Suggestions on smoothies......

I would like to make some smoothies but not sure where to start....afraid to use a lot of juice because of the sugar.....can I use skim milk and add fruit? I have unflavored UnJury that I can add to it...... I miss talking to everyone....I hope everyone is doing well....I am trying to not be so hard on myself about certain things...right now working on getting through all the emotional aspects of WLS!!!!! Off to the treadmill...Love you all!!!!!

I can share with you my smoothies recipes.......i use a flavor of light yogurt (depending on my mood but usually mango peach, or peach, or orange creme, or blueberry they yoplait ones are 6 oz. I add 3 oz of skim milk. One scoop protein powder (I am using up the vanilla I have.....you could use unflavored. I put in half a banana. and I throw in about 3-4 whold frozen unsweetned strawberries or sometimes mixed fruit. Makes it nice and thick and good. You can vary the flavor by verying the yougurt or frozen fruit choice. Sometimes I will use 3 oz of orange or apple juice insead of milk. the secret is the frozen fruit istead of ice. Gives you the fruit without the hight sugar content of juice. Now it is not fruit but he other thing I do is 1 pack sf carnation instant breakfast, 4 oz light vanilla yogurt, 4 oz milk, 1/2 to one scoop protien powder, half banana, you can add some ice. or you can do 8oz of skim milk if you do not like yogurt......it is 25-30 grams protein depending on which way you make it. nice to see you posting!!! Donna

I decided to try the shakes again tonight actually, after staring at the pile of protein powders I've had sitting on the dining room floor for almost 9 months! I put 1 scoop of vanilla powder (I use Gourmet Whey), 1 handful of frozen mixed berries, and about 3/4 cup maybe of skim milk all into my super duper magic bullet. As a super picky person when it comes to protein shakes...this one rocked and I plan on making it again! Donna - I never thought of using the RS Instant Breakfast powders!

Thanks to both of you for the suggestions.....After I bought a new treadmill after Christmas and finally have the scale moving again I want it to stay moving!!!!! Donna....I am going to try the Carnation one but maybe freeze the banana first? I plan on trying them all.....I am super picky about my shakes also!!!!!

I am picky as well and coming up with these does not have that protein aftertaste!! Donna

This is an old post but it might help. Shake It Up Baby: 14 Ways to make a protein shake not suck by Joshua Carter You said to yourself "I know, I'll buy the 10 pound 'Bucket O' Whey' and save myself some cash!" Then about one pound into it the thought of chugging down one more scoop of that crap makes you want to yack. Well, we've all been there. For some reason I seem to go on protein source splurges. At one point I went to my local Costco and saw how cheap those palates of eggs were. I bought one and within a few days I had eaten all of them. So I went back and got more and quickly devoured them as well. I repeated the cycle for a few weeks, and then one day I decided that was it. The palate was still half full and I tossed it in the tra****hought that if I had to even look at another egg someone was going to get hurt. I later did the same thing with tuna and then cottage cheese. Only now, some years later can I handle eggs again, but I haven't had cottage cheese or tuna in quite some time. So here's the rub - you need to get your protein, and you don't need to throw out your 10 pound bucket. Here are 14 ways you can make your protein shakes tolerable again. These are just a few of my favorite tricks, try them and be creative. 1) Change brands I got stuck in a protein rut and kept buying the same brand. So for a switch I tried another brand. Truthfully, it did not taste any better, but at least it was different. This can be huge and one of the best ways to not neglect your protein intake. You can also mix the brands- a scoop of this and a scoop of that. 2) Add Fruit Adding fruit can be a nice change of pace as well. Frozen fruit can be great as well, turning it into a smoothie. Watch the amount though, as too much fruit can add a ton of sugar. Berries like Strawberries and Blueberries can add a lot of flavor for not much sugar. 3) Add Crystal Light Crystal Light is a sugar free drink mix that comes in all sorts of flavors. There are two ways to do this, you can 1) pre-mix it in water and then add your protein to it, or 2) Just add a few sprinkles of the Crystal Light mix to you protein shake and remix. You could also use sugar free Kool Aid. 4) Add Peanut Butter Ah, my personal favorite. Basically everything is better with peanut butter. Once again watch the amount as peanut butter calories can add up quickly. Almond butter and others are good too, but Peanut Butter is the king. 5) Add Pumpkin This is a good one around the holidays. Get yourself a can of unsweetened pumpkin pie mix. Add a few tablespoons to your shake and mix it up. You can also add some pumpkin pie spices like cinnamon and cloves for some authenticity. 6) Add Sugar Free Quik Got Vanilla? Want Chocolate? Add a little Sugar-Free Nestle Quik (or other sugar free chocolate milk mix) and voila! This also works great when you combine it with peanut butter. 7) Add Cool Whip Whey shakes can definitely be bland and blah. Adding a little Cool Whip (preferable the lower fat one) can make it nice and creamy. Works great with Peanut Butter (see a pattern here?) 8) Add Extracts I haven't used this one too much, but every once in a while I'll add a few drops of peppermint extract and green food coloring so I can relive my boyhood memories of Shamrock Shakes at McDonalds. 9) Add Ice This one almost seems like a no brainer. Protein shakes can be bad tasting, but they are worse if they are not cold. Adding a few ice cubes and mixing it in a blender makes a huge difference. 10) Add Cinnamon Another easy one. A few sprinkles of cinnamon and you have yourself a new shake. 11) Eggnog Another holiday fave. Adding 1/4 - 1/2 cup of eggbeaters (raw eggs could be hazardous) and a half a teaspoon or so of vanilla extract and you have yourself an eggnog protein shake. 12) Cheesecake A couple of tablespoons of low-fat cream cheese along with some vanilla extract and you have a cheesecake protein shake. Yummy. 13) Mocha If coffee is your thing, then adding some cold coffee to your chocolate protein shake can turn it into a frappacino. 14) Root Beer Float Another one of my favorites is to mix my protein in diet root beer (Diet Barq's Root Beer). As close to a root beer float as you can get without real ice cream.

I've done the peanut butter in my chocolate protein shakes. I was hooked on them for a while. The two flavors of protein powder I keep in my cupboard are the chocolate and vanilla. Vanilla works great for mixing up all kinds of concoctions. I think my favorite in the hot months is the vanilla with fresh peaches. I always use fat free milk and ice to all of them. I bought a really nice blender with the front pour spout. Its the best investment I had made to date since my surgery until last weekend. I bought a juicer last weekend because I miss my juices so much. I spent $100 on fruit!!! I'm mixing up kiwi, mango, oranges, papaya, all with into a container then using the vanilla powder and ice. YUM!!! Its like a new treat to me! I'm loving it! You definitely have to keep changing it up otherwise I find myself wanting to skip my shake in the mornings.

They discontinued my favorite protien shake so I've had no choice but to go back to the basics and make my own.