My Newest Passion

I am back on a smoothie kick. I was already known around the office for carrying my big blue cup into the various, mundane meetings that I am forced to attend. Now I have an army of them on my desk. I am adopting the motto that a smoothie a day keeps the aches and pains away. Let's hope I am still saying that in October.

I have always been a fan of smoothies dating back to my time in college were I had an estranged relationship with the manager of the local smoothie king. I could just roll up nearly any night and she would make me whatever smoothie I wanted. The best part about smoothie stores is that they only real inventory they can take is on the number of cups. You can't account for more bananas or a scoop of powder missing. So I exploited this loophole and gravitated toward a liquid diet...err....snack.

I would occasionally travel this route in training. I used smoothies as a reward. Maybe I had a 15 mile run in the morning and needed some extra hydration. Why not add some fruit, protein and carbs. I would treat myself to the 32 oz drink that sometimes resembled the nectar of the gods. In Atlanta, they closed the Planet Smoothie closest to my apartment a couple of years ago. This forced me back to Smoothie King (long story). It wasn't quite as convenient so it became a bit of a luxary. Maybe 2-3 times a month.

When I visit Nashville, Jess is a big proponent of the liquid diet especially after a good workout. And rightfully so. I have written about this before but recovery is key. And what better way to rebuild my fatigued muscles than with fruits. It sure beats grabbing the bag of chips or cookies.

So the one real thing I wanted for Christmas was a nice blender. Moving into the house provided the opportunity needed to revisit my smoothie passion. So each morning, after getting dressed I prepare myself about 20 oz of smoothie. I keep it relatively simple:

1 banana
1 cup of strawberries
1/2 cup of other fruit if needed
1/2 cup of skim milk
1 scoop of whey protein (26g)
2 tablespoons of peanut butter (sometimes)
2 tablespoons of honey
1/2 cup of fresh spinach (really)

Then blend. It is that simple.

The funny part is that I think I can tell how much my body is benefiting from a smoothie a day. I can also tell how much it is hurting my wallet. Keeping fruit, fresh or frozen, in the house isn't easy. My goal each day is to consume the smoothie around 9:30. This tends to hold me until lunch. However, there is a huge distinction on the days that I include peanut butter. It always holds me until lunch. On the other days, I find myself rummaging through my snack drawer around 11.

As expected, the smoothies give me a bit of a kick too. I am finding myself with a bit more energy. I also feel like it is helping me recovery from workouts a bit more. I have long suspected that I fall well short of the proper amount of protein needed in my daily diet. The addition of 26g is probably helping a great deal. Is it enough? Not sure. I will report back when I reach a different conclusion.