Vitamix Preview and Mocha Protein Smoothie!

In the midst of January I saw one of my friends after a particularly rough week for her. She'd clocked 60+ hours at work and was, very understandably, exhausted. She told me that one night around midnight, she was sitting at her desk and decided that if she made it through the week she was going to motivate herself by promising to buy something that weekend. Well, the actual statement used was "I'm going to buy myself something really f-ing nice!"

I thought this was a) hilarious and b) spectacular motivation. Now, I must say that my friend had been wanting to make this purchase for a while. The buying was not impulsive but merely a motivation to get through a stressful week. Inspired by this story and looking at a rough next few weeks I made myself a similar promise. So without further a do, my "really f-ing nice" purchase:

Vitamix 7500

I cannot express how excited I am to integrate my Vitamix into my daily cooking routine. For my lifestyle this is definitely a worthy investment piece that I know will be a staple in my kitchen.

I absolutely plan on providing a detailed review here on the blog once Mr. Vitamix and I get to know each other a bit more. I just couldn't wait to share and for now, I thought I'd post one of my latest favorite smoothie recipes! I like this either as a mid-morning boost, a post-workout snack or as breakfast along with a piece of toast.

Mocha Protein Shake

1 cup coconut milk*, plus filtered water to get to desired consistancy
1 packet VIA instant coffee
1 handful of greens (I used frozen kale, however I'd recommend fresh spinach or kale if you have it because it blends better with this particular set of ingredients)
1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder
a few ice cubes (optional; depending on whether you want this to be super cold!)

Throw everything into your blender and blend for about a minute. Depending on your blender you will need to add some water to get the smoothie to your desired consistency (I like mine to be a bit more liquid-y so I add about 1/2 cup of water).

Approximate calories per smoothie: 175

*Note: I am a devoted almond milk user and this was my first purchase of coconut milk. I have since learned that Silk (my brand of choice!) sells an unsweetened version that I will be buying from now on. This will reduce the calorie count on the recipe by 35 calories, and cut 6g of sugar versus the original. Check out Silk's product options here.

Enjoy!

You can shop for Vitamix blenders here.