Magic Bullet........FTW!

I can't recall (and I'm not back reading now) if I've mentioned the Magic Bullet in this blog before. In case you haven't heard of this little gizmo before, it's a small "personal" size blender/food processor and it's great. My wife had actually bought one of these for herself and my younger son a while before I started on the TYT program, but I'm the one using it the most nowadays. I basically use it to make my "Popeye" smoothies. I nicknamed it a Popeye smoothie because, why else, it contains spinach. I found the basic recipie on the web and modified it slightly. Here's how I make mine.

Take one of the Magic Bullet cups and stuff about 6-8 large spinach leaves into the bottom of it. Then add a half cup of frozen (or fresh) berries and a half cup of ripe, frozen (or unfrozen) bananas. Then add one scoop of your favorite protein powder. I favor the chocolate flavor. Then add one cup of unsweetened almond milk, or whatever type of liquid you prefer. I also use non-fat milk sometimes, but I prefer the almond milk. Put on the MB blade attachment and blend away. I let it go for about 10-15 seconds and then let it sit for about 5 seconds and then go for another 10-15 seconds. By doing this you let any chunks of fruit work their way to the bottom and get a second chance at getting blended properly. I find that if you're using the frozen fruit you will get a much thicker style smoothie, but it makes the MB work a little harder and you sometimes get an air pocket which you will then have to unscrew the lid and work out with a spoon. It's not a big deal though and the taste is AMAZING! I love the cold, refreshing temperature and the thicker texture. And don't fear about the spinach taste. The banana and fruit completely mask the spinach taste so you get the benefit of the spinach nutrients in a sweet tasting drink. Often times I will also set-up two of these for later by just adding the spinach and frozen fruit and letting them thaw in the fridge with the lids on. Then all you need to do is add the powder and milk and you're good to go. I find you do end up with a thinner smoothie this way though.

I buy the bags of Kirkland brand frozen berries (blue, rasp, marion) from Costco. I also buy over ripe bananas on the cheap from our local grocer. Some stores set them aside for like $1 for a huge bunch(es). When I get them home I peel them, slice them into 1/2 inch chunks, lay them out on a baking sheet and freeze them for a few hours before bagging them into a large Ziplock bag. This is a trick I read on the web and it works great. The bananas barely stick together this way, whereas just slicing them and bagging them right away makes a big frozen mess. I also buy fresh bunches of spinach and wash and trim the stems when I get home. I then place all the leaves into a 7 cup Rubbermaid container that comes with one of their wonderful 28 or 40 piece sets. This takes a little bit of effort but is much, much cheaper than buying the pre-washed spinach. I find the spinach keeps very well in the container, even up to two weeks, which you should have made enough smoothies to have finished it by then. I highly recommend a set like the Rubbermaid I linked to as I use at least 3-4 of the different containers everyday for my lunch. I will put a salad in one, canned chicken or tuna (or whatever leftover meat from dinner) into another, dressing into one of the smallest ones, and cut up apples and whole grapes into another two. Throw a banana into the mix and you're good to go.