Shake it, baby, for healthy drinks

Chocolate-Peanut butter-banana-chocolate smoothie (MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store

Healthy blueberry shake (MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store

LAST month, Yvette Labossiere wrote in looking for healthy smoothie recipes, wanting some homemade alternatives to those pricey store-bought power shakes. Tracy Postoluk sent in a recipe for a blueberry shake she has been making for herself and her husband for almost a year. I added a recipe for a favourite choco-banana-peanut-butter drink. These easy-to-make drinks are a handy way to pack nutrients into a drinkable form, and they can be great for breakfast-skippers or anyone who needs a healthy boost of antioxidants, calcium, fibre, protein and vitamins.

With the leaves starting to turn, now is the time to offer tried-and-true Thanksgiving recipes or send in requests for something new. (A pie you want to try? Another take on potatoes?) If you can help with a recipe request, have your own request, or a favourite recipe you'd like to share, send an email to recipeswap@freepress.mb.ca, fax it to 697-7412, or write to Recipe Swap, c/o Alison Gillmor, Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R2X 3B6. Please include your first and last name, address and telephone number.

Healthy blueberry shake

250 ml (1 cup) vanilla yogurt

30 g (about 60 ml or 1/4 cup) vanilla whey powder

15 ml (1 tbsp) hemp hearts

15 ml (1 tbsp) Nutrasea oil (a lemon-flavoured fish oil supplement)

250 ml (1 cup) frozen blueberries

5 ml (1 tsp) Metamucil clear fibre powder

60-125 ml (1/4-1/2 cup) water (to taste: make it as thick or thin as you like)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Makes about 500 ml (16 oz).

Tester's notes: All the ingredients combine for fresh blueberry taste and a heavenly colour. Tracy says the initial price of buying the ingredients can be high, but it's worth it. (Compare to a daily breakfast sandwich and a coffee at a drive-thru, she points out, which is more expensive and not half as good for you.) Blueberries are a nutrient-packed super food, and hemp is a made-in-Manitoba product with loads of health benefits. The fish supplement supplies omega-3, but you definitely want to go with this lemon-flavoured version and not a standard one. I'll confess I didn't use any Metamucil in mine, but I did get some fibre from the blueberries. Look for the specialized ingredients at bulk, health food or organic food stores.

Peanut butter-banana-chocolate smoothie

1 banana

60 ml (1/4 cup) vanilla yogurt

125 ml (1/2 cup) chocolate-flavoured almond milk

30 ml (2 tbsp) peanut butter

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Makes about 250 ml (8 oz).

Tester's notes: A rich-tasting combination of flavours. Almond milk contains a good dose of vitamins A, B, D and E, along with calcium. Using Greek yogurt adds protein.

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