Attention All Smoothie Junkies

So, I'm a smoothie (protein shake) junky. I love the taste of a fresh fruit protein shake or a delicious chocolate/vanilla monkey (Peanut Butter and Banana). But until recently I used to get fed up with blending these things in my $30 Hamilton Beach stirrer ( I can't call the thing a blender, no matter what the label says). So I was doing some research on Consumer Reports and I found the Braun MX2050, and I was lucky enough to have "Santa" leave one under my tree ;-) . I love this thing!!!! It chews through ice for a perfect smoothie every time, while my old blender would leave large chunks ( or cubes with the edges rounded off ) of ice.

Protein shakes are a great way to supplement a meal, or replace calorie rich nutritionally void junk food snacks. Here are a couple of recipes to satisfy the sweet tooth.

Vanilla/Chocolate Monkey (This is at all the smoothie bars)
1 Scoop Whey Protein Vanilla or Chocolate ( your choice on brand of whey )
1/2 Banana
1 Tbsp Peanut Butter
1 Cup Water
1 Cup Ice

Graham Apple Pie ( my original )
1 Low Fat Graham Cracker Crumbled
1 Scoop Vanilla Whey protein
1 Cup Apple Juice ( go for the real apple juice, not the artificial/high sugar stuff)
1 Cup Ice

Black Forest
1 Scoop Chocolate Whey Protein
1 Cup of Frozen Cherries or Raspberries
1 Cup Water
1 Cup Ice

Keep in mind adding a Tablespoon of ground flax is a nice way to add some Omega 3 - Fatty Acids ( the good fat ), or oatmeal adds some good complex carbs to you shake.