Black Bean Protein Smoothie

Recipe from Full on Plants
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen
Makes 2 servings

Once a week, I drive a little over an hour to rehearse with a band.  Our rehearsal is at 1 p.m. and I’m always in a rush to eat a nutritious lunch before leaving.  Lately, I’ve been making this smoothie for my rehearsal day lunches.  I blend it up and then put it in a large travel cup with a reusable straw and I’m good to go.  It really keeps me full and satisfied. This smoothie is exceptionally nutrient-dense, offering substantial amounts of plant-based iron, potassium, and magnesium thanks to the black beans, seeds, and cocoa.

Ingredients: 

¾ cup unsweetened soy milk
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tablespoon chia seeds
1 Tablespoon hemp seeds
1 Tablespoon PB2 powder 
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tablespoon maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)
½ frozen ripe banana
2 scoops of ice
Water, to thin out the smoothie, if needed

Directions:
Blend everything together in a high speed blender and enjoy!

Nutrition Information (Per Person / Half Recipe) 

Calories 304; Protein 15 g; Fat 7.5 g; Carbohydrates 48.5 g; Fiber 12 g; Calcium 208 mg; Iron 3.7 mg; Potassium 725 mg; Magnesium 160 mg; Sodium 12 mg

Chocolate Brownie Shake (vegan/plant-based)

Recipe from Getting Healthy with Stasia YouTube Channel
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen
Makes 2 servings

Part of The Daily Dozen is three servings of beans a day. So, if you’re looking to add more beans to your diet because they have protein, fiber, and antioxidants, here’s a fun and delicious way to include them. I promise, you won’t taste the beans.  They, along with the bananas, will add the creaminess that we all love in a traditional shake.  

½ cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
2 small frozen ripe bananas (The spottier the bananas, the sweeter they are.)
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon maple syrup or 1 pitted date (Optional)
1½ Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (I use dark cocoa powder.)
1 cup unsweetened plant based milk (I used unsweetened soy milk.)
Blend all the ingredients in a high speed blender until completely smooth.
Serve cold. 

NOTES: I didn't use any other sweetener other than really ripe bananas.  We thought the shake was just right.  Taste the shake first and then add maple syrup or a date if it’s not sweet to your taste. You can add 1 teaspoon maple syrup or 1 pitted date to make it sweeter.  If the bananas you use are really ripe, you may not need to add any other sweetener.  

Nutrition Facts (1 of 2 servings)
Calories 198
Total Fat 2.4g (Saturated Fat 0.5g)
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 34mg
Total Carbohydrate 40.7g
Dietary Fiber 8.9g
Total Sugars 15g  
Protein 8.1g
Vitamin D 0mcg
Calcium 37mg
Iron 2mg
Potassium 656mg

Strawberry Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie (Vegan)

Recipe from The Conscious Plant Kitchen

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

Makes 1 generous smoothie

This smoothie makes a yummy healthful snack or quick breakfast.  

1 cup unsweetened almond milk or other plant based milk

1 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted natural peanut butter

1 cup frozen strawberries

1 small frozen ripe banana

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon chia seeds (optional)

Notes:

You can replace the almond milk with other non-dairy milks such as oat milk or coconut milk.  

You can replace the peanut butter with other nut or seed butters such as almond butter or sunflower butter.

You can add some plant based yogurt.

You can make it even more sweet by adding just a touch maple syrup, but we think this is plenty sweet because we use very spotty bananas.

You can boost the flavor a bit by adding 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or a smidgeon of nutmeg.

You can thin it out by adding more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.

You can thicken it by adding more banana, a bit of yogurt or a few cashews.

You can reduce the fat content by using powdered peanut butter (PB2).

 

Chocolate Cherry Smoothie

Recipe from Simple Veganista

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

Make 2 servings (or one very generous serving)

I was recovering from fever and a major body aches from my second vaccine dose (for which I am truly grateful) and I needed a treat.  After all, I wasn't going to be given a lollipop like when I was a kid.  Well, this was phenomenal.  What's not to love?  Make this up and prepare to be wowed.

2 cups frozen cherries

1 cup unsweetened plant milk (oat, almond, soy, coconut, cashew, etc.)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 Tablespoon cocoa powder

1 Medjool date, pitted or 1 teaspoon maple syrup

2 Tablespoons almond butter or 1 scoop protein powder (plain or vanilla)

(Feel free to add a little flax meal and or chia seeds.)

Add the ingredients to a high speed blender.  Blend until smooth.  Add a little extra milk, if you prefer a thinner smoothie.

Nutritional Information: (1 of 2 servings) 162 calories; 2.5 g fat (0.5 sat fat); 0 mg cholesterol; 94.2 mg sodium; 37.6 g carbohydrates; 5.6 g fiber; 27.8 g sugars; 3.6 g protein; Vitamin A 7%; Iron 11%; Magnesium 14%; Zinc 5%; Thiamin B1 11%; Niacin B3 4%; Folic Acid B9 3%; Vitamin E 25%; Calcium 22%; Vitamin D 13%; Potassium 14%; Phosphorus 7%; Riboflavin B2 11%; Vitamin B6 8%; Vitamin B12 0%; Vitamin K 5%

Snickerdoodle Tahini Date Smoothie (Vegan)

Recipe from AmbitiousKitchen

Makes 1 generous serving

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This smoothie is a very nice change to the usual fruit and banana smoothies that are the usual.  We loved the tahini flavor in this smoothie.  I also loved that one of the ingredients is frozen cauliflower. The cauliflower not only adds some nutrition to the mix, but also helps to thicken the smoothie. You might think that’s a bit strange in a smoothie, but the cauliflower is undetectable. 

Smoothie Ingredients:

3 large pitted Medjool dates (¼ cup packed pitted Medjool dates)

1 cup unsweetened almond milk OR light coconut milk, plus more to thin the smoothie, if needed

¾ cup frozen cauliflower

1 Tablespoon tahini (You could substitute any nut butter you’d like, but tahini is quite nice.)

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Optional Smoothie Add-Ins:

1 Tablespoon cocoa powder

1 scoop of your favorite protein powder

1 Tablespoon flaxseed meal

¼ cup gluten free rolled oats

Soak the pitted dates in 1 cup of hot water for at least 5 minutes to soften them up.  While the dates are soaking, measure out the remaining ingredients.  Drain the pitted dates. Add them to a high speed blender along with the remaining ingredients. Add in and of the optional ingredients, if desired. Blend until smooth.  Add more almond (or coconut) milk to thin the smoothie, if needed. 

Velvety Pumpkin Pie Smoothie (Vegan)

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Recipe from The Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes 1 (2-cup) serving

This is just delicious and very filling.  All the flavors of autumn in a glass.  This makes a great breakfast or after-work out snack.  Check out another yummy Pumpkin PieSmoothie on my blog that includes carrots, raisins, and nut butter.

1 cup almond milk (or coconut milk)

2 Tablespoons gluten-free rolled oats

½ cup canned pure pumpkin or butternut squash

½-1 teaspoon blackstrap molasses

½ large banana, frozen

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

4-5 ice cubes

1 Tablespoons maple syrup

Blend all the ingredients in a high speed blender on high until smooth.  Serve.

Note: I actually had some frozen pumpkin that I had frozen in ice cube trays.  I used that and a fresh banana.

Nutritional Information: 332 calories; 9.2 fiber; 6.5 protein; 292 calcium; 841 potassium

Apple Smoothie

Makes 12 ounces (2 servings)

Recipe from WellPlated.com

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

My husband and I both said, “Wow!” when we tasted this delightful autumn smoothie for the first time.  I love that it is made with wholesome “real food” ingredients. 

1 medium sweet apple, with skin, washed, cored, and chunked

¼ - ½ cup unsweetened almond milk (or unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

¼ cup old fashioned rolled oats

½ cup chopped frozen banana (about ½ large banana) or 1-2 pitted dates

1 Tablespoon almond butter or peanut butter or seed butter

½ Tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of ground (1/8 teaspoon) nutmeg

Pinch of ground (1/8 teaspoon) allspice

Small handful ice

Place all the ingredients in the order listed into a high speed blender and blend until smooth.  If you like your smoothie thick, use ¼ cup almond milk.  We like ours a little more “drinkable” so I added just a bit more almond milk. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information: (1 of 2 servings, about 6 oz.) 153 calories; 4.5 grams fat (1 g saturated fat); 284 mg potassium; 27 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 18 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 49% vitamin A; 7.7% vitamin C; 48.5% calcium; 0.5% iron