Smoothies (or another way I can procrastinate)

I started drinking smoothies a number of years ago for a bunch of different reasons.

1. I am not a breakfast eater. Frequently the idea of food first thing in the morning makes me feel nauseous (and has since high school). I’m told this is a low blood sugar issue which is why (of course) I SHOULD eat breakfast.
2. While I like most fruits and many vegetables, I don’t eat enough of them.
3. I had gone vegetarian and this was great way to meet my nutritional needs. Even though I’m back to being omnivorous, it remains a great way to start the day.
4. I am lazy about making lunch and the smoothies make enough that I can drink half and put the rest in a thermos to take on the road.

The recipes I began with came from a book (Whose name and author I have sadly forgotten and I no longer have the book. I know. I suck.) written by a two-time cancer survivor. My mother is a breast cancer survivor and my dad had survived lung cancer at that point, so it’s not like the nutritional benefits didn’t make sense.

Using these four recipes as a base, it wasn’t long before I was making my own variations. You can tweak any of the ingredient amounts to taste (or leave them out entirely). For the tofu, I generally cut a block into 6 or 8 even parts. If you don’t use tofu regularly, put the rest in an airtight container, drain the ‘juice’ and fill with regular water. If you plan on using the tofu over time, change the water out each day.

Shake One:
2.5 oz soft tofu (cut a 1 lb. block into 6 pieces)
6-8 baby carrots or one large carrot
3/4 c fresh or frozen UNSWEETENED fruit
1 Tbs wheat bran
1 Tbs wheat germ
1 Tbs whole flax seed or ground flax seed meal
3/4 c calcium-fortified soy milk
3/4 c calcium-fortified orange juice

Shake Two:
6-8 baby carrots or one large carrot
3/4 c fresh or frozen unsweetened fruit
3 Tbs frozen juice concentrate (not diluted)
2.5 oz tofu
1 c calcium-fortified soy milk
1 c low-fat plain yogurt
1 Tbs wheat bran
1 Tbs wheat germ
1 Tbs whole flax seed or ground flax seed meal

Shake Three:
1 c calcium-fortified soy milk
1 c vanilla low-fat yogurt
6-8 baby carrots or one large carrot
1/2 c fresh fruit
3/4 c frozen fruit
2.5 oz tofu
1 Tbs wheat bran
1 Tbs wheat germ
1 Tbs whole flax seed or ground flax seed meal

Shake Four:
3/4 c calcium-fortified orange juice
1 c low-fat plain yogurt
4 oz tofu (cut a 1 lb block into 4 pieces)
6-8 baby carrots or 1 large carrot
3/4 c frozen unsweetened fruit
1 Tbs wheat bran
1 Tbs wheat germ
1 Tbs whole flax seed or ground flax seed meal

Shopping notes:

• You can find wheat bran/germ and flaxseed in the grocery store baking aisle (typically).
• Frozen unsweetened fruit is generally found in the freezer section near pies/pie crust, just make sure you read the label for whether or not it’s got sugar/sweetener added.

Flavor/taste notes:

• You won’t be able to taste the tofu. Promise.
• Greek yogurt (or middle-eastern yogurt) can sometimes be found in the organic/vegetarian section and has less fat and twice the protein of regular yogurt.
• I use 10-12 baby carrots because it means more vegetable servings.
• I usually use a full cup of frozen fruit because then you don’t need ice.
• Bananas are GREAT in these things.
• If you want to use nuts in your shake, buy the unsalted kind from the store and make sure you run them through the blender FIRST to chop them up. I like them for texture (ditto the wheat bran/flaxseed).

Blend until you get the texture/thickness you want. You can add water or fruit juice or milk to thin it out.

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