By Womaness Editors 4-Minute Read
Welcome to The Kitcheness, a new food and recipe series from Womaness whipped up with you (and your fabulous taste) in mind.
When we learned from our “Ask an Expert” series that protein is a smart option for breakfast, we started on a hunt for new breakfast options (see ya, cereal!). And when co-founder Michelle told us she heard from a customer who took her daily Active Glow supplement by opening it and pouring the contents into her morning smoothie…we immediately turned to Kelly Senyei, the chef, TV host, author, and brains behind Just a Taste for a little inspiration.
Enter her recipes for Healthy Secret Ingredient Smoothies, which feature smoothies with a protein-packed twist (spoiler alert: there’s cottage cheese involved!). Read on to find out how Kelly does it and why sneaking healthy ingredients into everyday recipes is smart for you, the kids in your life, or the fussiest of eaters around your breakfast table.
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From Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste:
“When I tell you what the secret ingredient is in these healthy fruit smoothies, you may cringe, or cry, or yell, or worst of all, you may never come back here again.
It’s not cream cheese. It’s not flaxseed. It’s not turmeric. It’s basically nothing you’d ever imagine tossing into a blender and whipping into a creamy frenzy of healthy fruit-filled fabulousness. It is none other than … cottage cheese. Seriously.
But wait! Stick with me here, cottage cheese haters.
Here’s the deal: The curd’s the word. Cottage cheese rocks, and for so many reasons:
1. It’s packed with protein. (A half-cup serving of full-fat plain cottage cheese has about 12 grams of protein!)
2. It has a relatively neutral taste when paired with the right complementary ingredients.
3. It makes one heck of a creamy smoothie, no additional yogurt or milk required.
Are you sold? Trust me on this one. I’ve suggested some pretty weird culinary combinations in the past, and I’ve lived to see another blog post. So do me a huge favor. Put all those preconceived cottage cheese notions behind you (But, oh! The texture!) and give these recipes a whirl. You can even take your pick from three flavor-packed options: Mixed Berry, Green Machine, and Mango-Peach.
And what about that fancy-schmancy presentation? Tune in here to see these smoothies in action!”
Mixed Berry Smoothie
PREP TIME: 5 mins
COOK TIME: 0 mins
TOTAL TIME: 5 mins
SERVINGS: 2 servings
Ingredients
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup raspberries
• 1 cup strawberries
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese
• 1 handful of ice cubes (See Kelly's Notes)
• 2 teaspoons honey or agave nectar
Instructions
Add all of the ingredients to the blender in the order in which they are listed. Blend until smooth and pourable. Taste and adjust the sweetness by adding more honey or agave nectar as desired.
Kelly's Notes:
- Start with a medium size handful of ice cubes and add more to adjust the consistency of your smoothie. Adding more ice will both thicken and chill your smoothie.
- This recipe is merely a guideline for proportions, so feel free to customize your smoothies with your favorite fruits and veggies.
- I prefer to use water as the liquid in my smoothies because it thins the mixture without adding the loads of extra sugar found in most fruit juices.
Nutrition: Calories: 158kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 9mg, Sodium: 195mg, Potassium: 284mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 18g, Vitamin A: 74IU, Vitamin C: 62mg, Calcium: 70mg, Iron: 1mg
Green Machine Smoothie
PREP TIME: 5 mins
COOK TIME: 0 mins
TOTAL TIME: 5 mins
SERVINGS: 2 servings
Ingredients
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup kale leaves
• 1 cup spinach leaves
• 1 cup diced pineapple
• 1/2 of a banana
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese
• 1 handful of ice cubes (See Kelly's Notes)
• 2 teaspoons honey or agave nectar
Instructions
Add all of the ingredients to the blender in the order in which they are listed. Blend until smooth and pourable. Taste and adjust the sweetness by adding more honey or agave nectar as desired.
Kelly's Notes:
- Start with a medium size handful of ice cubes and add more to adjust the consistency of your smoothie. Adding more ice will both thicken and chill your smoothie.
- This recipe is merely a guideline for proportions, so feel free to customize your smoothies with your favorite fruits and veggies.
- I prefer to use water as the liquid in my smoothies because it thins the mixture without adding the loads of extra sugar found in most fruit juices.
Nutrition: Calories: 170kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 9mg, Sodium: 219mg, Potassium: 498mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 20g, Vitamin A: 4875IU, Vitamin C: 86mg, Calcium: 119mg, Iron: 1mg
Mango-Peach Smoothie
PREP TIME: 5 mins
COOK TIME: 0 mins
TOTAL TIME: 5 mins
SERVINGS: 2 servings
Ingredients
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 cups diced mango
• 1 cup diced peaches
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese
• 1 handful of ice cubes (See Kelly's Notes)
• 2 teaspoons honey or agave nectar
Instructions
Add all of the ingredients to the blender in the order in which they are listed. Blend until smooth and pourable. Taste and adjust the sweetness by adding more honey or agave nectar as desired.
Kelly's Notes:
- Start with a medium size handful of ice cubes and add more to adjust the consistency of your smoothie. Adding more ice will both thicken and chill your smoothie.
- This recipe is merely a guideline for proportions, so feel free to customize your smoothies with your favorite fruits and veggies.
- I prefer to use water as the liquid in my smoothies because it thins the mixture without adding the loads of extra sugar found in most fruit juices.
Nutrition: Calories: 211kcal, Carbohydrates: 41g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 9mg, Sodium: 195mg, Potassium: 478mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 37g, Vitamin A: 2110IU, Vitamin C: 65mg, Calcium: 62mg, Iron: 1mg
Craving more from Kelly? Sign up for the Just a Taste newsletter for a fresh serving of content delivered every week to your inbox! And stay in touch with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for all the latest updates.
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