Times — they are a’ changing.
Starting Thursday of last week, I decided to eliminate protein bars from my diet for a while. I’ve become too reliant on them for their convenience. There are days when I eat more than one protein bar, as a snack, usually alongside some fruit. It was just too much. Although I didn’t officially adopt any New Year’s resolutions this year, eating less processed foods has gradually come to the forefront. Eliminating protein bars is my first step.
It’s been one week, and I’m going strong.
What have I used to replace protein bars? Bananas, almonds, apples and Greek yogurt, any combination of it all.
I often eat a protein bar before I head to teach a class in the afternoon after work, but lately have felt they just don’t give me a jolt of energy as I hope. What they always do, is fill me with ingredients I cannot pronounce.
Don’t get me wrong, I love packaged foods … but this is a small change I am making for the better.
I’ve been talking about making smoothies for some time.
This weekend I pulled the trigger. With some encouragement from Dave’s Dad who is a big proponent of smoothies, we purchased a Nutribullet, so I could have the easiest, top-of-the-line way to turn fruits and veggies into a luscious liquid.
The Nutribullet is incredibly easy to use, especially for a kitchen-challenged Lady like myself. The only downside I see so far is that you have to hand-wash the blades. Not a huge deal, but I prefer to throw things in the dishwasher when possible.
Once we procured the device, all I had to do was purchase some healthy ingredients.
Here’s what I’ve been using: A concoction I’ve just decided to call the “Sweet Green Smoothie.”
Sweet Green Smoothie Recipe
- 1 cup fresh chopped spinach
- 1 cup frozen chopped kale
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
- 2 packets of Stevia sweetener
- Enough almond milk to cover the ingredients
Directions: Pop it all in the large-size to-go cup in the order listed above, blend it up, and voile.
The first one was runny, the second one was decent, and the third one was just right. Now I’ve got the hang of it.
I’m excited about making more and more smoothies with different recipes.
Goodbye packaged protein, hello creativity in the ‘bullet.
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