Chocolate-Strawberry Smoothie - Vegan + Dairy-Free

Chocolate and strawberries - antioxidant power.

On a detox kick but craving something fabulous? Have I got a seductive and sexy smoothie recipe for you. If you love chocolate dipped strawberries, this dairy-free breakfast treat has your name on it. Rich in antioxidants (organic cocoa powder anyone?) and dairy-free to boot, this vegan breakfast tastes more like dessert than the robust boost of protein that it is. 

Sip it like the goddess you are. Feel fabulous.

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Blueberry Smoothie- Veganluscious

Blueberry smoothie- dairy-free gluten-free chill.

Wilting from the heat? I've got a deep blue chill for you. Dairy-free. Easy as pie. Cool as a blueberry. I'm emancipating this recipe from the archive depths because it's just too luscious to get lost in 2007, never to be slurped again.

What does a brave and spunky vegan girl do when she is suddenly famished and her Crowded House whistling husband is scrambling up some free-range eggs and cheese for brunch? I'll tell what you do.

You reach for your power tools.

You haul out the Vita-Mix and thank your twinkling stars you have a bag of organic frozen blueberries in the freezer. You grab the carton of organic almond milk. You dip into the Nutribiotic vanilla rice protein powder. You smile slyly. You sprinkle in some stevia. 

You switch the button to HIGH and sigh.

You froth with pleasure.

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Banana-Apricot Hemp Smoothie

Frosty banana apricot smoothie with hemp milk.

It's been a week of bland soft foods. I've dubbed this week the No Pointy Foods Diet. Mashed potatoes. Creamy rice. Squash puree. No nuts, seeds, or chips. No crunch. No snap. No spices. Talk about not sexy. Suddenly, I'm the Goddess of Bland. Slurping tiny bites of baby food.

Lucky for me, bananas are doable. Especially if they're frozen and whipped into a frothy silky smoothie.

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Strawberry Hemp Milk Smoothie

Strawberry smoothie- vegan and dairy-free deliciousness.

It's that time of year. Smoothie weather is upon us. Time to whip fresh fruit  into a frenzy of deliciousness. Then go for a walk. And burn off those winter blues. Not to mention those mysterious little bumps and bulges that creep in out of nowhere and remind you of your Aunt Ida. Have you looked in the mirror lately? Wearing nothing but your birthday suit? I have. Some scary stuff.

So I'm motivated. I ordered my first kettlebell. Don't worry- I'm not attempting this kettlebell action unsupervised. I have a fabulous (gluten-free) trainer teaching me the correct and proper form (check out his new blog here- some of you might recognize him). You don't want to mess with this willy nilly. Subtle mistakes can lead to trouble. (Trust me, there's a lot of bad form out there.) Ouch.

So far I am seriously diggin' this whole Russian kettlebell thing. On days off I actually crave cleans, swings and squats.

Who knew getting strong could be so much fun?

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Pomegranate Smoothie - Dairy-Free

Pomegranate smoothie- dairy-free bliss.

I'm delirious. I could blame it on the wind. There is a loco spring wind here in New Mexico, you know. And it can make you, well. Crazy. It rough rides up the Chama River like nobody's business and bitch slaps the mesa behind us. It buffets the casita absolutely senseless and whips tumbleweeds into missiles. I'm not kidding. There are moments when you wonder if the roof will lift off. 

You start looking out the window for flying monkeys. 

So you hunker down and pull out pots and pans to conjure mashed potatoes into colcannon just to cope. You bake comforting Roasted Vegetable Lasagna. You feel like whipping up your own brand of frenzy.

In the gentle guise of a vegan smoothie.

Because you crave pomegranate. We all know deep and vibrant hued fruits are good for us. You've read about all those studies, right? How all those yummy antioxidants and goodies like anthocyanin feed our brains and keep us sharp, on the edge, where we need to be?

Psychology Today reports that preliminary results indicate that people who eat a cup of blueberries a day perform 5 percent to 6 percent better than a control group on tests of motor skills. I'm not good at math (will blueberries help?) so I'm unsure if "5 to 6 percent better" is a huge deal, but, Hey. For the sake of my asymmetrical motor skills (I was the Aspie geek who was never- ever- picked for any team in school) I'm willing to eat a few more blueberries, pomegranates and cranberries. Not because I harbor hopes of better motor skills.

But because they taste so good.

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Cranberry-Banana Smoothie

Cranberry banana smoothie - refreshing and dairy-free.

Here's a quick and simple cranberry infused recipe for breakfast that is refreshing, tart and food allergy friendly (around our humble casita, anyway). It's dairy-free, soy-free, egg, corn and nut free. And naturally, it's you-know-what free.

Spring is around the corner, Babycakes. Are you ready? Are you feeling a little bloated and pasty? Do you crave something light and refreshing? Something to wake up your winter saturated taste buds? I knew it!

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