Do you like smoothies? Those creamy, slushy, icy drinks have never seemed appetizing to me. Barb and I did have a fantastic version of one at our Cabo time-share resort, but that was a chocolate-mocha confection, far different from the green sludgy ones that are so popular now. But times, and my appetites, are changing.
My “diet” has gotten me where I want to be with a normal body mass index. My blood chemistries are looking good as well. And summer, my preferred running season. has reached an end. So I was looking for a way to add some muscle mass and add enough calories to my diet to maintain, instead of lose, weight. I had bought some minimally flavored protein powder a couple of weeks ago and decided the time was right for figuring out how to use it. Smoothies seemed like a good solution.
Although I hate following recipes, I scanned through many websites to get an idea of how I should create my new treat. Construction of a smoothie didn’t seem to be rocket science–or brain surgery. Some liquids, some fruity stuff, some healthy veggies, something to add a bit of bulk. So I went to my neighborhood Woodman Market to load up on supplies.
I was surprised at the price of a gallon of 1% milk. It was much less expensive than almond milk, or coconut water, or fruit juice. And also a necessary ingredient if I wanted to start a cold weekend morning with some Cream of Wheat. While still at the dairy case, I picked up a big tub of plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt–usually not my favorite type, but I was shooting for protein, so a good choice.
A trip to the freezer section was up next. I planned on grabbing a ginormous bag of frozen blueberries and then to go to produce for some spinach or kale. My hand reached for the blueberries, but my eyes saw bags of something different; packages of Dole Frozen Smoothie Combos in several different varieties. Each large package contained a smaller pack of frozen produce, cubed and just the right size for a single smoothie. Most were all fruit, but searching around I found some that were fruit and kale, with a hint of mint for good measure. I grabbed a package, enough for seven smoothies, and my purchases were complete.
I choose Sunday evening to make my first smoothie. Can you say disaster? I emptied all my ingredients–the milk, the yogurt, the protein powder, and the Dole pack– into a dinky hand-held blender that Barb had used to make some slushy stuff in the past. I plugged it in and turned it on. The motor whirred and the blender blade did nothing. It barely bit into the solidly frozen fruit.
Frustrated, I emptied the glop into our Kitchen-Aide blender, assuming the more powerful machine would do the trick. It pulsed–and stopped dead. After multiple jolts of power, I finally had a semi-liquid edible conglomeration, an unnatural pinkish gray with flecks of green.
Being ever-adventurous, I dipped in a spoon and had a taste. A weird flavor, but not totally bad. The consistency was like an overly granular sherbet, with a nice chilly bite. I poured it all into a bowl (this was not a drinkable consistency) and, while fighting off brain freeze, finished it all with my spoon.
I made my second smoothie last night. I planned in advance, thawing the frozen fruit-kale pack in the refrigerator for a few hours. This made a big difference with the blender, which this time around had no problem quickly creating the sherbety concoction. I finished it as Barb and I watched the season premiere of “This Is Us.”
And you know what? It wasn’t bad. Maybe I will become a smoothie fan after all!
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photo credit: wallyg <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/70323761@N00/48416063576“>Houston – EaDo: Huynh Restaurant – Sinh tố mãng cầu</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com“>photopin</a> <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/“>(license)</a>
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