Green-a Colada Smoothie

Hi everyone.  Hope that you are all enjoying your weekend.  It's sunny and bright here, a little chilly, but I'll take it. 

With Easter, the kids and I have an extra-long weekend (Friday - Monday, woo hoo!) I should probably be using that time to do chores around the house and get piles and piles of work done.  I hope you really clued in on the SHOULD in that sentence.  I've done a few things, but I am really just enjoying a super slow pace with the fam.  I did put a Pokemon ban on for the rest of the weekend, I just can't take that show- it's the school child's Caillou- and you DO NOT want me to get started on Caillou. 


(via)


Also with Easter comes the food, my friends.  Chocolate, candy, hot cross buns- all kinds of carbs that call out to me and then take up residence in my tush.  To try and inject a little healthy eating into this weekend, I thought I'd share one of my new favourite smoothies.

I am not a huge smoothie fan.  I have a problem with the texture, much like pudding. Blech.  But this one, with the addition of some yummy coconut, is good.  

For your smoothie, your going to need:

1/2 banana
1 cup mixed frozen mango and pineapple
1 cup fresh washed spinach 
1 cup coconut milk (or milk of your choice)
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder

splash coconut extract
sprinkle of shredded unsweetened coconut

Pour your fruit into your blender (I have a little single serve smoothie blender from Superstore, after I burnt out the motor on my third blender, grrr)

Toss in your handful of spinach.  (I usually use PC Organics, but my store was all sold out.  Boo.)

Pour in your milk.  (Sweet action shot- plus garbage can photo bomb.)

Spin-a-rama time!

Now for this one, I added a few ice cubes for temperature and texture.  If your banana is frozen, you don't have to do that.

.

I'm not a huge protein powder fan- but I had just come in from a run and I'm not a huge protein eater, so I thought I'd throw in 1/2 a scoop.  I like this brand- it's not too bad.  Still fake vanilla-y taste, but the next step hides that.

Yup, some (Imitation) coconut extract.  I'm not a huge one for imitation extracts (pure vanilla, people. please!) but I like the taste of coconut, and for a Pina colada, you need it.  And I'm not putting coconut rum in my morning smoothie.   So put in a nice big splash. You're getting that coconut-y flavour and hiding that protein powder taste with this, so make it a good one.

Blend it up again- make sure you shake the blender around a bit too.  I can't stand lumps of powder in my drink.  Then I'm done.  No more smoothie.  I may be a little fussy in this respect.

Sprinkle in a little coconut and whiz it quick one more time. 

Pour your green-y goodness into a glass, or a mason jar (that is KILLING my mom right there) and top it with a little more coconut.

It's really good and it's healthy too.  It's no mini egg, but it's yummy too.  It gets her seal of approval.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend friends.  We will be looking for eggs, heading to church to celebrate and then heading to my parents to enjoy the wonderful family we've been blessed with.  I hope you get to do the same.