Staying Sane: Raspberry Smoothie

There are few things that keep me sane during detox. The foods permitted on this one are ultra restricted and so utterly boring that it is hard to believe it's ME sticking to it. Well, mostly.

It's all raw/steamed vegies and a limited amount of fruit. Lean protein three times a day. Eggs, eggs and more eggs, especially the omega enriched kind. But no oil apart from flaxseed, no sugar whatsoever and no carbs apart from those found naturally in fruit and vegetables. I am enjoying the pure taste of simple foods again (for me that is, I cooked duck and ginger lemongrass noodles for the rest of the family last night!) but there isn't much zing in my diet at present.

Except for this: raspberry smoothie. I was introduced to the protein smoothie by this very detox a couple of years ago, and after I reduced the cranberry juice (unsweetened) to about a tenth and upped the frozen berries, it went from a watery shake to a creamy pink smoothie.

It's hard to give precise measurements here because I find that each time it changes and I add the berries bit by bit until it's the consistency I'm after. But basically, it's a splash of unsweetened cranberry juice and a tablespoon of flaxseed oil into the blender. I then start the blender and add about a cup of frozen raspberries. Once these have been mushed, I add 2 to 3 tablespoons of vanilla protein powder (or unflavoured when available). This goes in last as I find if it's added too soon, it fluffs up and the mixture becomes more like meringue and less like a smoothie. Once blended, I stop the motor and have a look at the consistency. It might need a little more cranberry or a few more berries yet.

When I'm feeling very indulgent, I add another half cup of berries and reduce the cranberries so that I can close my eyes and pretend that I'm eating raspberry ice cream! And actually, it's not half bad. And you'd never believe it was good for you!!