Green Tea Smoothie

Do you want all of the antioxidant goodness from green tea but don't want to put on the tea kettle in the middle of summer?  I can't blame you.  I have the answer.  Well, I have two answers.  One: you can brew some green tea in a large pitcher and put it in the fridge to drink chilled later.  Two:  you can make a Green Tea Smoothie STAT.

Why green tea?   It tastes delish for those who have acquired the taste for it.  Plus it appears to be full of health benefits.  From WebMD:  "More than a decade's worth of research about green tea's health benefits -- particularly its potential to fight cancer and heart disease -- has been more than intriguing, as have limited studies about green tea's role in lowering cholesterol, burning fat, preventing diabetes and stroke, and staving off dementia."

I'm all about staving off dementia.

Being 'Smoothie Girl', I have a bizarre fascination with foods in powdered form.  (Think: peanut flour, whey protein, egg whites, cocoa.)  So you can imagine the squeals of delight coming from the tea aisle at Mitsuwa Japanese Marketplace when I stumbled upon powdered green tea.  If my Japanese wasn't so rusty, I'd probably have understood from the package that I should add warm water to this powdered tea and voila! Instant green tea.  Yet, somehow I feel that nearly the same amount of work would go into actually making tea with tea leaves or a bag.  Plus it's 106 degrees outside and I felt like something cool instead.  If I'm not mistaken, Starbucks sells a Green Tea Frappuccino upon which you can waste 320 calories (48g of sugar??!!)...  I knew that I could do better than that.

That's powdered green Tea in the foreground

I felt the need to use a wooden spoon to remove the powder...just like in the picture

I sprinkled a little more tea on top, just for garnish

What better topping than roasted Soy nuts & almond butter?

Roasted soy nuts are my new favorite crunchy snack.  I know that Susan shares my enthusiasm for these little pods of joy.  They have more protein and fewer calories than other nuts.  I tried them a few years ago and could not fall in love with the flavor.  Then a couple of months ago, I spotted them in a middle-eastern market and decided to give them another try. I've been absolutely hooked ever since.

I found these at the health food store

Soy nuts: Lower cals, Higher protein than most nuts

I will admit, it took a few years for the taste to grow on me.

 Green Tea Smoothie Ingredients:

• 1.5-2+ cups water OR brewed and cooler green tea
• 1 scoop protein powder of your choice
• 1-2 Tablespoons of powdered green tea, plus more for garnish
• Sprinkle of sweetener of choice
• Sprinkle of xanthan and guar gums
• Ice (I use a lot- at least 1.5 cups) 

• Q:  Have you tried soy nuts yet?  What other powdered goods am I missing for my smoothies?