Green Tea Protein Smoothie | Renee's Kitchen Adventures

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Green Tea Protein Smoothie

Renee's Kitchen Adventures:  Green Tea Protein Smoothie

I have never been one to drink my calories...nor been one to be swooned by the lure of fruit smoothies...but I will admit, there are days when whipping up a really quick drink I can take on the fly that keeps me full all morning, is priceless.  Insert Green Tea Protein Smoothie. 


Matcha Green Tea powder is essential in this drink.  It's pricey, but a little goes a long way.  It's really green....deep dark green! You get all the benefits of a glass of green tea in this drink.   If you are a fan of the green tea frappuccino at Starbucks...you will like this smoothie.  The green tea flavor really shines in this drink.

I am not that knowledgeable about whey protein powder.  I know I like the store brand ( Archer Farms) vanilla flavor that Target sells for the flavor, as well as the price.  So that is the whey protein powder I buy. One scoop is 140 calories, 2.5g total fat, 3g carbohydrates, 25g protein, and 0g fiber. To save on points, I use half a scoop. It still thickens the smoothie even when you use only half.

For the liquid part, you can use skim milk or unsweetened almond milk.  I like to use the unsweetened almond milk because it is only 1p+ per serving vs. 2p+ per serving for skim milk.

You can opt to not use any sweetener at all, use artificial sweetener ( I often use a few drops of Nunaturals liquid stevia), use a bit of honey or agave to add more sweetness.

My favorite way to blend up this drink is in my Magic Bullet.  It is fast and easy to use. Clean up is also a breeze and you can drink out of the container used to blend in. 

The last ingredient in this smoothie is one medium sized banana.  Now...there brews ongoing controversy over whether the banana should be included in the overall point+ count on this drink or any smoothie type drinks with fruit in it since fruit is a free ingredient by WW pp standards.  It is up to you if you decide to count it or not.  I have decided to include it in the overall nutritional information provided and calculated the pp according to those numbers. 

The nutrition information given is for the smoothie made the way it is written in the recipe.  If you choose to use optional ingredients, the information will change, and so might the pp value.  



Green Tea Protein Smoothie
from the kitchen of MKA


Servings - 1   Serving size - 1 recipe   Points Plus per Serving - 6 Points+
Calories - 218.5,   Total Fat - 4.9g,   Carb. - 31.2g,   Protein - 14.7g,   Fiber - 3.8g


8 oz. unsweetened almond milk ( I used Silk brand)
1/2 scoop Archer Farms Vanilla flavored Whey protein powder
1 medium banana, cut into chunks
a few drops Nunaturals liquid stevia
1 tsp. matcha green tea powder
ice

Place all ingredients in blender or magic bullet.  Blend until ice is gone and smoothie is fluffy and thick.  Enjoy immediately. 


-------------------------------------------------------

Like I said, I have never been a drink my points kind of girl.  I pretty much like to chew stuff..but there are definitely times when it is hard to find the time to get a decent filling breakfast in in a hurry.  I am really amazed at how long this smoothie keeps me full.  Paired with an apple or other fruit you can take with you ...it is honestly, a great breakfast! 

I really love the taste of green tea.  You can really taste it in this smoothie.  How about you?  Do you like the taste of green tea?  

If you have visited this blog in the past, you probably noticed I have changed up the look a bit.  Still going with what blogger has to offer, but I increased the text size ( easier to read) and changed the template so I could increase the size of the pictures.  Let me know what you think!  I am still messing with some minor adjustments and any feedback is appreciated!


8 comments:

  1. Im not a green tea fan, but i love protein shakes! They are a great go to when im busy!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am learning to enjoy green tea, once I figured out how to make green tea without it being bitter I liked it a lot more.

    I do enjoy protein shakes with fruit.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love the new layout Renee!! Looks so clean. :D

    My daughter loves green tea ice cream, and anytime we go out for Chinese food and they have it on the menu, she gets it!

    Happy Friday!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Renee! In answer to your comment on my blog - the Crumbs cupcakes were FULL size!!! So big victory for me!

    I've never had that matcha stuff before, now I'm going to look out for it - it looks amazing and I love green tea!

    Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This sounds awesome. I'm a big fan of Matcha...knowing it's good for me too? I can drink it everyday! :) Have a wonderful weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This sounds great. I don't actually really LOVE green tea, but I do drink it 2-3 times a day. It makes my mouth so clean! I didn't realize what was happening, just thought it was the lack of sugar (I cut it out at the same time I started drinking green tea), until I read an article in a magazine about how the antioxidants prevent bacteria in the mouth. Very cool!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you for sharing this recipe - I really enjoyed it! Love the vanilla and the banana together for a creamy mild base for the delicious matcha powder.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting! Share what's on your mind and make my day! Make this recipe? I'd love to hear how it turned out for you! Share on social media with #RKArecipes

>