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You know what I love? A nice long four day weekend from work. Virginia celebrates a little known holiday in honor of General Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. It’s call Lee-Jackson Day. Remember Virginia is the center of the south, whether or not it’s geographically located in the center of the south like Atlanta or something. Add a Monday holiday on the other end of the weekend in honor of Martin Luther King, and you’ve got a mini-vacation. I actually slept in this morning and it was glorious. I’m trying to stay prepared for the upcoming arrival of my first grandchild, so I rest when I can.
You know what else I love? Smoothies! This was another wonderful creation born from leftovers in the fridge. This smoothie may not look like much but the taste is tropical, creamy, fresh and light. And, it’s a terrific breakfast or anytime snack, packing plenty of protein for the day ahead.
I keep a container of frozen bananas in the refrigerator so I’m always ready for smoothies or banana fro yo. To get started, slice one whole frozen banana and add it to your blender.
Add 1/4 cup vanilla Almond Milk or regular milk if preferred.
As I mentioned earlier, we hosted a baby shower last weekend and used unsweetened, pure pineapple juice in a fruit dip. We had some leftover so I added 1/4 pineapple juice to the blender.
It’s no big secret that I’m a plain Greek yogurt junkie so I added 1/4 cup of Fage to the blender as well.
I have fresh pineapple in the house so I threw in a few chucks. You could use canned or frozen pineapple if preferred.
To add a little nutritional boost I blended in 1/2 scoop vanilla soy protein powder. For a little sweetness you can add Agave Nectar, honey or a package of Truvia to taste.
Blend all ingredients until smooth. If you’re a big fan of coconut you can add some into the mix, sprinkle it on top or blend in coconut milk if preferred. I added a dash of coconut extract then garnished with a teaspoon of shredded coconut.
Perfectly filling and delicious!
The possibilities are endless.
Not a bad way to start the day!
Pineapple, Banana & Coconut Smoothie
1 whole frozen banana, sliced
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup vanilla Almond Milk
1/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1/4 cup sliced fresh, canned or frozen pineapple
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tablespoon Agave Nectar, honey or 1 packet Truvia to taste
coconut milk (if desired)
1/8 teaspoon coconut extract (if desired)
3-4 ice cubes if desired
1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut
Blend all ingredients except the coconut until smooth. Add a few ice cubes and blend to desired thickness. Garnish with fresh pineapple and shredded coconut. Serve immediately.
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Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you have a terrific holiday weekend. I’m heading to the kitchen to whip up some wonderful ,hearty, whole wheat bread and a few other fun recipes. I guess I’ll do a little laundry too 🙂 You know a day off only goes so far.
Tricia
Laura (Blogging Over Thyme) says
January 15, 2012 at 3:11 amI'm looking forward to the rest of the long weekend too! Gives me a chance to catch up on sleep 🙂 This smoothie looks wonderful, and uses some of my favorite ingredient combinations ever. Now I just need to have one in my hand and get transported to a tropical island!
Sue/the view from great island says
January 15, 2012 at 1:53 amEnjoy your long weekend! I'm looking forward to your whole wheat bread…
Rosita Vargas says
January 14, 2012 at 11:30 pmESTE BATIDO ES ESPECTACULAR ME ENCANTA UNA COPA SALUDABLE,ABRAZOS HUGS,HUGS.
Tanna at The Brick Street Bungalow says
January 14, 2012 at 12:43 pmThis looks like a decadent milkshake instead of a healthy smoothie!! Gotta love that! LOL! Have a great long weekend, Tricia!! blesings ~ Tanna
Tricia says
January 15, 2012 at 12:04 amThanks Tanna – it is a lot like a milk shake without the guilt! Have a good weekend yourself – can't wait to see what you are up to next!
Anna and Liz Recipes says
January 14, 2012 at 2:50 amHi Tricia! I just made this as a snack since I LOVE Smoothies…. I only had skim milk, (ran out of Almond milk), 3 pieces of fresh pineapple, one frozen banana, 1/2 scoop of powder and 1 tablespoon of organic shredded coconut and it was ssoooo GOOD! THanks for a great easy recipe! 🙂 Anna
Tricia says
January 15, 2012 at 12:03 amSo glad you liked it Anna! Anything that is this close to a pina colada has to be great! I also used the organic shredded coconut – love it!
Mary says
January 13, 2012 at 8:50 pmThis sounds like a delicious combination. I'm giggling because your smoothie today looks absolutely photo shoot worthy. Mine? Definitely the ugliest color yet. ha ha. <br /><br />Looking forward to seeing a baby pic in the near future. I'm so excited for you! Does your daughter live close to you?
Tricia says
January 15, 2012 at 12:01 amHey Mary – you are so funny. I thought your smoothie sounded great. Green food is totally under-rated! Baby pictures coming soon! Yes my daughter lives very close by and we talk everyday. She is a great daughter and is so excited to be a mom. She's 23 years old and says she's ready and I'm ready to be a grandma. Thanks!
Em (Wine and Butter) says
January 13, 2012 at 7:35 pmTricia!! This is so funny because right now we have your margarita pie in the freezer (woop wooooop!!) and i just came over to tell you – and the recipe you have here is SO similar to one I was intending to post in a week or two. Mine is a little different but the banana coconut pineapple combo I first had on Honeymoon in Thailand and fell in LOVE with and have been meaning to re-create ever
Tricia says
January 15, 2012 at 12:00 amOh Em I can't wait to hear how it turned out. And I can't wait to see your recipe for a banana pineapple smoothie. Extra tequila is always great, british or not!
Miss Smart says
January 13, 2012 at 6:32 pmWhy must you remind me of your crazy FOUR day weekend, when the rest of us (yes, even in VA) have only three days off?<br /><br />This looks lovely and amazing and I think you were reading my mind because I am thinking about creating a Pina Colada Sara(h)bar this weekend!<br /><br />(Sigh) I remember being a plain (2%) Greek yogurt junkie…<br /><br />Is it weird that I really like canned
Tricia says
January 13, 2012 at 7:05 pmHey Sarah – sorry about the long weekend, but you get summers off you ole teacher you! Pina Colada bars sounds great – come on up this weekend and we'll get in the kitchen! Vegan must be hard – vegetarian sounds a lot easier! I would have used canned pineapple but I had fresh left over from the baby shower. I swiped some of my husbands Gensoy Soy Protien Vanilla Flavor Shake for this