Sweet Potato Cinnamon Peach Smoothie

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Peach Smoothie

by | Sep 2, 2017 | Health, Home, Recipes

I’m such a fan of sweet potato.  I used to eat whole sweet potatoes all by myself, multiple times a week, every week.  Oh, the good days.  Now, I sync food with my cycle phases so I mostly consume sweet potatoes during my luteal phase.  The more I cycle-sync, the more I’ve adapted my cravings to phase appropriate foods.  So, this shake is a mash-up of WomanCode recommended luteal foods like sweet potato, cauliflower, and peach.  More deets about cycle-syncing here, but you don’t need to follow WomanCode to enjoy this smoothie!

The Sweet Potato Cinnamon Peach Smoothie does require a bit of prep work for the veggies but once you have these items in your freezer arsenal, you will be able to reap the benefits of many future smoothies!  So, I promise it’s worth it!

First up is the cauliflower.  Raw cauliflower can wreak havoc on the tummy so I steam and freeze it for smoothies.  It’s also easy to rinse and chop cauliflower and then stick it in the microwave for 3-5 minutes until tender.  Let it cool to room temperature before freezing it on a tray to avoid clumps.  Then, move it to a freezer bag or container.  In a frozen state, the cauliflower makes a neutral and thick base!

Is there anything more delicious than roasted sweet potato?  I think not.  Roasting brings out the natural sweetness and caramel-like flavors in sweet potatoes so don’t skip this step.  Once roasted and cooled, you can slice it into large cubes (to make it easier on your blender later) and freeze.  The sweet potato can be used roasted and cold but frozen creates thickness to make this smoothie shake-like.

I also throw some dark leafy greens into my smoothie.  Be warned: fresh ones will have a greener taste.  Frozen greens, on the other hand, can hide their taste a little better in the smoothie.  Both methods, fresh or frozen, and any leafy green should work.

I always prefer frozen over fresh produce for smoothies because frozen goods make a cold and frosty smoothie.  Though, for this recipe, I’m taking advantage of summer peaches and using it fresh.  The fruit is extra sweet when used fresh, just like how the fresh leafy greens taste extra green.  I haven’t tested with frozen peaches but be sure to add more liquid if you go that route.

Try adding some aloe to this smoothie!

I cut out the flesh from aloe vera leaves (as shown) and throw it into my food processor.  Once blended, the aloe becomes a sticky liquid which I pour into an ice cube tray.  I fill each slot 3/4 of the way so that I can easily pop a cube into my smoothies each day.

Aloe Vera is the last and the optional addition to the Sweet Potato Cinnamon Peach Smoothie.  Lately, I’ve been into adding a tablespoon’s worth of frozen aloe Vera gel to my smoothies.  Supposedly the plant has crazy health benefits.  My Mexican ancestors used to vouch for the spectrum of benefits cactus has.  It can help everything from your skin to your digestion and even help your immune system.  Though, store-bought aloe should also work if you want to incorporate it into this smoothie (or any other smoothie recipe)!

sweet potato cinnamon peach smoothie

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Peach Smoothie
Recipe Type: Breakfast
Cuisine: Smoothie
Author: Melanie
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 smoothie
Here is where summer and fall meet. Warm flavors of sweet potato and cinnamon combine with the fruity freshness of peach to make a delicious smoothie. Admittedly, I like my smoothies thick so this recipe is more shake-like but smoothie sounds more pleasant in the title. 🙂
Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup frozen sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup frozen cauliflower florets
  • A large, fresh white peach
  • 2 tbsp almond butter
  • 1 cube frozen aloe vera gel, optional
  • A handful of greens
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp maqui berry powder, optional
  • About ½ cup water or milk (plus, more to thin to desired consistency)
Instructions
  1. To make the layered smoothie, start with the base of sweet potato, cauliflower, peach, almond butter, aloe, and cinnamon. I like to blend these up with water before adding the protein powder. Otherwise, the protein powder seems to absorb the liquid without leaving any for smoothing out the ingredients.
  2. Next, add the protein powder, and blend again, scraping down the sides if necessary.
  3. Once smooth, pour almost half of the mixture into a serving glass. To the blender, add the maqui berry powder and blend again.
  4. Add half of the maqui berry layer to the top of the first layer in your glass. Reserve the remaining contents for the green layer.
  5. Scrape down the sides of the blender and add the handful of greens. The smallest splash of water also helps get the mixture going. When the greens layer is smooth, pour it into your glass.
  6. The top layer will taste very GREEN so be sure to stir it up after taking a picture 😉
Notes
The prep time does not include freezing time. Most of the main ingredients are frozen except for the peach. See the post for preparation tips and why I use frozen vs fresh.[br]If you don’t have maqui berry powder, skip the middle layer and just make one larger green layer. It doesn’t contribute much flavor-wise, anyway.[br]If the layering business is too much of a fuss, the smoothie also tastes awesome when it is all blended up together at once.
Green Banana Tahini Shake

Green Banana Tahini Shake

by | Aug 23, 2017 | Health, Home, Recipes

My love for tahini is almost a year long affair.  It’s wild to think I hadn’t ever tried tahini prior to that.  Heck, I was not even a fan of peanut butter two years ago.  YES.  I’m not kidding.  This girl was not a fan of nut butter.

I once heard that our taste buds change every 7 years.  I’m not sure how accurate that is so don’t take my word for it but I know our tastes are cyclical.  Whenever my last taste bud change last occurred it made me a fan of dark leafy greens, too.  Leafy greens used to taste like dry, bitter plants to me but I’ve come a long way.  Look at me now, putting both of them in my smoothie!

If you’ve seen or tried my classic Banana Tahini Shake, then you’ll be a fan of this one!  It is similar in texture but uses a few different ingredients to make it thick and shake-like.  Smoothies and shakes are both breakfast favorites of mine but, unlike smoothies, shakes are nice and thick!

Also, I’d describe the flavor of this shake as being refreshing.  It’s lightly sweetened but it tastes fresh thanks to the peppermint extract.  You could use fresh mint, or simply omit.  Though, I recommend it for a flavor booster!  You could even experiment by substituting your favorite food-grade extract.

Let me know what you come up with if you give this recipe a try!

green banana tahini shake

Green Banana Tahini Shake
Recipe Type: Breakfast
Author: Melanie
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 shake
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 tbsp ground flax seed
  • ½ cup water or milk of choice
  • A cube of frozen aloe vera juice, optional
  • A large handful of fresh baby greens ~ 1 heaping cup
  • 1 cup frozen cauliflower
  • ½ frozen banana
  • 1 ½ tbsp tahini
  • 4 drops peppermint extract
  • 1 scoop chocolate or vanilla protein powder ( I used chocolate)
  • 1 tbsp cacao powder, for enhanced chocolate flavor
Instructions
  1. Add the first three ingredients to the blender and let sit for 5 minutes. This will give the seeds a chance to expand and, thus, provide a thickening power to the shake. You can also prep and soak the seeds overnight, if desired.
  2. After the seeds have expanded, add the fresh greens and blend until smooth.
  3. Next, toss in the remaining ingredients and blend. If necessary, pour in an extra splash of water or milk.
  4. For the best experience, pour the shake into an empty tahini jar to enjoy!
Chocolate Cinnamon Breakfast Shake—Mexican Hot Chocolate Inspired

Chocolate Cinnamon Breakfast Shake—Mexican Hot Chocolate Inspired

by | May 25, 2017 | Health, Home, Recipes

Oftentimes I go to bed dreaming of what I’m going to eat the next morning for breakfast.  The flavors of peanut butter and cinnamon on toast, berry-filled smoothies, or zucchini oats occupy my mind.  It might be a problem how much I think about food but if it’s wrong then I don’t want to be right!  Especially when it comes to breakfast—the best meal of the day!

Sweet breakfasts are my usual but chocolate, surprisingly, does not make a daily appearance in my breakfast or snacks.  Simply because it is one of those flavors that you crave the more you eat it, or, conversely, crave less if you don’t eat it.  I remember the days of being a chocoholic and it wasn’t pretty.  Now, I can go weeks without tasting chocolate in any form, and I’m quite fine, but once I taste some chocolate muffins or homemade chocolate peanut butter cups I find I’m craving it daily!  Not that I’m complaining.  Thankfully, my chocolate interests are much tamer these days and I channel my sweet tooth in what I’d say is a nutritious manner.

Exhibit A: Chocolate Cinnamon Breakfast Shake.

chocolate cinnamon breakfast shake

Truly, this combination came about when I accidentally threw cinnamon into my chocolate smoothie.  I spice up my breakfasts with cinnamon—AKA the wonder spice!—almost every day.  It adds a warm, comforting feel but also enhances the sweetness in foods.  Though, cinnamon with cherries, frozen cauliflower, spinach, and chocolate protein powder isn’t a pairing I was prepared to make.  Fortunately for me, cinnamon can do no wrong.

The smoothie turned out to be reminiscent of Mexican Hot Chocolate.  If you wanted to tap into that flavor profile a bit more, then a dash (or approximately 1/8 tsp) of chili powder would add some heat.  Though, the cinnamon is enough—especially if you want to keep your smoothie strictly sweet 😉

Let me know if you give this a try!

chocolate cinnamon breakfast shake

UPDATE:

I’ve updated the recipe below to include an option for how to achieve the same Mexican Hot Chocolate flavor if using a protein powder other than ALOHA.  Tone it Up chocolate plant-based protein or Nuzest chocolate protein would both work.

Chocolate Cinnamon Breakfast Shake
Recipe Type: Breakfast, Smoothie
Author: Melanie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1
Cinnamon accompanies cherries, cauliflower, spinach, and chocolate protein powder to create a flavorful smoothie reminiscent of Mexican hot chocolate.
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 c cauliflower, frozen
  • 3/4 cup frozen spinach
  • 1 cup frozen cherries
  • A serving of chocolate plant-based protein powder (I used ALOHA)
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tbsp almond butter
  • 1/8 tsp chili powder (optional, but recommended for Mexican chocolate flavor)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp cacao powder*
  • 1/2 tsp sugar in the raw or coconut sugar*
  • a pinch of Himalayan pink sea salt*
  • 3/4 cup coconut water + 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or plain water + almond milk)
Instructions
  1. Blend up the coconut water and spinach so no spinach bits remain. Then, add in the chocolate protein powder, cauliflower, and cherries. Blend, pushing down on the sides of the blender with a spoon to help the mixture along.
  2. When mostly combined, add in the cinnamon, chili powder, almond butter, and almond milk. If using a protein powder other than ALOHA, add cacao powder, raw sugar, and sea salt.
  3. It will be a very thick mixture, but that’s how I like my breakfast shakes. Add in a bit more almond milk or water, if desired.
Notes
I like to blend up the ingredients in steps to make it easier on my blender. If you have a strong blender, feel free to toss all of the ingredients in at once.[br][br]*The original recipe was tested with ALOHA chocolate plant-based protein powder. It has a stronger chocolate flavor and slightly sweeter taste. You can use another chocolate protein powder, like Tone it Up plant-based powder, but, to compensate for flavor differences, add the starred ingredients: cacao powder, raw sugar, and sea salt. They’re all necessary to bring out the hot chocolate flavors!

 

Banana Tahini Shake – My current FAVE

Banana Tahini Shake – My current FAVE

by | May 9, 2017 | Health, Home, Recipes

Alright, alright, alright!  How is everyone doing today?  It is Tuesday and it’s time to break out the tahini! Can that be a thing?  Move over tacos, it’s Tahini Tuesday! 😆

It’s no secret that smoothies are my favorite thing ever and if I can sneak some vegetables in them, that’s even better.  Too much fruit in a smoothie can spike my blood sugar and leave me crashing with hanger mid-morning.  That doesn’t mean fruit is a no-go, it just means I need to include a little something extra to stabilize my energy and keep hunger at bay.  A recent discovery that I’ve made in regards to my smoothies is the power of HEALTHY FATS.

I used to be so scared of using oil or eating peanut butter and avocados (not necessarily together), but now I know that a moderate amount of fat is A-okay!  Plus, I eat mostly plant-based so when I include healthy fats, I’m add a satiating element to my meals.

Banana Tahini Shake

So, back to the Banana Tahini Shake!  Technically it could fall under the “smoothie” category but it is so rich and comforting that it feels like a shake to me.  Shakes are usually loaded up with ice cream, dairy milk, and sugar but mine is sweetened with banana.  It’s more than healthy enough for breakfast for sure!  Plus, the addition of tahini really helps round out the smoothie/shake.  It is…

Uniquely satisfying,

Subtly sweet,

And perfectly thick.

I have been digging this for weeks now and I’m very excited to share it!  Let me know if you try it out 🙂

Banana Tahini Shake Header

 

Banana Tahini Shake
Recipe Type: Breakfast
Author: Melanie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1
Zucchini adds fiber, tahini adds satiating fats, and banana brings home the sweetness in this simple Banana Tahini Shake.
Ingredients
  • ¼ large frozen zucchini (about ½ cup chopped)
  • 1 med frozen banana
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • a dash of black pepper
  • ½ inch knob of fresh ginger, frozen (I like the zestiness of it but you can sub ground)
  • 1-2 tbsp of tahini,
  • 1 serving of plant-based protein powder, optional
  • ¾ cup – 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • Barbara’s Bakery Puffins or other cereal, optional
Instructions
  1. Add zucchini, banana, and ginger to a blender or food processor and 3/4 cup of almond milk. Blend away! Then add the spices, tahini, and protein powder. Add more milk, if needed.
  2. Serve the smoothie in a glass with some low-sugar cereal of choice, if desired. Best enjoyed with a spoon and straw.
Notes
I used The Natural Citizen Organic Protein but any other plant-based protein should work just fine!