I invented my own smoothie recipe today which tasted surprisingly good so I thought I’d share it with you 
This smoothie is packed full of protein so it’s a meal in itself. I only got through half a glass before I was full! It’s also a ’skin safe’ smoothie so if you’re on a clear skin diet or eating low GI for your acne, then it’s A-OK to drink.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of kefir or yogurt
- a few brazil nuts, presoaked in plenty of spring water overnight
- 1 frozen banana
- a spoonful of raw honey or agave
- a tiny bit of vanilla
- a small handful of puffed amaranth
Loving preparation
Combine all ingredients in a blender or vita-mix and blend on high. If you don’t like a thick smoothie, add more spring water. Enjoy!
14 responses ↓
I just want to grab that glass and drink it so badly! It looks so yum. I’ve never heard of Amaranth, but now that I think about it, I may have seen it at the store.
Bananas are the perfect thing for shakes, they sweeten it up so nicely. I wonder if pears would work, do you know?
We make delicious raw smoothies almost every morning for breakfast. One of our favorites is bananas, raw milk (from grass-fed cows), homemade nut butter, 2 eggs (from pastured hens), and vanilla. It’s *so* simple.
Then again, almost ALL smoothies are simple!
I never thought of using soaked nuts instead of the nut butter. That can open up a lot of variety.
Thanks,
KristenM (foodrenegade)
Yeah, I put eggs in my smoothies all the time. A great, healthy addition!
I wish you would make me one and ship it to New Jersey, USA… but I bet it would melt by the time it reaches me.
I was just curious to know if you’ve ever had a breakout from eating bananas. I read somewhere that they’re not fantastic for the skin. Any truth to that?
Kyle- Oh never thought about pears! Maybe really juice pears would be good, not the crunchy ones.
Chase- Dr Perricone advises against Bananas because they’re an inflammatory food so can make inflammation worse. I don’t eat a lot of bananas so I’ve never worried about it. I don’t think the problem is that they’ll give you a breakout, I think the problem is they may make your acne more inflamed.
Great looking smoothie Fran! To other comments: Drinking raw eggs?? Wouldn’t that make you sick?
Jill, raw eggs are actually really good for you, but I still get queezy at the idea of eating them raw and alone so I put them in shakes. I read that the chance of getting one with salmonella is like 1 in 32,000 (eggs), and if you are healthy, it won’t be much of a problem anyways. Anyways, I get my info from a website called mercola.com, I recommend it.
hi Fran! i read that amaranth is a flower or plant. where can i get the ones you speak of and what are the nutritional benefits?
thanks
oh and i just read where u said that bananas are inflamatory?!
i had no idea and i’m constantly reading about health and how to eat better for mt acne.
so i was wondering if you could name the foods that are inflammatory and that i should stay away from.
Hi Amy, I don’t really follow the inflammatory foods thing because I prefer to heal with the root cause of the problem. Dr Perricone’s book lists inflammatory foods so get your hands on a copy. You could prob find one at the library.
Amaranth is a grain, you can buy it at health stores. You can also buy it puffed which is kind of like a breakfast cereal.
Fran,
Just wanted to say that your blog is great, I came across it through an ‘acne cure’ google search.
I’ve been struggling with acne for a while now, and haven’t touched bananas for about a year as i’m worried they’re going to break me out, partly because of their medium gi and partly because of Dr. Perricone’s persuasiveness, but I do love a good, healthy smoothy. Should I be worried?
Thanks,
Keep up the good work!!
Sarah – south/east Brisbane
Hi Sarah,
In Dr Perricone’s book he says to avoid bananas because they’re an inflammatory food. Personally I don’t feel this is necessary because bananas are so good for your body. It’s also important to take note that bananas will definitely not cause or create a breakout, it’s just that eating them in excess can induce inflammation ..which means if you have acne it can increase the redness and “angryness” of your pimples.
But honestly, you’re much better off avoiding refined sugars, caffeine, alcohol, processed foods, deep fried foods etc. Bananas are relatively harmless
Oh and that’s cool you’re from south east Brisbane
Hi Fran,
You said many times that we should avoid caffeine. Unfortunately for me it’s really hard. No matter how long I sleep I don’t have energy. I study and work so I haven’t got time for naps during the day. I know that wrong diet can cause lack of energy but I’ve already change it. I try follow your rules and I try be at least 50% raw vegan. If I eat meat it’s roast or steamed chicken/pork/fish. I try eat nuts, lots of veggies and fruits. I wish my diet was as exotic and varied as yours, but I live in UK and it’s challenge to find here this great food you write about, especially organic.
Could you suggest some natural substitute of caffeine? I’d also really appreciate any tips how you deal with lack of energy during the day. Thanks a lot!
Regards
Ewa
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