Chocolate Berry Protein Shake

Dieting...ugh even the word DIET stinks. I've been on the very slow process of "lifestyle change" for a good 7 years now.

I'm getting a little personal because I think reading a REAL story is more motivating.

Before my little munchkins I was a gym-going, kickboxing class loving powerhouse, but I still ate crappy food. With the excuse of course that I just burned 800 calories at the gym. This worked for awhile, I got down to my smallest weight, probably a year before I met my hubby. Which for me was a comfortable size 14.

After two kiddos, a galbladder surgery and other "bumps in the road" I've moved back up to a size 18.

My family and I have been on a natural and organic path for a long time. With the except of eating out or delivery pizza, our cabinets remain pretty healthy. My kiddos are on a much stricter organic food lifestyle than myself and hubby but it was time that I lived up to my own rules for them, for myself...

Now, am I ever going to get Mr. J to not have some tacos or pizza? NO am I ever going to give up tacos or pizza? probably not.. But we can make 99.9% of our eating choices healthy with the occasional splurge not throwing me off track.

I don't eat salad, Its gross to me, the texture, the wetness I'm not a rabbit. Sorry. So the salad "dieting" thing just doesn't work for me. But REAL food that I can enjoy cooking and enjoy eating does work. If I don't know what an ingredient is, I don't buy it or eat it. I also really try to  avoid GM ingredients. Almost impossible if you go to a restaurant but easy enough to accomplish if you do some research, know the foods and ingredients to avoid and make most meals yourself.

I wanted to share just a super simple, filling smoothie recipe that has really come in handy for me. Its 100% natural really helps me avoid "snacking" between meals.

Protein shakes are a tricky subject. Pre-made mixes are usually packed with sugar and chemicals.Its hard not to get caught up in THINKING you are drinking something healthy when indeed you are not. A friend recently told me about Jillian Michael's protein blend and I was SHOCKED at the ingredients..

I highlighted the ones that were the most shocking:
Nutrition Information. Proprietary Protein Blend 19G, %Daily Value Not Established: Whey Protein Blend (Whey Protein Concentrate, Whey Protein Isolate). Bcaa Blend (L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, L-Valine). Ingredients: Proprietary Protein Blend ((Whey Protein Blend (Whey Protein Concentrate, Whey Protein Isolate), Bcaa Blend (L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, L-Valine)), Buttermilk Powder, Inulin, Oat Fiber, Cocoa Powder (Processed With Alkali), Fructose, Xanthan Gum, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavor, Stevia Extract (Stevia Rebaudiana) (Leaf). Contains Milk And Soy Ingredients. Contains Small Amounts Of Soy Lecithin To Improve Mixability. Typical Amino Acid Profile (Milligrams Per 27 G Scoop****): Essential Amino Acids: Histidine 309 Mg, Isoleucine 952 Mg, Leucine 1,744 Mg, Lysine, 1,262 Mg, Methionine 302 Mg, Phenylalanine 463 Mg, Threonine 1,086 Mg, Tryptophan***** 232 Mg, Valine 915 Mg. Nonessential Amino Acids: Alanine 624 Mg, Arginine 418 Mg, Aspartic Acid 1,586 Mg, Cysteine 294 Mg, Glutamic Acid 2,005 Mg, Glycine 263 Mg, Proline 812 Mg, Serine 806 Mg, Tyrosine 423 Mg. ***Daily Value Not Established For Sugars. ****Approximate Values. *****L-Tryptophan Is Naturally Occurring, Not Added.

so this "health" food is #1 being sweetened TWICE, and #2 they aren't telling you the value of the sugar added? I know there are mixed thoughts on Stevia, but it is a danger to your health..For more info on Stevia, check this 100Days Of Real Food

I also wanted to add that, soy lechitin isn't the worst ingredient but if it's not organic its pretty much guaranteed to be derived from GM-soy. 

OK.. enough of my babbling.. I hope you guys share this journey with me and enjoy my take on a filling, yummy protein smoothie :)

You need:
1 scoop RAW protein powder.(chocolate is my favorite) PLEASE splurge and get this one 
1/2 cup almond milk (Silk is non GM and if you buy the sweetened vanilla version its sweetened with cane juice, not refined sugar)
1 Tablespoon ground organic flax
1 cup frozen organic berries. I've used strawberries, cherries, raspberries all yummy :)
1/4 cup organic yogurt
ICE

I used up my fresh cherries in this recipe & strawberries so it actually came to 1 and 1/4 cup of fruit. I also want to add that brewer's yeast is actually included in the RAW protein blend, but if you choose a different organic protein blend that does not contain it, its a great benefit, JAM packed with B vitamins.

You can use a smoothie shaker, like this one ( mine was free when I bought the protein ) I used the NINJA Euro Pro. I really like it so far but only time will really tell, it does crush ice and frozen fruit with ease, and even minced the cherry skins fine enough where they just blended right into the smoothie.

If you use a shaker cup, i suggest just cutting up and mashing fresh fruit instead of using the frozen berries :)

I decided to label my recipes on Myfitnesspal.com as "House Of J" and then the title of the recipe. If you are looking to track your calories/carbs/sugars its a good tool to use and I've enjoyed it in the past as well as recently. The only thing I noticed is that my brand of strawberries (wild harvest organic) was REALLY high in carbs, almost double of some other brands.. So be mindful of the frozen fruit you select. I also use Full Fat dairy products because of their health benefits and also because low fat dairy usually contains sugar that is NOT on the label.

Enjoy :)