Sunday, June 12, 2011

Low Calorie Smoothies To Beat The Heat!

Amplify’d from www.stepaheadnj.com

LOW CALORIE SMOOTHIES TO BEAT THE HEAT!



Posted by deborah neiman on Wed, Jun 08, 2011 @ 12:09 PM


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Try these low calorie smoothies to cool off in the summer heat!


Berry Burst


Ingredients



  • 1 1/4 cups orange juice, preferably calcium-fortified

  • 1 banana

  • 1 1/4 cups frozen berries, such as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and/or strawberries

  • 1/2 cup low-fat silken tofu, or low-fat plain yogurt

  • 1 tablespoon sugar, or Splenda Granular (optional)


Preparation



  1. Combine orange juice, banana, berries, tofu (or yogurt) and sugar (or Splenda), if using, in a blender; cover and blend until creamy. Serve immediately.


Nutrition


3 servings, 1 cup each


Per serving: 157 calories; 2 g fat ( 0 g sat , 0 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 33 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 4 g protein; 4 g fiber; 19 mg sodium; 430 mg potassium.


Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (110% daily value), Fiber (16% dv).


 


Hawaiian Smoothie


Ingredients



  • 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple

  • 1/2 cup chopped peeled papaya

  • 1/4 cup guava nectar, (see Ingredient Note)

  • 1 tablespoon lime juice

  • 1 teaspoon grenadine, (see Ingredient Note)

  • 1/2 cup ice


Preparation



  1. Place ingredients in the order listed in a blender. Pulse three times to chop the fruit, then blend until smooth. Serve immediately.


Tips & Notes



  • Ingredient Notes: Grenadine is a red syrup (originally flavored with pomegranate juice) used to color and flavor drinks. Look for it in the bar-mix section of your supermarket.

  • Guava nectar is available in most markets, with the juices or in the Latin American section.


Nutrition


2 servings, 1 cup each


Per serving: 81 calories; 0 g fat ( 0 g sat , 0 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 21 g carbohydrates; 1 g protein; 2 g fiber; 5 mg sodium; 201 mg potassium.


Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (100% daily value).


 


Chocolate lovers



  • ¾ c light chocolate soy milk

  • 1 ¼ cup frozen unsweetened, raspberries

  • ½ banana

  • ¾ cup sorbet

  • 2 tbsp chopped mint


 



Directions


Combine the soy milk, raspberries, and banana in a blender. Add the sorbet and mint. Blend until smooth.


Nutrition


2 servings, 1 cup each


Per serving:  217 calories

Read more at www.stepaheadnj.com
 

Thursday, June 2, 2011

5 Healthy Smoothie Recipes

Amplify’d from www.symptomfind.com

5 Healthy Smoothie Recipes



Smoothies are gaining more popularity as people continue to search for healthy drinks and foods. They are often marketed towards health enthusiasts, people trying to lose weight, or people who are physically active. It seems that there is a smoothie establishment on every major street corner and in every major gym. The problem is some of these smoothies being sold over the counter are actually packed with calories, sugar and fat, which helps make them tastier and more addicting. If you're looking for a healthy smoothie, why not make one for yourself? That way, you at least know what you're getting in your drink. Here are five healthy smoothie recipes for you to try:





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1. Wonderful Wheatgrass Smoothie


Wheatgrass is a food that has practically become synonymous with the word "healthy." It's not a huge mystery to see why so many juice bars and smoothie shops include it as an ingredient for their drinks, but the fact of the matter is, it doesn't taste good. Here is a recipe for a wheatgrass smoothie that might taste better than what you're used to, with all the added health benefits:



Nutrients that can be obtained from this smoothie:



2. Blue Broccoli Blast Smoothie


Blueberries and broccoli don't sound like two types of food that should go together...ever! But, that's the great thing about smoothies - you can try all kinds of interesting combinations with healthy foods and if they don't taste good, at least you benefit from all that nutrition. Plus, a bad tasting smoothie is easy to chug down as opposed to an entire meal or dish. Not to worry, this blueberry, broccoli concoction is actually very tasty. Blend the following ingredients for one minute to get a great tasting, healthy smoothie:



  • 1 cup of frozen blueberries

  • ½ cup of strawberries

  • ½ cup of steamed broccoli

  • 1 cup of cranberry or cranberry-apple juice

  • ½ cup of regular, low-fat yogurt


Here are some of the health benefits associated with this smoothie recipe:



3. Super Spinach Smoothie


You may be thinking that a spinach smoothie sounds just as bad as a wheatgrass smoothie, but it's actually quite sweet and tasty like its wheatgrass counterpart. Spinach is known for its many health benefits like improved cardiovascular health and antioxidants. Here is a spinach smoothie recipe that is both tasty and good for you:



  • 2 cups of spinach

  • 2 frozen bananas

  • 1 cup of soy milk

  • ½ teaspoon of cinnamon

  • 2 teaspoons of vanilla

  • 1 tablespoon of sugar or an artificial sweetener like sucralose


More health benefits:



  • Anticoagulant and pain-relief properties from the cinnamon.

  • Abundance of vitamins and nutrients from the bananas and spinach.

  • Can help reduce the risk of: breast, stomach, skin, prostate and ovarian cancer.


4. Amazing Apricot and Pineapple Smoothie


Don't worry, not all of the smoothies on this list are going to be vegetable based. An apricot and pineapple smoothie should bring about a nice change from all those green vegetables, not to mention a nice colored smoothie - the oranges and yellows in your glass are sure to make your mouth water. Apricots and pineapples aren't the only fruits you'll find in this smoothie. The addition of bananas and strawberries will add an extra kick of potassium, vitamin C and antioxidants. Here is the recipe for this fruit filled delight:



  • 1 apricot, chopped

  • ¼ cup of diced pineapples

  • 6 strawberries

  • ½ a banana

  • 1.5 cups of water

  • 1 tablespoon of condensed milk (optional)

  • 1 tablespoon of protein powder (optional)


Here is a list of nutrients that can be found in this healthy smoothie:



  • Beta-carotene

  • Iron

  • Copper

  • Potassium

  • Vitamin A

  • Vitamin C

  • Fiber

  • Protein (If you decide to add protein powder)


5. The Mean Green Tea Smoothie


Fruits - okay; vegetables - maybe; but, green tea in a smoothie? Well, why not? This obviously isn't the steaming hot green tea served in a kettle, which most people are used to. This is taking iced green tea to a whole new level and transforming it into smoothie form. Besides, you've seen, or at least heard of iced green tea, right? How about peach iced green tea? Starting to sound better?


With the addition of the great diet benefits and powerful antioxidants found in green tea, you'll be getting one of the healthiest smoothies you've ever had the pleasure of tasting. Here is the recipe for this amazing take on green tea:



  • 1 peach, diced and without the pit

  • ½ a banana

  • 1 cup of chilled green tea (If you have to, brew a cup of green tea and chill it in the fridge)

  • ½ cup of ice cubes

  • 1 tablespoon of honey


If you're looking for something a little sweeter, and you don't mind sacrificing some of those healthy benefits, try substituting the cup of green tea and ice cubes, for a half cup of low-fat green tea ice cream. This isn't exactly healthy, but it's definitely delicious.

Read more at www.symptomfind.com