Start your morning off right with this Clean Eating Strawberry Smoothie recipe!
In making the transition from eating yuckiness to eating clean, it can be really difficult to leave behind certain habits. There are just certain cravings that tend to stick with you when you’ve been eating a particular way for years and years.
Before clean eating, I could easily sit down with a quart of ice cream (coffee is my fav!) and polish it off before an episode of “Friends” was over with. Yes, I said a quart. Not a pint, a quart (And I wonder why I’m fat!)
I would do this on a regular basis, and boy did the pounds pile on! It’s amazing how you can numb yourself to the effects of food. I sort of turned off the part of me that actually enjoys food. I was on auto pilot. I just shoveled it in without real consideration for the flavor, quality or quantity of what I was eating. As long as I was stuffing down my “bad day”, I was content.
So as you can probably imagine, ice cream has been a tough craving for me to kick. But I did it! And wait till you read this….
It was easy!! Yep… EASY!
Here’s what I did. I knew I couldn’t resist the craving when it hit. I knew I was willing to drive miles and miles for a tub of ice cream when that craving arrived. So simply keeping it out of the house was not the solution. I had to find a replacement. And I did. In fact, I found such a good replacement, that I don’t even want ice cream any more! Can you believe that?
What’s my replacement? A really healthy smoothie! The vitamins and nutrients help me overcome my cravings, nourish my body, and satisfy me more than any quart of ice cream ever could. I much prefer one of my smoothies to ice cream now, and I get to have one every night if I want. I simply have it as my last meal of the day.
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY THESE CLEAN EATING RECIPES:
- Clean Eating Strawberry Oatmeal Smoothie
- Clean Eating Spicy Sweet California Strawberry Smoothie
- Clean Eating Raspberry Coconut Smoothie
CLEAN EATING STRAWBERRY SMOOTHIE RECIPE:
Start your morning off right with a delicious, nutritious smoothie!
- 1 cup kefir (plain)
- 1 cup strawberries (whole)
- 1 tbsp. honey (optional - if the strawberries aren't very sweet)
Put the kefir in a blending bowl or blender.
Add your strawberries (and honey if needed).
Blend until smooth.
Please note that the nutrition data is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.
Nancy says
YUMMY, this looks good – will be trying it!
The Gracious Pantry says
Hi Nancy!
Let me know how you like it!
Take care,
Tiffany
Ashley says
Hello! I’ve just discovered your blog and I’m really enjoying reading all your recipes. I have heard about Kefir in the past but I don’t know much about it? Is it like yogurt?
Thanks 😉
The Gracious Pantry says
Hi Ashley,
Yes, it’s similar to yogurt. Only, it’s more fluid like a thick smoothie or buttermilk would be. It’s sour like plain yogurt, and some people really enjoy it plain. I’m not one of those people, so I tend to add fruit or something to sweeten it with. It’s pretty versatile. And the protein content is unbeatable!
Let me know what you think when you try it!
Tiffany
Charlena says
I’ve never tried kefir before. I have low-fat organic French Vanilla yogurt (Stonyfield Farm brand) in the fridge. Would flavored yogurt be a no-no for this clean-eating recipe?
Since cherry vanilla ice cream is one of my usual cravings, how about blending pitted sweet cherries with low-fat vanilla yogurt (and a touch of agave, if needed)?
BTW, I love your blog and all the recipes! 🙂
The Gracious Pantry says
Charlena – It’s possible, but you would have to read the ingredients in the yogurt to see if it’s clean. I don’t recall Stonyfield being clean. But I could be wrong. You would also have to be sure to use unsweetened cherries.
Cucee Sprouts says
I really like your recipe. One suggestion – try making your own kefir at home. It is very easy and is so much less expensive. Here is a recipe for you http://cuceesprouts.com/2010/10/fermenting-experimenting/
The Gracious Pantry says
Cucee – Fantastic! Thanks for sharing your link! I no longer eat dairy of any kind, but many of my readers do, and I’m sure they’ll find your post very helpful. Thanks for stopping by!
Jodi says
You could try making it with unsweetened soy milk or almond milk or coconut milk. My question for Cucee is whether the milk is cold when you start or room temp or body temp? When I used to make yogurt from raw milk it had to be scalded to destroy the enzymes that would keep it from culturing properly, then cooled to about body temperature. (This has already been done with pasteurized milk) This might also be necessary when using the non-dairy milks.
Jodi says
Mmmm. Smoothies are our new ice cream now, too. I’m pondering what kinds of veggies I might be able to get into our kidlets by adding them to fruit-sweet smoothies. Hmmmm…..
Anonymous says
Jodi – Spinach, spinach and spinach! LOVE spinach in my smoothies!!
Anonymous says
Julie – I hope you enjoy it! You might also like my different variations on banana ice cream. Yummy stuff!
Tiffanie says
What is Kefir and is it dairy free?
Anonymous says
Tiffanie – Kefir is a soured milk, much like yogurt. No, it’s not dairy free. Sorry!
Anonymous says
Keverman – Many stores carry it. I get mine at Trader Joes. You can find it in health food stores as well.
Mickey Leigh says
I agree with making the kefir at home. We get raw milk from an organic farmer up the road and enjoy the “healthy fats”
graciouspantry says
Mickey – That’s wonderful!
graciouspantry says
Jill – Agave is a sweetener. However, I suggest honey instead. I haven’t had the chance to change my recipes yet, but it turns out agave is not so good for you.
graciouspantry says
Heidi – Sounds good! But be careful of the Truvia. If you are eating clean, you want stevia. Not trivia. Stevia is a plant. Truvia is made by the Coca Cola company
graciouspantry says
Heidi – Happy to help!
Lisabenavides says
what is kefir? im from new zealand and ive never heard of it?
graciouspantry says
Lisa – It’s a soured milk, kind of like butter milk. Only a little thicker.
Kathy says
Hi, I was curious about you comment that Agave Nectar isn’t good for you. Can you tell me why?
Thanks!
The Gracious Pantry says
Here’s the article I refer people to on this: http://www.foodrenegade.com/agave-nectar-good-or-bad/
Breanne says
Would plain greek yogurt work?
The Gracious Pantry says
Breanne – Sure!
Sabrina F says
I also have crazy coffee ice cream cravings… and right now Im tempted to go down the street and buy a tub, but before I consider it, do you have any clean coffee ice cream alternatives, perhaps a frappuccino 🙂
The Gracious Pantry says
Sabrina F – I have this frappuccino: https://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-mocha-coconut-frappuccino/
Sabrina F says
And also, for this recipe, would frozen strawberries work?
The Gracious Pantry says
Sabrina F – Definitely.
Sharon says
Are there any veggies that can be added to this recipe without changing the flavor? spinach maybe, but are there any others?
The Gracious Pantry says
Sharon – Spinach is the only thing I can think of.
Mommar6 says
How do you feel about organic Greek yogurt. I don’t eat meat. That’s how I get my calcium and protein
The Gracious Pantry says
Mommar6 – As far as I know, it’s clean. But stick with the full fat version for the least amount of processing.
Taneshia says
Thanks for the recipe! I really enjoyed this. I used plain Greek organic yogurt and it was delicious!
The Gracious Pantry says
Taneshia – Fantastic! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
Val says
Are we going to hull the strawberries before adding them to the blender?
The Gracious Pantry says
Val – Yes. 🙂