Berry Banana Protein Shake

I know I feature an awful lot of fattening tasty but less-than-healthy dishes.

So hopefully this will make up for it.

I love making smoothies. But I'm a little picky. I don't like the pre-made packages, especially the kind that come with a "smoothie mix" to thicken it up. Have you ever looked at the ingredients on those things?

Word of warning... if you can't pronounce it, you might need to think twice about eating it.

I'm all about eating good, natural food (although you may not be able to tell from this blog). It really is important to be educated about the stuff we choose to put in our bodies. They do make an impact.

If it's healthy and tastes good? Sign me up.

My husband used to be a big fitness junkie. That was until he had heart surgery, was told he couldn't lift anything heavier than a milk carton, and then he was too scared to try exercise. Anyways, he explained his fears at his last cardiologist appt, and he was given the go-ahead. He's also trying to help me out (darn those last 10 pregnancy lbs that just won't go away!) and get me all hot and toned up and stuff again. He used to swear by protein shakes. I remember him drinking that stuff, and it tasted pretty nasty. We bought more powder, and I've been determined to get more protein in my diet but also actually enjoy the smoothies.

All of this is to say... I did it.

In one try.

I made one of the best protein shakes I've ever tasted for lunch today.

If you're interested, give it a shot. If you don't need any extra protein or don't want to buy powder, go ahead and skip that step. The smoothie is ridiculously good without it too.

Berry Banana Protein Shake

(Original recipe by ME!)

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries*
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries*
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup natural vanilla yogurt (I use Dannon All-Natural vanilla)
• 1/4 cup apple juice
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 scoop vanilla-flavored protein powder (or more, depending on your dietary needs)... if skipping this step, substitute with 1 scant tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Combine ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth (or desired consistency).

Yields 2-3 servings.

*If using fresh fruit, add a couple of ice cubes to help get things chilly.

If you're feeling inspired, get in the kitchen and come up with your own fun smoothie, using your favorite fruits (and veggies!).

Hope you like it!