The Delectable Santosha Smoothie!!

[Yosh]

This SB friendly homemade smoothie was concocted by our very own Santosha on these boards It became such a hit during the Fitness challenges and journal visiting I thought I would share it here for Santosha since she doesn't frequent the boards as much anymore. It's very good!!!

When you first look at the ingredients, they may shock you . . . we asked Santosha to post her recipe a long while back and every one of us cringed when we read it. Thus we jokingly termed it the "Grossout Smoothie" !! I've renamed it so that people will give it a chance

It's amazingly good, and there are many variations that you can use to make it suitable for your own taste. We are all hooked on it and I have one practically every day!! Hope you enjoy!

1 cup raw baby spinach (or more...I do two big handfuls)

1/2 cup berries of some sort (strawberries, mixed berries...whatever...I do the frozen ones - they seem to add better texture to the smoothie. I also do frozen mango. I bet banana would be good too....)

1 cup 8th Continent Light Vanilla Soy milk (if you're not a fan of soy milk, try NF milk w/vanilla and splenda...or SF vanilla syrup...) The 8th continent tastes like a Vanilla milkshake, I swear...it's sweet and vanilla-y...

Other "add-ins" - 1/3 cup tofu (silken, light, firm whatever...it all seems to work) OR whey powder OR cocoa OR any combination of all those...sometimes if it's too thick, I also thin it with either water OR apple juice (sshh...my guilty pleasure...I only add a little!)

Blend it up and gulp it down. It looks hideous because of the spinach, but it tastes yummy and is so healthy!

Tip: Do not omit the spinach in this drink. Especially if you dislike vegetables, or need to get more veggies into your diet! You can't taste it at all, the berries and vanilla flavor of the soymilk overpower the spinach and you taste a sweet fruit smoothie!!!

[lilsuz14]

I second that this is really good! Finally tried it this past week and i'm hooked! Especially good after a workout!

[santosha]

Yosh, thanks for posting this!!! I will vouch for it, too, obviously.

Here are some recent variations/tips I've learned about the smoothie -
**Adding in 1 TBSP flax meal adds some great oils, and a nutty taste, and more fiber to the mix.

**Buy the bagged baby spinach when it goes on sale (ours goes for $1/bag sometimes) and freeze it - it works just as well, if not better, in the smoothie when it's frozen.

**If you make sure you have some protein in the drink, it will keep you fuller longer.

IT IS DELICIOUS - my DBF, who is not even a south beacher, REQUESTS this smoothie every morning!

[BuffBride]

YUM YUM!

My variation was 1/2c. frozen berries, 1 banana, 1/2c. yogurt, at LEAST 1c. spinach, 1/2c. skim milk, 1 TBSP flax meal.... that makes a HUGE smoothie at around 300 calories.... and 2 servings fruit plus a serving of veggies and one of milk... you could add more spinach and milk/yogurt to make 2 smoothies with only 1 serving of fruit/milk/veggie in each.

[Yosh]

bump

This is the smoothie I was talking about in recipelvrs thread

[BeachyNut]

bump

[Dolly-VA]

Okay, thank you Connie for bumping this and Yosh for reposting it for Santosha. I think. Lol! Now, I have to buy baby spinach, I have the tofu and a different brand vanilla soymilk (I'll use it up first) and I've frozen berries and...I think I'll make a double batch the first time and serve it to DH in a solid plastic cup with a straw. Or, I'll serve it to my DS#1 who always needs food. Or... Mwuhahahaha!

[Dolly-VA]

Oops! I forgot to thank Santosha! Thank you, Santosha!

[santosha]

My pleasure!!!

I actually caught this on a cooking show...and of course can't remember which one...but it was a woman who's husband wouldn't eat ANY vegetables...so they made the smoothie and BLINDFOLDED him...he loved it...of course, couldn't tell there was spinach in it.

So I can't take TOTAL credit for it - just for bringing it to the boards. I'm so happy so many of us love it!

[Ph.D. 2 B]

I second that this is really good! Finally tried it this past week and i'm hooked! Especially good after a workout!

Is it sweet? Can you describe the flavor? My sister hates vegatables true carnivore I've been finding ways to disguise veggies so she can get enough while doing SB. Thanks

[lilsuz14]

You can make it as sweet as you want it to be, by adding more fruit. The soymilk and vanilla protein powder i use make it taste sweet as well. Tell your sis to give it a try, you can't taste the spinach at all. The color is the only thing that makes it look gross.

[Yosh]

It tastes like a creamy frozen berry smoothie (or whatever flavor fruit you put in). The mangos don't taste very good, but a frozen blue/black/ras/strawberries without any added sugar tastes wonderful!! Add some splenda,(or whey low) and vanilla and you will have one amazing smoothie! Bananas are good in it too, they make it more creamy in texture

[HBLegalBeagle]

I second that this is really good! Finally tried it this past week and i'm hooked! Especially good after a workout!

Is it sweet? Can you describe the flavor? My sister hates vegatables true carnivore I've been finding ways to disguise veggies so she can get enough while doing SB. Thanks

E'cuse me...Ph.D. 2 B's sister here......ummm read this and can you say "EEEEWWWWW GROSS" ?????? It sounds like it would look like baby poo! EEEWWW

Seriously though.......I have been adding baby spinach to my salads without gagging, but I don't think I would like this because a) I am not a berry person; b) I don't like sweet stuff; c) I HATE smoothies (veggies or no veggies; it's a texture thing); and d) I don't have a blender.

I really, really am trying to eat a better variety of veggies, but what's wrong with MEAT?!?!?!

I know in a previous life I must have been one of those carnivore dinosaurs.

[Yosh]

Uh . .. HBLegalBeagle . .. maybe you shouldn't try it then! It really does tastes like berries for those berry lovers though!! And it's not too sweet.

[Dolly-VA]

I have all the ingredients. Now, I'm waiting for the weekend where I can make it for me, my DH and DS#1 (who's 16 and eats anything that's "not totally disgusting." Honestly, I remember the days when he ate NOTHING and now I'm planning on feeding him tofu-spinach smoothies. ROFL!)