If you polled everyone you knew about their favorite aspect of the holiday season, I have no doubt that some aspect of “food” would be in the top five answers. The turkey, the stuffing, the ham, the pies, the peppermint mochas, the cookies… oh my, the cookies!
It’s SO easy to over-indulge during the holidays, especially when large platters of desserts tease your eyes and the little voice inside says “Go ahead, you can have just one more…”
It’s even tougher on the kids, who unfortunately can’t turn around a corner at a Christmas party without a plate of cookies staring them in the face. Literally!
This gingerbread smoothie recipe lets you treat yourself and your family to all the traditional holiday flavors, but in a much healthier way. It tastes just like a cookie, but contains no sugar, is packed with protein to help ward off cravings and was created using the methods from my new eBook, High Protein, No Powder: Protein Bars and Smoothies Made with Real Food.
My healthy cookbook explains how artificial protein powders and bars can easily be replaced with healthier foods that are naturally high in protein. The 34 recipes found in High Protein, No Powder include delicious holiday flavors like apple pie smoothie, pumpkin pie smoothie, apple pie bar and chocolate mint bar. Plus you’ll find ways to make your own high protein bar or smoothie, in any flavor you want!
Give your sweet tooth (and waistline 😉 ) a reprieve by taking a favorite flavor of the holiday season and turning it into a nutritious, high protein smoothie instead!
High Protein Gingerbread Smoothie
INGREDIENTS
1 cup dairy kefir*
1 cup spinach leaves, loosely packed
1 banana (frozen if possible)
1/2 cup white beans, cooked
1 Tbsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch ground nutmeg
pinch ground cloves
METHOD
Combine ingredients in the order listed in a blender and blend. Blend a second time if needed for a creamy consistency.
* Kefir is a dairy-based probiotic beverage, and offers the best bang for your buck in terms of digestive health. However, substitutes are available if you’re not familiar with it. Try 1 cup of plain yogurt (not Greek) or 1/2 cup Greek yogurt with 1/2 cup of your preferred milk. This page contains recipes for several non-dairy homemade milks, including almond milk, coconut milk and cashew milk. Using a full cup of liquid (i.e. no yogurt) will work as well, but the smoothie will be thinner.
Cheers to delicious, real food protein!
Tiffany at Don’t Waste the Crumbs
YUM! Your books is amazing and I am so excited for others to be able to get their hands on it soon! So many GREAT healthy and delicious smoothie and bar recipes! Can’t wait to give this gingerbread one a try! Thanks so much for sharing it!
My sister and I were just discussing options for a healthier week. I think we’ll totally have to give this a whirl! Thanks for sharing Tiffany!
I was so excited to try this for breakfast! I didn’t have white beans on hand, so I added a big scoop of sunbutter. At first I thought there was too much ginger because it definitely had that ginger kick, but after the first sip I got used to it. Thank you for a super yummy recipe! Added bonus: my 2 year old won’t stop drinking it out of my cup:)