Banana Raspberry Goji Berry Smoothie
Just a quick post to update my raw food cleanse progress and to post the recipe to this morning’s breakfast. This high-protein, high-fiber smoothie is light, delicious and awesomely nutritious. It’s chocked full of vitamins, minerals and healthy fats, with 0 cholesterol and 0 trans fat, of course. Great for a quick breakfast or as a pre- or post-workout drink. Here’s the nutritional scoop (per the MFP* nutritional database):
Total calories: 552
Total fat: 22.1 g (all clean)
Sodium: 438 mg
Potassium: 1232 mg
Total carbs: 59.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 17.2 g
Sugars: 31.5
Protein: 30.5 g
Vitamin A: 90.7%
Vitamin C: 40.3%
Calcium: 62.0%
Iron: 30.0%
In addition to these macro-nutrients and vitamins, the goji berries (eaten in Mongolia and China for thousands of years) in this mix contain high levels of antioxidants (even more than blueberries), so this nutrient-rich fruit revs up the power of this smoothie even further. Gogi berries can also be added to cold and hot cereal, salads, yoghurt, granola and trail mixes or just eaten on their own for the same nutritional benefits. For more on goji berries, just Google them.
Today is Day 5 of the cleanse and I’m happy to report that things are still going well. Very well, actually. This morning I was pleasantly surprised to see that I released another 1.4 pounds, bringing my 4-day loss to 5.6 pounds. That makes me an official member of the 80′s Club, as I have now lost a total of 80 pounds. I am well pleased, so much so that I am considering going for the full 30-Day 100 percent raw food experience, as Jenna Norwood did in the documentary Supercharge Me.
I’m working hard to get caught up on the backlog of recipes that have accumulated since I started my cleanse and I’m almost there. I have posted all of the raw food meals I’ve prepared since being on this cleanse, excluding what I had for lunch and what I’m making this evening’s dinner. Now, all that’s left to post are three more juice recipes from the past couple of days and I’ll be completely caught up. I’ll be back later this evening or tomorrow to post the recips for today’s meals.
Banana Raspberry Goji Berry Smoothie Recipe
Source: Own Creation
Serves 1 to 2 | Raw Vegan
Mise en place:
1 med ripe banana, frozen
1/4 cup raspberries, frozen
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 tablespoon hemp seeds, ground
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 scoop vanilla vegan protein powder
1 oz. goji berries
Blend until smooth. I’m not into super sweet smoothies, but feel free to add your favourite sweetener, if preferred. Just be mindful that the nutritional data presented above does not include any sweetener(s) you may add. Also, keep in mind that the nutritional specifics will vary a bit depending on the protein that you use.
*Nutritional info based on the entire recipe. Though I use MFP’s database on a regular basis, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information. However, I am very comfortable with it, but feel free to do your own analysis. If you find any significant discrepancies, please let me know. Thanks!
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