One of the post-exercise smoothie recipes I came across was on a website called Fitbie. It was for what they called “Pumpkin Spice Smoothie”. You can click this link to visit their website, or you can click this link to see and download my 4x6 recipe card, on which I converted all the measurements to weights.
The first thing I did, of course, was buy the ingredients. After buying the ingredients, I did a cost calculation. Oh my god! One serving of this smoothie costs $1.92. It better taste damn good.
Next, I made the recipe. As I assembled the recipe, I converted everything from American Imperial measurements to grams, which is more accurate. I am using an Oster Fusion smoothie machine, which comes with 2 smoothie bottles. The recipe was too big for the bottle, so I used the blender container instead. I ran the blender on medium speed and poured the mixture into a glass. It came out very chunky, so I returned it to the blender and ran it some more. It was smoother, but there were still walnut chunks. I don’t like the idea of having to chew a drink. Hence, I added “blend until nuts are completely liquefied” to the recipe instructions.
As regards taste, I don’t know if it is the coconut water and/or the Greek yogurt or the generic ingredients, but there is an odd, slightly soapy taste to the finished product. There is also no frozen component in this mixture, which makes the drink somewhat lukewarm. At this point, I am ready to abandon this recipe unless the nutritional value is astounding. Fitbie only listed the basics as 292 calories, 10g fat, 30g carbs, 5g fiber, 22g protein.
Off I went to the Internet to find a nutrition calculator. A website called Recipe Nutrition offers to create a product nutrition label for any recipe, so I am going to give it a try. After trying to log back in and being refused, I cannot recommend this website. Another search brought me to About.com's label generator. It is much easier to use, and if you join Calorie Count, you can save and share recipes as well as track your eating habits.
Comparing Fitbie’s numbers to the nutrition label, we see some small differences, most notably the 2 extra grams of protein given by Fitbie. The fat content is similar, at 10 grams, or ≈30% of calories. That is on the high side for me. I prefer a 2:1 ratio of protein to fat, so this barely squeaks by at 20:10, although the fats are mostly the “good” fats. The sodium is kind of high at 22% of daily valuie for one drink. The carb/protein/fat calorie balance is 43/27/30, almost perfect. Problem is, I can get similar numbers from an 89¢ protein bar. Why pay $1.92 and have to wash dishes?
Taking another look at the costing, the Greek yogurt is the biggest culprit at 58.2¢, followed closely by the coconut water at 53.6¢; and the pumpkin was on super-sale because of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Given the high fat content, the high cost per recipe, and the odd taste, I cannot recommend this recipe; but it was a nice little experiment. I learned a few things.
As always, I welcome your comments. Click on the Comment link below; it may say "No" or have a number in front of it.
The first thing I did, of course, was buy the ingredients. After buying the ingredients, I did a cost calculation. Oh my god! One serving of this smoothie costs $1.92. It better taste damn good.
Next, I made the recipe. As I assembled the recipe, I converted everything from American Imperial measurements to grams, which is more accurate. I am using an Oster Fusion smoothie machine, which comes with 2 smoothie bottles. The recipe was too big for the bottle, so I used the blender container instead. I ran the blender on medium speed and poured the mixture into a glass. It came out very chunky, so I returned it to the blender and ran it some more. It was smoother, but there were still walnut chunks. I don’t like the idea of having to chew a drink. Hence, I added “blend until nuts are completely liquefied” to the recipe instructions.
As regards taste, I don’t know if it is the coconut water and/or the Greek yogurt or the generic ingredients, but there is an odd, slightly soapy taste to the finished product. There is also no frozen component in this mixture, which makes the drink somewhat lukewarm. At this point, I am ready to abandon this recipe unless the nutritional value is astounding. Fitbie only listed the basics as 292 calories, 10g fat, 30g carbs, 5g fiber, 22g protein.
Off I went to the Internet to find a nutrition calculator. A website called Recipe Nutrition offers to create a product nutrition label for any recipe, so I am going to give it a try. After trying to log back in and being refused, I cannot recommend this website. Another search brought me to About.com's label generator. It is much easier to use, and if you join Calorie Count, you can save and share recipes as well as track your eating habits.
Comparing Fitbie’s numbers to the nutrition label, we see some small differences, most notably the 2 extra grams of protein given by Fitbie. The fat content is similar, at 10 grams, or ≈30% of calories. That is on the high side for me. I prefer a 2:1 ratio of protein to fat, so this barely squeaks by at 20:10, although the fats are mostly the “good” fats. The sodium is kind of high at 22% of daily valuie for one drink. The carb/protein/fat calorie balance is 43/27/30, almost perfect. Problem is, I can get similar numbers from an 89¢ protein bar. Why pay $1.92 and have to wash dishes?
Taking another look at the costing, the Greek yogurt is the biggest culprit at 58.2¢, followed closely by the coconut water at 53.6¢; and the pumpkin was on super-sale because of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Given the high fat content, the high cost per recipe, and the odd taste, I cannot recommend this recipe; but it was a nice little experiment. I learned a few things.
As always, I welcome your comments. Click on the Comment link below; it may say "No" or have a number in front of it.
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