Banana Spinach Smoothie- UPDATED

Since I'm on the smoothie kick (and trying to get some veggies into my kids!)- we tried out a new one this morning from one of my favorite health blogs- fANNEtastic foods!

A Banana Spinach Smoothie!  Spinach, Banana, and Milk!  Simple, yet delicious!

I subbed Vanilla Almond Milk for the milk, and added a few ice cubes because I like my smoothies pretty cold- but it turned out great!  I was really skeptical when Anne said that you couldn't taste the spinach at all-- but you truly can't!  It tastes like a banana, vanilla milkshake (depending on how much ice you add).  This is a great Green Starter Smoothie, if you're hesitant about going green.  (cough cough, MOM)

And by the way, the kids did like it, but I may try Chocolate Almond Milk next time.

Note:  I added some Ovaltine to the last few bits of their drinks to get them to finish up.  Although it wasn't a pretty green anymore, it tasted pretty good!

UPDATE 10/12:  I tried this with Dark Chocolate Almond Milk instead of Vanilla, and added 2 tsp of instant coffee---- FANTASTIC!  


Basically, I just combined my Iced Mocha with the Banana Spinach Smoothie.  The reason I did this is because I was reading in my RunnersWorld magazine that bananas are good for fluid transfer within the body, in addition to other things.  (Not the article I read, but a goodie on bananas)  Apparently, I have some trouble with this, as I tend to get dizzy/faint when standing up/ changing positions a lot of the time.  First, the doctor told me to drink more water... which I thought was crazy because I was drinking 8-12 cups a day at that point.  THEN she said to drink LESS water, increase the sodium!  A little contradictory, eh? (Apparently, sodium helps with fluid transfer as well)  So I tried to focus a little more on gatorade, a little less on water.  It helped a little, but not tremendously.


Recently, I've been really bad at getting my water in... maybe 3 cups a day?  Of course, I haven't been doing as much cardio either because of the ankle... but I've been drinking the green smoothies (with added water) - all of which require a banana, in my book.  It occurred to me one day, that the dizziness has really subsided significantly!  Coincidence?  My guess is 'no'.  So, bananas it is!  


Update: 10-15 - Just made it again this morning, this time with nonfat milk and 2T Rich Chocolate Ovaltine... also fantastic, and more protein.  (1g in Almond Milk, 8g in milk)  I still can't get over the fact that I can't taste spinach AT ALL!

My Favorite Recovery Drink!

Amber's Iced Mocha  

• 1c. Silk Vanilla Almond Milk  (or skim milk with with a little bit of vanilla extract added)
• 4T Rich Chocolate Ovaltine
• 2 tsp. Instant Coffee
• 4 Ice Cubes

Put all ingredients in a blender, and blend to the consistency of your liking!  (I prefer small ice chunks in mine!)

So, over this passed year, I've been learning about what kinds of food are best for you to eat, and when to eat them.  My favorite discovery this summer was chocolate milk!  Knowing I had some waiting for me at home when I got back from a run, gave me that extra boost I needed to keep going!  

And then, I found out that  adding caffeine WITH the carbs from the chocolate milk helps to restock your muscle glycogen storage even faster than carbs alone-- so why not add some coffee and ice cubes-- no calories, and it practically DOUBLES my after workout treat!

Yum!  Give it a try, and let me know what you think!