Tamara's Perfect Smoothie

A few months ago, I was reading up on "The Zone" diet, and I thought it made some sense, but I wanted to try it out in a controlled way. Supposedly, it helps keep blood sugar in balance and keeps you feeling satisfied between meals. But the "blocks" were way too confusing, so I looked for the simplest possible explanation of the diet, and here it is: 1,2,3. By weight, the ratio of fat to protein to carbohydrates should be 1-fat, 2-protein, 3-carbohydrates. The carbohydrates should come from fruits, vegetables or whole grains as much as possible, to slow their absorption and add fiber. That's it. And according to the guy who devised it, it doesn't matter if you mess up at one meal, because as soon as you have a balanced one, you'll be back on track. That was a philosophy I could live with.

By adding up the exact numbers from the packages and a calorie-counting book, I came up with this smoothie that is a great start to my day. This is almost exactly 1,2,3. It does seem to keep me satisfied right up until lunch, with plenty of energy and alertness, and I feel like I'm putting healthy, real ingredients in my body. If I recall correctly, it is just about 400 calories too, so if you are trying to diet, it would be a far superior substance to put in your body than that nasty chemical Slimfast meal replacement stuff they sell.

Tamara's Perfect Smoothie
+-1 c plain soy milk
4 level tablespoons Nutiva hemp protein powder
1 1/2" slice silken tofu
1/2 small banana + 5 frozen strawberries
0r 1/3 cup frozen fruit, any kind

Blend together in a traditional blender or with stick blender. The frozen fruit is essential for that frosty smoothie texture. Blackberries are delicious, as are blueberries. I double up on the soy, but if you prefer to use a little dairy, non-fat milk and low-fat yogurt will do the trick just as well, just use more fruit or a dab of agave syrup, since the milk doesn't have the same carbohydrates as the soy, I think. Check that out for yourself, because I'm not sure. You can adjust the thickness to your taste-- this recipe makes a very thick smoothie.

Sorry, no photo. It's a little bit green, but still pretty tasty. If you don't have a lot of fiber in your diet, this provides a lot, so you might want to go easy on the hemp powder for the first couple of days.