April All Natural Day 2
Yesterday we told my dad that we wanted to try doing an unprocessed month and he was not too excited- he is not a fan of our unprocessed challenges. We don’t make him play along, but he can if he wants. I actually started a bit early and stopped eating sugar and processed things on March 30, which really isn’t that much of a head start, but it means I’m seeing differences already. I actually wanted to get up for my run this morning and have had tons of energy all day. Enough for a long walk to play at the park with Rory, getting some homework done, and making various foods. Yay! I think the only problem we’ve had so far is being a tad bit hungry, but that just means I get to make some delicious afternoon smoothies, so that was an easy fix.
Since we didn’t really prepare for a whole month of completely unprocessed (we only prepared for cutting out sugar for a week, really), I had a bit of preparation to do. After I got home from class I grabbed the bag of almonds and got those suckers soaking in some water. Almond milk is a staple in our house, so I wouldn’t really even know how to function if it wasn’t in the fridge. If you want to cut down on the soaking time for almonds (or any nuts), just bring some water to a boil and then add the nuts. They’ll only need to soak for a couple of hours instead of overnight, which is perfect because I’m extremely impatient and needed the almond milk right away!
Maybe by now you’re wondering why I’m just rambling on about blending up some almonds with water. Well, I really needed that almond milk so I could make an extra special smoothie for an afternoon snack. Today’s smoothie came to life thanks to the fact that it is National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. At this point you should know that I am a huge fan of peanut butter (in case you hadn’t guessed from the title of the blog :P). I eat it by the spoonful for dessert. I don’t think there is a single day when I don’t have peanut butter at some point. Today was obviously no exception.
So about this smoothie. It’s been one of my favorites for quite some time now and it’s perfect for a snack or even for breakfast. It actually tastes just like a PB & J, but in liquid form. If you’d like to lighten it up a bit, just substitute the peanut butter for peanut flour, such as PB2. Note that you may need to add another tablespoon to still get the strong peanut butter flavor if using powdered peanut butter. You can also substitute the date for a pinch of pure stevia, or simply leave the sweetener out.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothie
Serves: 1 (makes about 2 1/4 cups)
Ingredients:
- 1/2 C – 1 C non-dairy milk, depending on how thick you like your smoothies. 1/2 C yields a smoothie bowl consistency.
- 1 Banana
- 2 C Frozen Strawberries (you can sub raspberries or any other berry usually used in jelly)
- 1-2 Dates, depending on the tartness of your fruit
- 2 Heaping Tablespoons Natural Peanut Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Ground Flax Seeds (optional, but recommended for added nutrients)
Directions:
Add all ingredients to a high powered blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass and drink immediately.
-Hunter