Zero Belly Smoothies: Lose up to 16 Pounds in 14 Days and Sip Your Way to A Lean & Healthy You - David Zinczenko (2016)
Chapter 8. Savory Smoothies
Turmerican Dream
Carrot Top
Potato? Sweet!
Big Red
Basil Quinoa
Tabasco Cherry
Mr. Bean
Garlic Apple
Pumpkin Spice
Chick-Fil-O
Red Pepper Punch
Fall Harvest
Stuffed Sweet Potato
A smoothie can be a lot of things: a pre- or post-workout boost, a cold and refreshing thirst quencher, a thick and creamy dessert, a perfectly balanced breakfast. But one thing most of us never think of when we think of smoothies: comfort food.
These recipes stake out a new territory in the smoothie landscape, a culinary point of departure into a taste realm you might not have considered. While these smoothies are still cold and refreshing, they’re going to taste more like a savory soup than a bright pick-me-up. And that’s fine. If you follow the Zero Belly 7-Day Smoothie Cleanse at the end of this book, these are the perfect go-to flavors for lunchtime indulgence.
SAVORY SMOOTHIES
TURMERICAN DREAM
Turmeric may be the single most powerful anti-inflammatory food in nature’s arsenal, thanks to its unique active compound, curcumin. It’s a staple of Indian food, and blends perfectly with tropical fruits like pineapple.
1 cup fresh pineapple, chunked
½ frozen banana
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop plant-based plain protein powder
293 calories
3 g fat
43 g carbs
6 g fiber
26 g sugar
27 g protein
SAVORY SMOOTHIES
CARROT TOP
This one's a fresh smoothie perfect for fall, with an eye-opening kick of ginger that lasts year-round.
2 carrots, peeled
½ frozen banana
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 scoop vanilla plant-based protein powder
1 teaspoon ground flaxseed
295 calories
5 g fat
36 g carbs
7 g fiber
16 g sugar
28 g protein
SAVORY SMOOTHIES
POTATO? SWEET!
Bananas and sweet potatoes both add starch, but that’s why the cinnamon is in there. Adding cinnamon to a starchy meal helps stabilize blood sugar and ward off insulin spikes, according to a series of studies printed in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
½ cooked sweet potato, cooled, with skin off
½ frozen banana
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop plain plant-based protein powder
280 calories
5 g fat
34 g carbs
6 g fiber
14 g sugar
28 g protein
SAVORY SMOOTHIES
BIG RED
Beets provide a solid dose of the nutrient betaine, which turns off the genes for insulin resistance and abdominal fat gain. Buy them whole and save (and cook) the greens; they score higher than even spinach on the nutritional density score.
1 cooked beet
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 teaspoon coconut oil
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop plant-based plain protein powder
3 ice cubes
Water to blend (recommended for this one)
305 calories
10 g fat
41 g carbs
8 g fiber
4 g sugar
26 g protein
SAVORY SMOOTHIES
BASIL QUINOA
All the protein and power of quinoa, none of the chewing.
½ cup cooked quinoa, cooled
3 basil leaves
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop plant-based plain protein powder
honey to taste
331 calories
6 g fat
35 g carbs
5 g fiber
3 g sugar
32 g protein
SAVORY SMOOTHIES
TABASCO CHERRY
This one has a kick to it, softened by the cherry aftertaste.
½ cup cherries
½ frozen banana
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
¼ lime
¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop plant-based plain protein powder
3 ice cubes
Water to blend (optional)
232 calories
2 g fat
28 g carbs
3.5 g fiber
10 g sugar
26 g protein
SAVORY SMOOTHIES
MR. BEAN
You won’t even taste the secret ingredient here.
¼ cup kidney beans
½ frozen banana
½ cup frozen strawberries
4 mint leaves
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
¼ scoop plant-based plain protein powder
340 calories
4.5 g fat
53 g carbs
11 g fiber
14 g sugar
24 g protein
SAVORY SMOOTHIES
GARLIC APPLE
Your doctor is going to have to go find some new patients. A powerful anti-inflammatory agent, garlic also seems to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal disease, according to the National Cancer Institute. Don’t worry: you don’t put it in the Smoothie.
¼ apple
¼ avocado
¼ cup cucumber
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop plant-based plain protein powder
dash of garlic powder
3 ice cubes
304 calories
14 g fat
19 g carbs
7 g fiber
8 g sugar
27 g protein
SAVORY SMOOTHIES
PUMPKIN SPICE
Unlike the pumpkin spice lattes you love, this drink has actual pumpkin in it. One-third cup of pumpkin provides protein, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and 16% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin C—a nutrient researchers say is directly related to the body’s ability to burn through fat. In fact, one study by researchers from Arizona State University showed deficiencies of vitamin C were strongly correlated with increased body fat and waist measurements.
½ frozen banana
⅓ cup pumpkin puree
¼ teaspoon pumpkin spice
⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon flax seeds
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop plant-based plain protein powder
292 calories
5 g fat
33 g carbs
7 g fiber
14 g sugar
29 g protein
SAVORY SMOOTHIES
CHICK-FIL-O
The sneaky source of extra protein here: the chickpeas.
¼ cup cooked rolled oats
⅛ cup chickpeas
sprig of cilantro
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop plain plant-based protein powder
277 calories
6 g fat
26 g carbs
6 g fiber
4 g sugar
20 g protein
SAVORY SMOOTHIES
RED PEPPER PUNCH
You can’t go wrong here: Add even more pepper if it’s not red enough.
¼ red bell pepper
½ tomato
1 celery stick
1 dash cayenne pepper
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop plant-based plain protein powder
170 calories
2 g fat
10 g carbs
3 g fiber
5 g sugar
26 g protein
SAVORY SMOOTHIES
FALL HARVEST
The nutty, roasted flavor of green tea steps in brilliantly here as a base for a delicious smoothie that will have you reminiscing about the Thanksgivings of your childhood.
½ cooked sweet potato, cooled, with skin off
½ banana
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cinnamon
6 medium-sized basil leaves
¼ cup green tea
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop plain plant-based protein powder
283 calories
5 g fat
35 g carbs
7 g fiber
14 g sugar
28 g protein
SAVORY SMOOTHIES
STUFFED SWEET POTATO
Is this a Thanksgiving side dish or a smoothie? Either way, it makes for a delicious lunchtime treat.
¼ cooked sweet potato, cold
¼ teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop plant-based plain protein powder
230 calories
7 g fat
17 g carbs
6 g fiber
4.6 g sugar
28 g protein
ZERO BELLY TIP:
SWAP SUGARY DRINKS FOR A SMOOTHIE!
Be sure your drinks don’t have added sugar. Elevated glucose and fructose in your body weakens collagen and elastin, the structural supports that keep skin tight and plump. The sugar links to amino acids in the skin to produce advanced glycation end products, whose acronym “AGEs” aptly describes what they do to skin. The process is accelerated by ultraviolet light, according to a study in Clinical Dermatology. In other words, eating lots of sugar poolside is the worst thing you can do for your skin.