smoothie help for the culinary idiot

[kenyonchris]

So July 1 starts my Hotter n Hell diet. I am 5'5, 110 - 115 lbs (I don't know, I don't have a scale but the guys call me "the twig"). But for the Hotter n Hell, where my goal is 5 hrs. rolling time, I need to be about 3-5 lbs down. SO, I begin the yearly quest for the perfect smoothie, which becomes breakfast and lunch. I take Hammer Nutrition vitamins to supplement, and dinner is pretty much fair game, but no eating between meals. My smoothie must stay under 300 calories TOPS.

Anyone have any idea on ways to make my usual protien powder and ice smoothy (which I don't think is really a smoothy as much as grit) taste better? My slightly elevated calorie smoothies add vanilla or chocolate slim fast or ensure to the protien powder, which way helps the taste, but it does crank up the calories.
In the morning I have successfully blended strawberries with orange juice and vanilla ensure and vanilla fat free along with protien, but that is just one meal...
No bananas for me....they make my lips itch.
Anyone? Anyone?

[Kano]

I've been making one that starts with soymilk -- it was on the soymilk box, pretty much just a cup of soymilk and a half cup of frozen berries. I add a serving of protein powder to it and wind up around 250 calories I think, depending on how much fruit I put in. (Does my half cup runneth over a bit sometimes? Probably!) Not entirely smooth either -- berries have lots of little gritty seeds!

Tasty, filling and satisfying -- sometimes, if I want to make it kind of decadent, I add a bit of Nestle's Quick powder. This makes it feel like dessert!

Karen in Boise

[witeowl]

Unflavored protein powder (or tofu) + pineapple + blueberries = yum!

I rarely put any milk/yogurt/soymilk into my smoothies; it's just not needed. They're just protein + fruit (typically + greens, but you probably don't want a green smoothie) + flax and maybe some agave syrup (just a touch).

[RockChickRides]

Witeowl mentioned green smoothies - I say give them a try! Granted they're funky to look at, but they taste great and were my go-to for post-training run recovery. My "recipe" ratio is 60% greens (I prefer baby spinach or kale) to 40% fruit (I like pineapple, mango, peaches, strawberries) mixed with coconut water and hemp powder (or another protein powder) and some chia seeds. Blend the greens and coconut water first and then add in the other ingredients. I've turned lots of folks onto green smoothies once they get past the visual!

[Pan Dulce]

My smoothie has banana in it, but you can substitute, of course. I use a scoop of protein powder, 1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 4 strawberries, half of the dreaded banana, a small handful of blueberries, and a tablespoon of agave to sweeten. The almond milk and agave give it the right amount of sweet without the sugar. Yuuuuum! It's just under 300 calories, I believe.

[spokewench]

Ok I'm rather confused. You are called the twig - you are 5'5" and 110 to 115 Which is really really light, too light if you ask me. Why do you need to lose 5 pounds before a ride? YOu do not. So, eat some mashed potatoes and gravy - you certainly don't need to go on a liquid diet.

spoke

[sgtiger]

I'm with Spoke, why do you need to lose 3-5 lbs? It sounds like you're already a bit below your ideal weight for your height. And please, I do not mean it as an attack. I'm just curious as to why you feel the need to lose any weight at all.

[kenyonchris]

I'm with Spoke, why do you need to lose 3-5 lbs? It sounds like you're already a bit below your ideal weight for your height. And please, I do not mean it as an attack. I'm just curious as to why you feel the need to lose any weight at all.

I feel better a little lighter. I have a tiny frame. I get many more nutrients from smoothies than the diet coke and lucky charms I live on if I am not on my "bike" diet....did I say I eat like a 5 year old? I feel *better* but I have to say my smoothies suck. I don't love the way I look 5 lbs lighter, it is a little on the greyhound side, but I certainly feel better.
And, I stick to smoothies for breakfast (or oatmeal for breakfast) smoothie for lunch and dinner is fair game. Beer and fajitas!

[TrekTheKaty]

I bike to EAT, so I'm not the one to ask. My smoothie is not low-cal, but a recovery drink: 1 cup liquid (1% milk, oj, or apple juice), 1 banana (you can peel and freeze if you like your smoothies thicker), 1 cup frozen fruit (strawberry, blueberry, peach are my favorites). Optional: 1 scoop protein, 1 low-fat yogurt.

[Jiffer]

I became a consistent smoothie person when I learned to used frozen fruit instead of ice. I don't have to worry about keeping fresh fruit handy just for smoothies (though I do use fresh banana most of the time), and I don't get chunks of ice in my smoothie, which I don't like. I like the consistency the banana gives it, but I guess you have to do without.

My favorite frozen fruit is actually called "Smoothie Blend", which you can get at Ralph's (in So Cal), which has pineapple, mango and strawberries. (Or you can buy those things separately, of course, or any variation of fruits). I throw that in with a banana, some OJ and rice milk.

Another tip for banana people, I almost always have bananas around, but sometimes they don't all get eaten before they start to turn brown. When they start to get brown I cut them up and put them in a zip lock bag in the freezer for smoothies.

I do find that smoothies somehow help me lose weight. If I stick to having a smoothie for breakfast with nothing else, a very small lunch and reasonable dinner, I typically lose weight. Good luck on your quest!