummy. I have discovered that you need the zest of the orange, however, to really give it the kick you want.
2 scoops vanilla smoothie mix
zest of 2 Clementines or 1 larger orange
1-2 oranges, peeled (again, 2 Clementines or 1 larger orange)
1 c spinach
1 t vanilla bean paste
4 ice cubes
Cherry Vanilla Smoothie
This is definitely one of my favorites. I’m such a cherry girl all around. I’ll sometimes put in half the frozen cherries (I can’t wait for real cherry season when I can use fresh ones!) and do 1/3 cup of dried cherries which ups the flavors. I’ll do this with the peach smoothie, too. And my Vitamix? It’s so powerful that the occasional pit that isn’t removed from the frozen cherries gets completely pulverized. Another win, right?
2 scoops vanilla smoothie mix
1 c frozen cherries (or fresh – one day)
1 c spinach
1 t vanilla bean paste
2 ice cubes
Chocolate Cherry Smoothie
So yeah, I mentioned that I like cherries, right? Here’s the second version, and this feels oh so decadent, but it’s only 30 calories more than the other version.
2 scoops chocolate smoothie
1 T cocoa powder
1 c frozen cherries (or fresh if they’re in season)
1 c spinach
3 ice cubes
Pina Colada Smoothie
Yep, pina colada. I have dried coconut bark that isn’t the sweetened coconut shavings you think of. This has some fat to it, but it’s “good” fat in my book, and the calories are worth it (not that many additional calories either). Again, it isn’t about cutting as many calories as possible but about staying within your range!
2 scoops vanilla smoothie
140 grams frozen or fresh pineapple (it’s about 3/4 cup but I measure by weight)
70 grams (about 3 chunks) dried coconut bark
1 c spinach
1 t vanilla bean paste
Peaches and Cream Smoothie
So mmm think peach cobbler but frozen . This is definitely one of my favorites. Again, I sometimes swap out the frozen peaches for some dried ones to give it even more of a peach kick, but yum!
2 scoops vanilla smoothie
3/4 c frozen or fresh peaches
1 c spinach
1/2 t cinnamon
Mexican Chocolate Smoothie
I love the sweet and spicy. And basically anything Mexican is my friend. When I had Mexican chocolate frozen custard once years ago, I was hooked on this flavor combination.
2 scoops chocolate smoothie
1 T cocoa powder
1 t cinnamon
1 c spinach
1/4 t cayenne pepper
Choco-Berry Smoothie
So yes, I enjoy a blueberry smoothie mixed with almost any of the smoothie flavors. Blueberry on its own is great. Mixing it to make it chocolatey is a great way to enjoy my chocolate smoothie mix!
2 scoops chocolate smoothie
1 c frozen blueberries (I use the wild organic ones from Costco – 3/4 c if they’re the larger, sweeter ones)
1 t cocoa powder
1 c spinach
1 t vanilla bean paste
So what would you add to your smoothie? What are your favorite flavors? Can you tell that I don’t like banana in my smoothies?
In the interest of full disclosure, this is a sponsored post as part of the Shaklee Corporation blogger program. I have received free products, online support and may receive incentives for participating. All opinions are my own. People following the weight-loss portion of the Shaklee 180™ Program can expect to lose 1-2 pounds per week.
[…] At Honest and Truly has gotten creative making Pina Colada smoothees, Chocolate Covered Cherry smoothees and many, many […]
[…] At Honest and Truly has gotten creative making Pina Colada smoothees, Chocolate Covered Cherry smoothees and many, many […]
Sweet! You made it to under your DL weight! Good for you Michelle! I love how you just don’t give up and you keep trying and working harder and harder. Love the smoothee recipes! Thanks for sharing and if you missed Zumba at least you wrote a great post!
OH I want to try the Mexican Chocolate. That sounds so good! I’m in love with the carrot right now though.
The Mexican chocolate is great. I’ve been making a chocolate dipped pineapple lately, too, that’s really good! Carrot I haven’t done. I will have to check that out. Yum.