By Bridgette Leeson
Easy Fixes for Your Top Smoothie Fails
Smoothies. Five minutes. A world of options. And way too many chances for this simple dish to go completely off-the-rails. I’ve heard about your worst smoothie fails, because I’ve been there too. I’ve rounded up the top five most common fails and paired them with easy fixes to get your smoothie back on track.
Fail #1: Texture (Too Thick, Thin, or Gritty)
Like that little girl who ate the porridge and fell asleep in the bears’ house, you have to find the texture that’s juuuuust right. I recommend using one cup of water with your favorite Vega® shake but that’s a suggestion, not a rule.
How to Fix It
Too thick: Add more liquid. Keep in mind, the more you blend, the thinner it may get, so if it doesn’t seem thin enough try blending longer. Blend for 60 to 90 seconds and if your blender has levels, use ‘em. Start off slow and low, slowly increase the speed, pulse, then drop it back down before turning it off.
Too thin: Add more ice, or more frozen fruit.
Too gritty: If your smoothie is gritty, your powder just needs more blender time. If you’re sensitive to fibrous textures, stay away from fibrous veggies like banana and use ice or frozen berries instead.
It’s all about you, my friend. Start with one cup of liquid. If it’s too thin, add more ice or frozen fruit. If it’s too thick, add more liquid. Always add liquid first, then powder, give it a quick blend to combine, and then add ice and remaining ingredients (and more liquid if you want to thin it out).
Fail #2: Powder Sticks to the Blender
You’ve added all of your ingredients—liquid, powder, extra leafy greens (you health fan, you) and frozen fruit. As your blender whirls you realize what’s happened; the powder is stuck to the sides of the blender. Ugh! So you open the lid and try to push it off with your hand but ohhhh that is way too cold so you grab a spoon. The spoon only serves as a way to transfer the powder and cold sticky smoothie mix off the side blender and onto the spoon. So you grab a spatula to scrape the spoon and get that mixture back into the blender. Finally, when it’s back in its rightful spot, you blend until combined.
How to Fix It
Save yourself some dishes and frustration by blending your liquid and powder for a hot second first (make sure you add liquid then powder). Then add your remaining ingredients to avoid the frozen fruit or veggies from forcing the powder against the walls of the blender.
Fail #3: Too Sweet
You want your smoothie to be flavorful but you’re not after too much sweetness. If your smoothie base is fruit juice and you always add frozen fruit you may be experiencing sweetness overload. Like watching a cute kitten video, while playing with a dog, and getting a smile from a baby, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.
How to Fix It
Try half water/half juice or swap your juice entirely for water or unsweetened almond milk. Since your Vega shake is sweetened with stevia, which is a sweet no calorie sweeteners, it can give you the sweet taste you’re looking for without added fruit or fruit juice. If you’re particularly sensitive to the taste of stevia, I recommend trying a splash of tart lemon juice or adding creamy avocado to your smoothie. They both offer a nice balance to the sweet taste of stevia.
Fail #4: Didn’t Drink It Fast Enough and Now it’s Sludgy
You brought your smoothie to work, to enjoy as you casually catch up on emails and ease into your day. But then as soon as you got to work, you were met with a situation that needed your master problem-solving power, STAT. Fast forward to two hours later and you’re finally ready to take a sip. Only now it’s sludgy, with a gel-like texture, and it’s warm. Depending what you mix your Vega shake with and which shake you choose, it can thicken as it sits.
How to Fix It
Always add ice or frozen fruit and/or veggies to your shake. Cold is best. I recommend that you enjoy your smoothie as fresh as possible, so blend, sip and enjoy. Sure, you can let your smoothie sit for an hour or two, sure you can blend at night, refrigerate and enjoy in the morning but if you’re going to do that we recommend giving it a refresh with ice and a quick blend.
Fail #5: Mixed with Dairy Milk
Your smoothie exploded when you mixed it with dairy milk or yogurt. (Kidding, that won’t happen.)
How to Fix It
Plants for the win. We recommend non-dairy beverages such as almond, hemp, coconut, or rice milk (to name a few). However, if you like dairy, go for it. Water, chilled tea, and 100% juice are also excellent options. Check out the smoothie section of the MyVega.com Recipe Center for some amazing plant-based smoothie recipes.
Happy Blending!
Tell me about a time you had a complete smoothie fail! How did you fix it (or not)?
5 Foods For Glowing Skin
Want health, glowing, youthful skin? Yes – me too! I’ve noticed that what I eat plays a huge role in the health of my hair, nails and skin. When I’m eating loads of fruits, veggies and healthy fats I find my skin is dewy and I feel like I even look younger. The opposite is also true -when I’m dehydrated and not eating as I normally would my skin pays the price. It’s dry, dull and not at all youthful.
That’s no coincidence. Enjoying fresh, whole foods offers the nutrients needed for clearer, more youthful looking and glowing skin. With that in mind here are my top 5 faves for glowing skin:
1. Spinach
Leafy greens like my fave, spinach, are an excellent source of antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin A. These vitamins are beneficial for cellular repair and regeneration which can show in the look and feel of your skin. Smoothies are a great way to get more greens into your day. One of my faves is this glowing skin green smoothie!
2. Pineapple
Pineapple is a great source of an enzyme, called bromelain, which can help reduce inflammation. Inflammation can be caused by a number of things from what we eat to stress to not getting enough sleep. Inflammation isn’t a bad thing, in fact it is a wonderful thing for helping the body heal, short term. What we want want to stay away from is chronic inflammation which can show in the skin as acne and wrinkles. The skin is offers us clues as to how we are doing on the inside. When we see signs of inflammation in the skin that could be a sign that not only or skin but our whole body could use a bit more love. Good news though – the foods that can help beautify the skin are working from the inside out and can help support overall health!
As we age skin loses some of its elasticity and firmness which is partly due to loss of collagen. This loss can lead to fine lines and wrinkles! You can boost your collagen production with nutrients such as vitamin C, found in pineapple. Try adding pineapple to your fave smoothies, salads and salsas.
3. Coconut Oil
The healthy fats in coconut oil are important for youthful, soft and dewy (aka glowing) looking skin. Coconut also has antioxidant vitamin E, which is important for healthy skin. Find ways to incorporate coconut oil into your routine here.
4. Nuts
My fave nuts for skin health are Brazil nuts and walnuts. Brazil nuts contain antioxidant mineral selenium which is beneficial for healthy skin because selenium can aid in supporting skin that has been exposed to sun damage. Walnuts are another fave because of their healthy fats. I keep these nuts around for snacks and for adding to smoothies and salads.
5. Chia Seeds
These little seeds are full of healthy Omega-3 fats that help keep your skin soft and dewy; giving you a glow from the inside out. I add chia seeds to overnight oats, smoothies and more. Try making a chia seed pudding like this one!
Bonus: Water
While water isn’t a food we can’t talk about beauty without talking about water. When you are dehydrated it shows in your skin. Stay hydrated with leafy green veggies such as spinach and chard and fruits such as pineapple and watermelon and by drinking water all throughout the day.
What are your fave foods for beautiful, glowing skin? Let me know!
Coconut photo cred here
Chocolate Pecan Pie Smoothie
Make this chocolate pecan pie smoothie even more decedent by topping it with whipped cream, chopped pecans and chocolate!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup almond milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 Maca Chocolate bar (chopped)
2 Tbsp pecans (chopped)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Optional: top with your fave whipped cream. I like this vegan coconut whipped cream!
Directions:
Blend all ingredients
Top with whipped cream, chopped pecans and chocolate
Pumpkin Smoothie
Once fall hits I’m all about pumpkin. All pumpkin everything! This pumpkin smoothie is perfect for cozying up on the sofa with a blanket and a good book.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup almond milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
2 tsp maca
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla
Granola (to taste; I used my fave homemade peanut butter granola)
Directions:
Blend all ingredients (except granola)
Top with granola
Chocolate Caramel Protein Balls
This chocolate caramel protein ball recipe will leave your taste buds happy, and as an added perk, each serving has 5 grams of protein! As originally posted on MyVega.com.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup dates, chopped and pitted
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 scoop Vanilla Vega Sport Protein
2 Tbsp almonds, finely chopped
1/2 cup almond butter
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips
Sprinkle of salt
Directions
In a food processor, blend dates until smoothed out and starting to form a ball, scraping sides as required.
Add maple syrup, Vega Protein, one tablespoon of almonds, and almond butter.
Process until combined, scraping sides as required. Depending on how sticky your dates are, if the mixture feels too dry, add maple syrup and adjust until you have a slightly sticky consistency.
Roll into balls.
Melt coconut oil and chocolate chips then coat the balls in melted chocolate.
Spread chocolate covered balls out on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Top with a sprinkle of salt and remaining almonds.
Freeze for at least 30 minutes or until chocolate hardens.
Store balls in an air tight container in the freezer for up to two weeks.
Operation You Q&A
1. How does one break the habit of relying on tons of sugar to get them through the day?
2. How many times during the week do you grocery shop/how many days in advance do you meal prep for?
3. What are good alternatives to coffee?
4. What can you order that is healthy while you’re out for dinner?
Bottom line is health goals aren’t all or nothing, they don’t have to be restrictive, huge changes. That’s a misconception. They’re a way to get focused on what’s important.
The Ultimate Blueberry Matcha Slush
A matcha green tea bevvy with refreshingly tart citrus and blueberries? Yes please! I’ll take one of those. Thank you very matcha. As originally published on MyVega.com.
Ingredients
1 tsp matcha powder
1/2 cup water
1 cup grapefruit juice (juice from one grapefruit)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 serving Vanilla Vega Sport Performance Protein
Directions
Blend, sip, matcha!
Vegan Egg Nog
Cheers to your new classic egg nog recipe. Now with plant-based protein and a cornucopia of delicious spices you can start your day with this holiday treat. As featured in Rodale Wellness Recommends.
Ingredients
2 cups Silk Original Unsweetened Coconutmilk
or 1 serving Vanilla Vega Clean Protein
½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
½ cup ice
Directions
Blend, share, sip, and nog it up!
DIY Hot Chocolate with Peppermint Spoons
Typically I fall into the DI-Don’t category. My DIY attempts are good for a laugh and that’s about it. Unless it involves food—then watch out. I’m a DIY boss. So even if you don’t consider yourself a DIY’er I encourage you to give this easy gift project a shot. If you’re a seasoned DIY’er then feel free to jazz this up as only a DIY master like yourself knows how.
Love peppermint spoons more than anything? Pick up a silicon spoon shaped candy mold. Crush candies as you’ll be directed, add to molds, and heat until melted.
This recipe can be halved (use an 8oz. Mason jar) or quartered, for single-serve mini jars (use 1a 4oz. Mason jar). As originally posted on MyVega.com.
Ingredients
Hot Chocolate
8 Tbsp cocoa powder
4 tsp sugar
8 Tbsp dairy free chocolate chips
4 Tbsp mini vegan marshmellows
Optional: Sub 2 Tbsp cocoa powder for 2 Tbsp Chocolate Vega® Clean Protein
Peppermint Spoon
Crushed red and white swirled peppermint candies or candy cane (12 candles or 2 to 4 candy canes, size dependent).
Wooden cutlery spoons (if you can’t find these you can substitute popsicle sticks)
Directions
Hot Chocolate Mason Jar Directions
Carefully and evenly layer cocoa powder, sugar, chocolate chips and then mini marshmallows in a 16oz. Mason jar. Top with lid.
Peppermint Spoon Directions
Unwrap candies and place in a food storage bag.
Using a kitchen mallet (or anything hard you have in your kitchen – I used the back of a metal ice cream scoop) coarsely crush the candies.
Roll out a piece of parchment paper.
Remove a half of the crushed candies and melt in microwave-safe dish (alternate option: melt at 300°F degrees in the oven).
Dip a spoon into the melted candy, filling the spoon (act fast – it hardens quickly), and sprinkle with coarsely chopped candy pieces.
Lay flat to dry on parchment paper to cool and harden. Note: For longer storage and transport, place spoons in decorative bags.
Usage Directions
Remove marshmallows from jar.
Add one cup water and remaining ingredients to pot and stir over medium-high until desired temperature reached. Optional: For even creamier hot chocolate sub your favorite non-dairy beverage.
Pour in mug and top with marshmallows.
Add peppermint spoon and stir.
Mainly Bridgette 