Healthy Snack Recipe: Low Fat Chocolate Berry Smoothie

When you're craving a refreshing, fruity drink, this low fat smoothie is an excellent choice. It's nourishing and light, sweet without overloading on the sugar, and a great way to get your chocolate fix alongside your favorite berries. 

So go ahead and gather a bunch of berries, grab a blender and whip this smoothie together in five minutes. Substitute sugar with honey or agave to make this a naturally sweet beverage! It's perfect for a post-workout snack. 

Low Fat Chocolate Berry Smoothie

(makes 2 servings)

Ingredients:1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen berries (blueberries, chopped strawberries, cherries, black or red rasperries, etc.)
4 tablespoons honey or agave 
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup ice cube

Directions:1. Crush ice in a blender. 

2. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth; about 30-60 seconds. 

3. Serve & enjoy!

Super Healthy Snack Recipe: Low Calorie Berries & Oats Smoothie

Smoothies are a really great snack option because they’re delicious and portable, serving as a perfectly reasonable breakfast on the go or as an afternoon pick-me-up. However, it’s important to realize that, while smoothies seem like a healthy treat of blended fruit, a lot of them are filled with sugar and sweeteners. Thus, a calorie bomb is born.

The good news is that smoothies are a breeze to make at home and can serve as truly filling, healthy options to get you through the day. We chose oatmeal to add extra protein and fiber, and to thicken up this smoothie—thicker is better, people—when you try it, be prepared for the newfound energy kick and revel in this yummy discovery!

Berries and Oats Smoothie

Serves 1-2

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup frozen blueberries, unsweetened
• 1/3 cup frozen raspberries, unsweetened
• 1/3 cup frozen blackberries, unsweetened
• 1/4 cup instant oatmeal
• 1 cup almond milk (or vanilla almond)
• 2 teaspoons honey or agave nectar
• 1 teaspoon orange zest

Directions

1. In a blender, combine milk and instant oats. Pulse until smooth.
2. Add blueberries, blackberries and raspberries and blend for 20 seconds. If mixture is too thick, add a little more milk.
3. Add honey and orange zest.
4. Optional: Add spinach, kale, bananas or plain, Greek yogurt to add extra nutrients and creaminess, and blend until smooth.

Old-Fashioned Favorite: The Classic Chocolate Malt

This recipe is an oldie-but-goodie that brings to mind a diner packed with poodle skirts, leather jackets and pompadours. Who doesn’t love that?! The malted shake is a true classic that is different from an ordinary milkshake because of the addition of malt powder, which gives it a special flavor and texture. The powder itself is not commonly found in grocery stores, but usually you can find liquid malt flavoring. (If you feel like going the extra mile and being a real stud, go ahead and track down some malt powder online!) Regardless of what malt flavoring you use, be prepared to fend people off, since they’ll all be clamoring for a taste!

Chocolate Malt Shake

(Makes 1 serving)

Ingredients

2-4 scoops vanilla ice cream

3/4 cup whole milk

2 oz chocolate syrup

3/4-1 oz malt powder

Optional: Whipped cream, cherry, and/or cookies for garnish

Directions

1. Start with 2-4 scoops (your choice) of high quality vanilla ice cream—the denser the better—and place in a blender.
2. Add your chocolate syrup. If you like it really rich and chocolate-y, add extra.
3. Next pour in your whole milk. The amount depends on how much ice cream you use, but pour in enough that the ice cream is surrounded, but the top is not covered by milk.
4. Now add your malt powder.
5. If using a household blender, alternate between pulsing it and hand mixing. You want to keep the consistency nice and thick. Mix for no more than 1 minute total.
6. Pour into a glass, add whipped cream, a cherry or some chocolate wafers, and enjoy!

Quick Snack Recipe: Peanut Butter & Honey Banana Smoothie

Smoothies can be such a quick fix when you need a boost; you can pack them with protein and flavor so they tide you over until your next meal and taste great at the same time! This peanut butter smoothie is so good with the added honey and sea salt—it feels like dessert (and you’re welcome to make it for dessert) but will still keep you going strong. For added decadence you can add chocolate chips or chocolate syrup to amp this up, but that’s just if you’re feeling extravagant. Regardless of whether you make this for breakfast or at 10 P.M., this smoothie is a yummy treat!

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 bananas, frozen
• 1 cup milk (optional: almond or soy milk)
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (or sun/soy butter)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 fresh banana, garnish

Directions

1. Peel and slice frozen bananas
2. Put bananas and milk in a blender. Pulse for 5-10 seconds.
3. Add in peanut butter, honey and salt. Blend for another 10 seconds, or until desired consistency is reached.
4. Garnish with freshly sliced bananas.

Quick Snack Recipe: Peanut Butter & Honey Banana Smoothie

Smoothies can be such a quick fix when you need a boost; you can pack them with protein and flavor so they tide you over until your next meal and taste great at the same time! This peanut butter smoothie is so good with the added honey and sea salt—it feels like dessert (and you’re welcome to make it for dessert) but will still keep you going strong. For added decadence you can add chocolate chips or chocolate syrup to amp this up, but that’s just if you’re feeling extravagant. Regardless of whether you make this for breakfast or at 10 P.M., this smoothie is a yummy treat!

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 bananas, frozen
• 1 cup milk (optional: almond or soy milk)
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (or sun/soy butter)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 fresh banana, garnish

Directions

1. Peel and slice frozen bananas
2. Put bananas and milk in a blender. Pulse for 5-10 seconds.
3. Add in peanut butter, honey and salt. Blend for another 10 seconds, or until desired consistency is reached.
4. Garnish with freshly sliced bananas.

Quick and Easy Dessert: Oreo Fudge Milkshake

For those days when you come home and want a creamy, delicious treat, we’ve got you covered! This Oreo Fudge milkshake is perfection, and it only takes a few minutes and a few ingredients to make; you might think it’s impossible to improve on something already so good, but the addition of vanilla and chocolate fudge really take this blended drink to a new level—dust off your blenders, everyone, it’s snack time! 

Oreo Milkshake

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

• 2 cups vanilla ice cream (the higher quality the better)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4-5 Oreo cookies, plus more for garnish
• 1-2 tablespoons fudge sauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Place your ice cream and milk in a blender. (Use more milk for a thinner shake and less milk for a thicker consistency.)
2. Add in chocolate syrup, vanilla extract and Oreo cookies.
3. Pulse until mostly smooth. Cookies should be mostly broken up, but with a few larger cookie chunks.
4. Pour into a chilled glass and garnish with whole or crumbled Oreos.