A Week In Smoothies

Ah, smoothies. How we love them. There are smoothie shops and juice bars in nearly every mall, operated by a gaggle of teenagers working for some precious summer money. They batter their eardrums as they whip up concoctions of pineapple, kale, and chia seeds, serving costumers eager for a refreshing drink in the scorching heat. Smoothies are gaining incredible popularity, and I have to admit that they are pretty great. I can, without a doubt, say that I'm a fan.

But... smoothies can get a little boring.

Especially if you are slurping them up in a matter of minutes before school every. Single. Gosh. Darn. Day. When I was younger, my dad became really interested in smoothies and juicing. The problem was that he was constantly inventing his own recipes, the majority of which (sorry, Dad), were pretty awful. We would never say it to his face, but Abby and I dreaded the mornings Dad made smoothies for breakfast. His escapades with the blender left me very hesitant to cook up a smoothie of my own. Have you all seen the Netflix film To All The Boys I've Loved Before? If so, please recall the scene in which Lara Jean's dad tries to recreate her mom's fantastic Korean food (to no avail). Yeah. My situation was similar, but with smoothies; it was like Dad was trying to live up to the creations of Jamba Juice, and failing spectacularly. Because of this, I decided to instead stick to tried and true smoothies. I had this obsession with chocolate cherry smoothies - they were superb, and I saw no need to make up my own recipe when the Internet had so many fabulous ones at my beck and call.

When I became Primal, smoothies became a staple item of my diet. Cherries, while delicious and perfectly fine on occasion, were a little higher in sugar than I was hoping they would be. And those chocolate cherry blends were getting old anyway. The time had come for me to bust out the blender and start experimenting.

My first few attempts at an original smoothie were catastrophic. Either they tasted like socks, had an odd texture, or looked as appealing as the underside of my track shoes. I sacrificed a lot of frozen berries and almond butter on my quest to invent the perfect smoothie. Despite my difficulties, there came a day when I finally, finally made a smoothie that was somewhat drinkable! That was a life changing day, everyone. It's definitely up there on my list of memorable moments: learning to ride a bike, my first sleepover, inventing my first smoothie recipe.

Ever since, I've been blending up original smoothies like nobody's business. Sometimes, they are truly delicious. Other times, they suck. As I now have a smoothie everyday before school (solely because they are convenient), I thought I'd share my past week's smoothies with you. After all, you can never have too many smoothie recipes!

• Chia Coconut Smoothie - The ingredients for this smoothie are as follows: 8 oz. coconut milk (plus extra to add if the smoothie is too thick), 2 Tbsps coconut butter, 1-2 Tbsp. monk fruit, ice, a sprinkling of chia seeds, and a sprinkling of ground flax seeds. This beverage is pretty simple, but is absolutely delicious! If you want to incorporate a bit of extra flavor and antioxidants, feel free to add to some raw cacao nibs to the mix. Blend until smooth, and enjoy!

• Chocolate Almond Butter Smoothie - 1 scoop of a stevia or monk fruit-sweetened chocolate protein powder, such as Orgain Chocolate Fudge, is combined with 1 cup of frozen spinach, 2 Tbsp extra dark cocoa powder, 1-2 Tbsps monk fruit, a dash of chia seeds, 2 Tbsps of almond butter, and ice to create a truly scrumptious way to start your morning!

• Super Berry Smoothie - Pour 8 oz. of almond milk (or kefir, if you want a tangier smoothie with a great source of probiotics) into your blender, along with a serving of frozen berries, 1 Tbsp coconut butter, 1 Tbsp almond butter, 1-2 Tbsps monk fruit, some chia seeds, a smidgen of ground flax seeds, and ice. Some moringa powder is an excellent addition is you've got it handy and are looking to add additional nutrients to your blend.

• Mexican Hot Chocolate Protein Smoothie - 1 scoop of stevia or monk fruit-sweetened chocolate protein powder, 2 Tbsps cocoa powder, 1-2 Tbsps monk fruit, 2 Tbsps almond butter, ice, 8 oz. of coconut or almond milk, 1 cup of frozen cauliflower rice, and dashes of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cayenne come together to generate one of my family's favorite flavors of all time. Comforting, with a little hint of spice, this smoothie will surely get you pumped up for a phenomenal day.

• Cinnamon Almond Shake - The ingredients for this shake include 1-2 tsps of cinnamon, 8 oz. of almond milk, 1 Tbsp almond butter, 1 Tbsp coconut butter, a sprinkling of chia seeds, 1 Tbsp of raw cacao nibs, 1-2 Tbsps of monk fruit, 1/2 to 1 tsps of almond extract, and a scoop of unsweetened, grass-fed whey protein powder. A mild, slightly sweet beverage, this smoothie seems like the type of drink you'd enjoy after a relaxing yoga session.

*Note: If you don't have monk fruit, honey will do as a substitution.

In the words of Bolthouse Farms, "In life, much like smoothies, you get out what you put in." Have a splendid Monday, my friends. Make sure to work hard, eat well, and be happy.

With joy,

- Maya

Photo by Kimber Pine on Unsplash, Photo by Alex Loup on Unsplash, 

Photo by Kimber Pine on Unsplash, Photo by Oliver Sjöström on Unsplash