smoothies/shakes...thoughts, suggestions, advice

pnut80
pnut80 Posts: 77 Member
edited November 13 in Food and Nutrition
ive seen alot of people talking about smoothies (fruit, green, whatever) and i am a fruit smoothie fan. but what kind of calories do smoothies have? im usually on the run in the mornings so breakfast can be a little challenging. im looking for smoothies or breakfast shakes or drinks that will be filling and healthy, but wont break my cal intake for the whole day. any thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated!

Replies

  • Justinelovezumba32
    Justinelovezumba32 Posts: 25 Member
    I blend together, half an banana, half an avocado, teaspoon of honey, and 8 oz of soy milk. I also put a scoop of whey protein. it's filling and good and about 260 calories.
  • debubbie
    debubbie Posts: 767 Member
    Really would be dependent upon what you are putting in the shakes as milk and protein can definitely up the calorie count. Some fruit, ice, spinach won't be as calorie heavy but they may not fill you up. I tried doing a quickie shake in the morning as my breakfast and I always was hungry an hour or two later. I decided to get the Special K flatbread sandwiches to eat with Greek yogurt and some fruit to help me feel fuller longer. You may also try protein drinks already made with some fruit or yogurt on the side.
  • Hollywood_Porky
    Hollywood_Porky Posts: 491 Member
    Yeah agreed with the above - and keep your fruit portions to about 2 cups max per smoothie because you can really overdo it with them (I can faithfully attest to this) - I would add protein for fullness - the avocado is a great idea as well - protein and avocado fat calories will add fullness to the smoothie.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    pnut80 wrote: »
    ... what kind of calories do smoothies have? im usually on the run in the mornings so breakfast can be a little challenging.

    Basically, a smoothie has the sum total calories of whatever you throw in it. Any easy way to figure this out is to log what you might put in a smoothie and then delete it if that's not what you want. Plan ahead for the next morning by putting what you might put in the smoothie in the next day's breakfast log. Have the stuff all lined up to go with the blender out and it will only take seconds to assemble your smoothie the next morning.

    Among my favorites is a frozen banana with a cup of unsweetened soy milk and cinnamon. I let a bunch of bananas ripen and then peel and put in the freezer -- each one in a separate container. If I want more protein with the smoothie, I either add peanut butter or some vital wheat gluten. Don't like bananas? Frozen cherries, blueberries, etc., make great smoothies.

    I just use a standard cheap Osterizer blender from Walmart. Makes things smooth enough for me. No need for a fancier, more expensive blender unless you are bothered by the texture from the regular one.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    edited March 2015
    pnut80 wrote: »
    ive seen alot of people talking about smoothies (fruit, green, whatever) and i am a fruit smoothie fan. but what kind of calories do smoothies have? im usually on the run in the mornings so breakfast can be a little challenging. im looking for smoothies or breakfast shakes or drinks that will be filling and healthy, but wont break my cal intake for the whole day. any thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated!

    I have them once or twice week when I need more protein. Mine usually go like this:
    ~one banana or ½ banana or one cup of blue berries if I have them. You can use other fruit
    ~lots of greens -- lately it is one half bag of Romaine
    ~½ cup greek yogurt
    ~one or two scoops of protein powder.
    ~a little bit of cinnamon powder.
    ~COLD water
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Typically frozen berries, a scoop of vanilla protein powder, some lowfat milk, and some ricotta to thicken it up and add more protein.

    But I don't really like drinking my calories so I very rarely have them.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    My smoothie has:

    1 scoop protein powder
    Fibre powder (80calories)
    Wheatgerm
    Banana
    Coconut oil
    Raw egg
    Almond coconut milk
    Cottage cheese
    chia seeds

    Sometimes I also add blackberries, rasberries and kale.
    The above smoothie comes to around 600 calories and keeps me full for hours.
  • pnut80
    pnut80 Posts: 77 Member
    thanks for the ideas guys! i guess i should mention that i CAN NOT drink coconut milk and im not a fan of lettuce. i do however love spinach and ive been thinking of switching to almond milk. any thoughts on almond milk? is that something that i could substitute with? i just dont really know what to add to a smoothie...some of these sound really yummy with a few substitutes!
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Almond milk is fine :smiley:
  • tammy0920
    tammy0920 Posts: 2 Member
    My favorite breakfast smoothie is 2T of oats, 1T each of flax and chia seeds, 1/2c of frozen berries, 1/2 frozen banana, 1c unsweetened vanilla almond milk and 1/2 c Greek yogurt. Super good and filling. It comes in around 325 calories.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    Really just depends what you put in it. Half a banana is 50 calories. Berries are pretty low calorie in general. Some milk of some sort and low fat yogurt. Could be fairly low calorie. When I make smoothies I just kinda throw in whatever fruits I like. They don't really "go" together typically. Usually some of these: banana, apple, strawberries, kiwi, pineapple, mango... I like all the fruit lol
  • pnut80
    pnut80 Posts: 77 Member
    tammy0920 wrote: »
    My favorite breakfast smoothie is 2T of oats, 1T each of flax and chia seeds, 1/2c of frozen berries, 1/2 frozen banana, 1c unsweetened vanilla almond milk and 1/2 c Greek yogurt. Super good and filling. It comes in around 325 calories.

    this sounds delicious! when you say 2T...do you mean table or tea spoons? and also what do you use to blend?
  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
    My green smoothie is lots of spinach + banana + tbsp flax seed + and a scoop of my protein powder + 8oz water. It's 234 calories. It's incredibly filling. I usually have a hard time finishing it.

    I've heard recipes my non-calorie counting friends use....and my eyes get huge. They have NO idea how many calories they are consuming with all the fruit and yogurt and stuff they put in there. I mean, they don't need to watch their waist line like I do lol....but the point is, you do need to watch what you put in if you are counting calories.
  • DaveyNH
    DaveyNH Posts: 23 Member
    Mine is about 190 calories.

    1 cup frozen berries with kale
    1/4 cup orange juice
    1/2 cup coconut water (not from concentrate)
    1/2 cup plain fat free yogurt

    Delicious. I make extra now because my 2 year old loves it
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