Homemade Almond Milk & Berry Milk Shake

I have been wanting to start making my own almond milk for quite some time now. That way I can get the freshest and purest milk with NO additives. This can be done easily with a blender and a nut milk bag. The only thing stopping me was that I did not have a nut milk bag yet.

Blueberry Pineapple Smoothie - The Secret of the Perfect Fruit Smoothie

Today I wanted a fruit smoothie for breakfast. The secret to making a good fruit smoothie without adding a sweetener is to not use ice! Instead, keep some frozen fruit on hand. I buy bananas when they are slightly green. I love eating them before they are fully ripe. So I eat one or two until they just barely start to get brown spots. Once they start getting speckled, I peel them, break them in half and toss them in a large ziplock bag and freeze them for smoothies! Depending on your blender you may want to slice them before you freeze them. I also try to keep frozen blueberries and strawberries in stock. Frozen bananas make a great smoothie base. They add all the extra sweetness I need.

Keep the Doctor Away Green Smoothie

As always, I start my morning with a 16oz glass of water with lemon. The latest talk is that it is a good way to help your body detox and re-hydrate from the night, before you begin to put food in. And... Strawberries are in season here in Florida, YUM one of my favorite fruits. I can't resist having these around, even organic prices on them are decent! So I had to have a few of these fresh with my smoothie! I didn't want to add any in my smoothie, I just wanted to enjoy them as is! I usually save the frozen ones for smoothies and eat the fresh ones! (And yeah, old Coca-Cola glasses haha, I will NEVER put that stuff in my body again ever! The glasses are cute though! :) Anyhow, back to the topic of smoothies! There are a lot of great things about smoothies.

Green Smoothies - It's what's for breakfast!

Orange Banana
1 frozen banana
2 peeled tangelos (cut away thick membranes)
2 large stalks of kale
2 tsp hemp seeds
1/2 cup Thai coconut water & flesh or almond milk (or more)

Banana Berry
1 frozen banana
5 frozen strawberries
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
2 tsp hemp seeds
2 large stalks of kale, romaine or other greens
1/2 cup of coconut water or nut milk

Banana Mango
1 frozen banana
1/2 mango
handful or two of fresh baby spinach
2 tsp hemp seeds
1/2 cup coconut water or nut milk

A good green smoothie usually starts off with a banana, a handful of fresh greens and a nut milk or coconut water. Then add what ever other fruit you have available! You can also add a scoop or two of your favorite plant based protein mix or hemp seeds. It works great if you have a single serve blender cup like I do, It's so darn easy and very little mess. This is one of the quickest breakfasts ever. And it gives you a jump start to your day!

As you can see the options are limitless! Your smoothie colors will not be green if you add berries and greens, they may look more brown or purple. The color may not be appealing but they will still taste really good! Some people like to add a sweetener to these, but I prefer them without. If you do, you can use stevia, dates, or a teaspoon or two of honey or maple syrup.

I buy enough bananas to always keep some in the freezer. When they get to peak ripeness, I peel them and put them in a large ziplock bag and take them out when I make a smoothie. You can also puree just the frozen banana and eat it as a treat... it is delicious, banana ice cream!

If you've read my other recipes you'll see I use hulled hemp seed a lot, it is considered a superfood and is one of the few plants that are considered a complete protein. It is a plant based protein that is considered above soy and flax. It has all 20 amino acids, including the 9 essential amino acids. It is a good source of vitamin E and has many other trace minerals. It is much easier to digest than soy. Here is a really good write up on hemp seeds.