Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Mocha Green Smoothie

Hello again!  

A lot of things have been happening in my life to keep me busy.  I was attending classes online to get my degree in nutrition science and now have six classes left until I am finished.  I worked hard on my classes until October when I took a break to concentrate on staying healthy during my pregnancy!  I spent four months being very ill and hardly keeping any food in my body, then around week 20 of my pregnancy I felt much better!  


Since then I have been renovating my house, travelling and taking care of my three year old and trying to keep healthy during the holiday season while wanting to eat EVERYTHING I SEE!  


I have continued to work on developing new recipes these last many months, but I have failed to post them here.  Instead they usually end up on my facebook profile for my friends to see.


But, today I made a wonderful smoothie that I couldn't keep from posting.  The sad thing is that I forgot to take a pic before I downed the entire two servings. It was that good!!!  So, here is a pic of the empty cup. :)


Here are the ingredients!

1/2 c. skim milk
1/2 c. fat free cottage cheese
1 c. decaf coffee (cooled down)
2 Tbsp. Hershey Chocolate Syrup with Calcium
1 c. of ice
1 frozen banana
2 tsp. of flax meal
1 tsp. of bee pollen
1 small handful of fresh spinach (close to a cup)


Put in the blender and mix!


This smoothie is surprisingly amazing.  While I do not feel that the coffee and chocolate are really healthful items, they do function as great vehicles for taking in some wonderful nutrients found in the rest of this smoothie.


This recipe makes two ample sized servings.


Here is some nutritional breakdown for two servings:
Click on the graphics to enlarge them.














Here is some additional information regarding some of the ingredients.

Bee Pollen:
"Bee pollen is a nutritional source for drone bees. It has been described as “nature's perfect food” and is a highly concentrated food source containing a complex supply of quality nutrients. A number of traditional Chinese herbal formulas contain bee pollen. It is rich in vitamins, minerals, trace elements, enzymes, and amino acids, and contains approximately 30% protein, 55% carbohydrate, 1% to 2% fat, and 3% minerals and trace vitamins. Vitamin C concentrations of 3.6% to 5.9% have also been found in some samples. Promotional literature lists up to 100 vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, antioxidants, and other identified compounds. However, the physiologic importance of many of these components is poorly understood. Bee pollen preparations often contain mixtures of pollens from diverse types of plants that vary with geographic origin."


-http://www.drugs.com/npp/bee-pollen.html

Flax Meal:
"Flax contains several disease-fighting compounds, primarily the omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), fiber, and lignans. Flaxseed is one of the richest sources of ALA, a polyunsaturated fat that offers unique heart health benefits. Flax is an excellent source of both soluble and insoluble fiber, providing three grams of fiber per tablespoon. Flax also is packed full of lignans, natural cancer-preventative phytonutrients. Flax also is full of vital vitamins and minerals such as folate, vitamin E, vitamin B-6, copper, zinc, magnesium, and (dry ounce for ounce) more potassium than seven bananas. Flax has been shown to help prevent heart disease and lower its risk factors, reduce symptoms of inflammatory disorders, protect against cancer, reduce cholesterol, and even ease the effects of Type 2 diabetes. Learn more about the health benefits of flax and make it an important part of your daily diet."


-http://www.healthyflax.com/flax-faq/

Spinach:
"Among the World's Healthiest vegetables, spinach comes out at the top of our ranking list for nutrient richness. Rich in vitamins and minerals, it is also concentrated in health-promoting phytonutrients such as carotenoids (beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin) and flavonoids to provide you with powerful antioxidant protection."


-http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=43

Cottage Cheese:
"ne serving of cottage cheese is a good source of riboflavin with 0.2 mg, or 11 percent DV. It also contains 0.5mcg, or 8 percent DV, of vitamin B12 and 0.6mg, or 6 percent DV of pantothenic acid. Other vitamins include vitamin A at 3 percent DV, thiamin at 2 percent DV, vitamin B6 at 3 percent DV and folate at 3 percent DV. . . Cottage cheese contains 180mg, or 18 percent DV, of phosphorus; 11mcg, or 16 percent DV of selenium; and 68mg of calcium. Other minerals include magnesium, potassium, zinc and copper . . . Cottage cheese is a very good source of protein with 14g in one serving."






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