Breakfast: One of the cool things about being a blogger for so long is that you get offered opportunities to try out new gadgets or products from time to time. Last week this box of awesome arrived at my house and finally yesterday I started experimenting with it...
It's the new Nutri Ninja Blender System with Auto-iQ Technology it includes a 62-ounce food processor bowl, 72-ounce pitcher, and 18-ounce, 24-ounce and 32-ounce Nutri Ninja Cups. It's crazy cool. The new technology literally knows what container you are using and will show you what the best settings are. It stops and starts again so no scraping down or jiggling your food around with a tamper thingee. It's 1500 watts so it makes short work of things a traditional blender would never be able to handle. I'm going to have fun playing around with this.
For breakfast I used the 24 oz. container to make one of the smoothest protein smoothies I have ever made. Delicious, sort of Horchata-ish if you are familiar with that Mexican drink.
Shelly's Cinnamon Almond Protein Packed Shake
8 oz. Almond Milk
1/4 cup Lowfat Cottage Cheese
1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (I used this)
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Torani Syrup (or Honey)
1 Tablespoon Almond Butter
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
a few cubes of Ice
Blend. If you aren't a lover of cottage cheese still give this a try you do not taste it it just gives the shake a great thickness and extra protein boost. Top with a dash of cinnamon.
More Eggface Favorite Protein Shakes and Smoothies
I am thrilled with the different sizes of Ninja cups. They even come with travel lids to you can take your smoothie with you. Though I probably won't do that waaaaay cheaper to replace those blender bottles than that cool Ninja cup and I have accidentally left them on park benches before.
If you are a weight loss surgery pre or post op looking for a blender for your new healthy life I'd add this to your list for Santa for sure and if you are a family member looking to support a loved ones efforts at getting healthier buying them one of these would be a super way to do that.
More Gift Ideas for the Weight Loss Surgery Post Op
I also made a batch of my Homemade Protein Bars to send over to my neighbors but I might have snaked one hot from the oven. Mmmmm. They brought me over some extra veggies from their garden so I dropped off some bars as a thank you.
Lunch: I wanted to try the traditional blender container the Nutri Ninja came with. I had all the ingredients in my pantry to make a quick Black Bean Soup. You can use any bean really and the Ninja did a great job. Look at how beautiful and smooth the soup turned out.
Shelly's Quick and Easy Black Bean Soup
2 cans Black Beans, rinsed and drained
a big clump of Cilantro (not a fan of Cilantro, use Spinach and get some greens in)2 Green Onions
1 cup Mild Salsa or Picante Sauce
1 cup Chicken (or Vegetable) Broth
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Garlic, chopped
a few dashes of Hot Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste
Blend. Pour into a medium pot and heat till warmed through. Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for a few days. This is a great one to make on a Sunday for lunch midweek. You can whatever you like to change it up too (cooked chicken, cubed ham, cooked crab, leftover veggies.) I topped it with crumbled Cotija Cheese and a dollop of Greek Yogurt.
Dinner: I kept the unintentional Mexican theme going with dinner. Chopped up an avocado, a few tomatoes, added some cilantro and fresh mozzarella to make a sort of Mexican Caprese Salad and I made some Melted Turkey & Cheese Cold Cut Roll Ups to go with.
Shelly's Mexican Caprese Salad
1 Avocado, diced
4 small Tomatoes, chopped
a few Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro Leaves
1/4 cup of fresh Mozzarella, cubed
dash of Oregano
a few twists of Black Pepper
Salt to taste
I didn't add any dressing. It really makes it's own with the avocado and tomato juices why add extra calories or take from the taste of the veggies.
More Eggface Healthy Mexican Recipes
Snacks: A Faux Fried Egg. A Dollop of Ricotta Cheese sweetened with a little Sugar Free Torani Syrup, a half of a Peach, dash of Cinnamon. I love this and think it might win for cutest snack ever ;)
More Days in my Pouch
Check out Ninja Kitchen on Facebook (tell them you saw the new Auto-iQ system on The World According to Eggface) Disclosure: this post contains a product that was provided free to me but as always any reviews or information shared with my readers contains my honest and unaffected opinion.
It is a pretty snazzy machine.