The SparkPeople Cookbook is a big book with a wealth of information and inspiring stories. We jumped right in to the recipes and hope to blog about our experiences.

This week we are talking about Smoothies.

We learned SparkGuy likes a veggie smoothie and Coach Nicole likes to keep it simply fruity. Smoothies are fine as a snack and as a meal replacement, but count the calories going into it. One can quickly add unwanted and unnecessary calories using the wrong kind of juice and fruit.

We are very busy people and sometimes we just don't have the time for a sit down meal, so our "Not Chocolate Chocolate Shake" is our all time favorite go-to meal replacement smoothie. This smoothie looks and tastes like chocolate and there is no chocolate in it.

Here is the recipe:

"Eileen's Not Chocolate Chocolate Shake"
Serves 2, each serving is 14 oz. Calories = 216 per serving.

In a blender combine:

1 c. unsweetened apple juice
1 c. unsweetened almond milk
4 tbsp Manitoba Harvest Hemp Pro-70 Powder
1 frozen, or not, sm/med banana (110g)
1 1/2 c. European Best Frozen Strawberries

Blend on high for 1 minute.

Pour into two tall glasses and enjoy. Yummy.

Today I finished my smoothie before Eileen finished hers. That was a first. I find brain-freeze to be very annoying and tend to let the smoothie mellow. However, today I was seriously hungry and the smoothie tasted seriously fabulous.

Find it and Rate it in SparkRecipes here:


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