It’s been a hot summer here on the Front Range of Colorado. And even up in the foothills and higher elevation, we be sweatin’ it out.
My “go to” after exercise in the hot weather is a cold beverage…like pronto. My favorite drink? A flavored seltzer or a mineral water, but a homemade smoothie is also dang high on the list. Especially when I need “easy to get in” calories post-exercise.
I don’t always gravitate towards a chocolately-fruity-over-the-top-sweet smoothie. In fact, this past weekend was a situation where I wanted a little something more mellow and light on the flavor front, but still with a decent amount of carbohydrate and protein to honor the post-run rehydration and refueling needs.
The “Lighty LemonNana” is what transpired. Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients:
8 oz (240 ml) unsweetened organic soy milk (I used the 365 brand)*
1/2 c (120 gm) 2% Fage yogurt*
zest of 1/2 lemon*
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
small frozen banana (105 gm)
1 tsp maple syrup*
handful of ice
Add ingredients to your blender and whizz it up. Enjoy!
*Recipe notes:
Add more lemon juice and lemon zest if you desire more tartness and lemony flavor.
If you don’t do soy milk, replace with a different protein-fortified milk that has >7 grams of protein per cup (or 240 ml serving).
If you don’t do cow-based yogurt, choose a protein-fortified yogurt that is low in sugar. I like the Siggi’s brand, but there are others (check the Nutrition Facts label of your yogurts since they are definitely not all the same!).
Did you freak out seeing maple syrup in the ingredient list? Yeah, we definitely want to be mindful of added sugars (and keep them to a minimum). I made the smoothie without the maple syrup and it was quite enjoyable. But then decided to blend again WITH the maple syrup to see how much the tartness level decreased. It was enough to be noticed, but I definitely could go either way.
Basic nutrition info:
290 calories
38 grams carbohydrate
3 grams fiber
20 grams protein
6.5 grams fat
~2 to 1 ratio of carb to protein
Gulped it down!
Let me know if you try it!
-Dina