Matcha Smoothie


I love anything matcha - ice cream, lattes, and smoothies. Matcha is finely ground green tea leaves that are full of antioxidants (higher than regular green tea) and gives an energy boost. It's popular at Japanese tea ceremonies. You can tell the quality of your matcha by how radiantly emerald green it is. Another ingredient in this smoothie is maca which is an ancient Peruvian superfood that gives you energy and is full of B vitamins. Maca may be helpful to weight loss because it's a strong hormone regulator. Chia seeds have omega-3 fats,  help you feel full longer and sustain your energy levels. I put them on my oatmeal and in every smoothie I make. Pumpkin seeds are full of magnesium, omega-3 fats, and tryptophan that helps with sleep. I put a tablespoon of pumpkin seeds on all my salads.


I revisited this cookbook and found this delicious smoothie recipe that tastes like ice cream. The frozen fruit are the secret ingredients as they make this smoothie extra frothy and sweet. This summer I've been making a habit of freezing watermelon to put in smoothies as it won't water down your drink like regular ice cubes and makes it more frozen and sweeter with added vitamins. So if you have a protein powder you don't like the taste of, add watermelon ice cubes to it! I was worried I wouldn't be able to make this smoothie anymore once watermelon season is over, then learned I could do the same with frozen cantaloupe! The frozen fruit will make this smoothie so creamy!


Ingredients:
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp maca powder
1 tsp chia seed
1 frozen banana
1.5 cup frozen watermelon
1 tsp raw pumpkin seeds
1 tsp Matcha Tea Powder
spirulina (optional)

Directions:
Cut up some watermelon and put it in your blender to make a juice. Then pour into your ice cube tray and freeze.  Chop up a banana and freeze, it will be easier for your blender to handle versus an uncut banana.

Mix the almond milk with everything except the fruit. Once combined slowly add the fruit a little at a time. 

Blend and pour into a glass. Top with the pumpkin seeds.

Nutritional Analysis:
1 serving, 358 calories,  22g protein, 10g fiber, 55g carbs, 31g sugar 
The sugar and carbs come from the fruit. Only 15g of the protein come from the protein powder.

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