advice on smoothies

EmmyBur1

Hello, I am a stay at home Mom who tries to eat healthy and low calorie but to be honest I am not sure what I am doing right or wrong. I always have a diet shake for breakfast. Never been a breakfast person, it fills me up and I am good to go until lunch. That is when I lose it with ideas. I have done turkey sandwiches with avocado, or grilled chicken on a salad, some berries as a side or a few crackers to go with it. My kids eat very healthy with one serving of fruit or veggies with every meal. I try to do the same for myself. My problem is sometimes after making the kids lunch, getting them settled I don't have much time or interest to make me a whole lot. So sometimes it is a cardboard tasting frozen burrito and chips. I don't enjoy eating it, and I know it is not good for me. Could I make up some smoothies, freeze them, then thaw it and eat it as a lunch option. Would that be enough to fill me up for lunch, and give me what I need as far as nutrients? If so what should I be putting in it to fill me up, give me energy, and nutrients for the rest of the day. I have never had a big appetite, so being "full" is not something I ever do usually. I do, obviously just not my big thing to do. Satisfied is more my style. Any info on smoothies, supplements to go in it, and advice on if this is even a good option for a quick meal on the days I don't have time for much else. Thank you. I am new to here and getting fit so I will be asking a lot. But I hope soon I will be able to give advice as well

HealthyInside1st

Hi!

I'm a mom as well. I LOVE smoothies and I have even gotten my daughter to drink them everyday as well. Start with the recipe below. It's delicious and nourishing. I have a TON of recipes that have helped me over the last 5 weeks that my daughter eats as well. I've only had one complaint so far. You can find the plant protein powder at any vitamin store and possibly Wegmans and Whole Foods.

Nature's Plus Protein Powder - 1 scoop
Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Milk - 1 Cup
1/2 Cup Frozen or Fresh Blueberries
1 Banana

I have started adding 2 kale leaves to each smoothie and I can't even tell I added it. If I'm really hungry I'll have one slice of Multigrain toast with Land o Lakes Olive Oil Butter with my smoothie. My snack would be 2 egg whites (hardboiled) with salt and pepper. Lunch is usually leftovers from dinner the night before. I always have Yogi Green Tea Slim Blueberry with a little bit of raw honey for my afternoon snack with fruit or a veggie. You can always do laughing cow cheese wedge with healthy crackers or pretzels depending on your lunch.

kelseyhere

If all you eat for the first two meals a day is a smoothie, it will be important to make sure you have protein. I like to add greek yogurt, protein powder, and chia seeds (soak in water first) for protein and also to make sure my smoothies make me full.

You can try mixing up the liquid in your smoothie for some variety - coconut milk, almond milk, flaxseed milk are all good options. Another product I really like is called coconut butter. It adds a nice creamy texture to smoothies.

Other lunch ideas to try - tuna or chicken salad on cucumber slices, berry salad, small cup of soup and a salad, hard boiled eggs, quiche, veggie lasagna, crockpot stew. Maybe instead of making different lunches for you and the kids, try making some casseroles or crock pot meals over the weekend you can portion out for everyone's lunch during the week. It will make your morning go faster, and if the food is already made, you'll be less likely to resort to the cardboard burrito.

lanthiriel

I make a smoothie that has about a cup of baby spinach, a banana, a cup of frozen mixed berries, and half a cup of greek yogurt. It's pretty tasty and keeps me full.

chrissyrenee1029

I love smoothies! Mine usually consist of 1/2 a banana, a handful of baby spinach or kale, some other type of fruit (pineapple or mango is really good), 1/2 cup greek yogurt, vanilla almond milk, and a little bit of peanut butter for protein.

I also like to cut my banana into slices ahead of time and put them in the freezer so I don't need to add ice.