Not long ago, Hamilton Beach introduced me to their newest blender that is 55% quieter thanks to its sound shield for noise reduction. I thought that was genius since blenders are pretty darn loud. I can’t say it’s silent (no blender is), but it does make a big difference. The blender itself is very powerful too, with 950 watts of peak power. I am able to crush ice with it and blend spinach to a liquid. What I love about it too, is that it is really easy to clean. I usually just rinse it out quickly in the sink but the blender and top can be placed in the dishwasher (yay!).
Lately, the boys’ go-to after-school snack has been a smoothie, with a side of nuts or crackers with hummus. My boys are the cutest; they say our smoothies are better than store bought (and much cheaper, thank you very much!).
Between Costco and Loblaws, I make sure to stock a few different bags of frozen fruits, so the boys can mix things up and vary their smoothie creations. Generally, though, they have been loving this recipe:
- 1 cup of frozen mango
- ½ cup of frozen blueberries
- ½ cup of frozen peaches
- 1 banana
- 2 cups of milk
The Hamilton Beach Sound Shield is large and with a little bit of water, this smoothie makes enough for all three of my boys, plus some extra for Papa MOE.
The Hamilton Beach Sound Shield Blender lives on our counter now – easy access for every day.
This after-school snack gives the boys a nice healthy start to the afternoon. It also gives a chance to just sit and chat about their school day. I also find that a good snack gives them more energy to continue their day and focus on their homework.
I’ve been on a different health kick right now, and I’ve been staying away from most fruits simply to avoid a lot of sugars. Some refer to it as the no-carb diet or the Keto diet. I would say I’m in the middle with those two. I haven’t had bread, rice, pasta or potatoes for a couple of months now, and I’ve stayed with berries and the odd banana as my fruit intake. I am no pro, but I am trying it out to see if less sugars will help me in the afternoons. I tend to get extremely tired around 3pm, so this is helping.
My recipe looks like this:
- ½ an avocado
- ½ a banana
- 1 cups of blueberries
- 1 teaspoon of chia seeds
- 1 cup of fresh baby spinach leaves
- 1 tablespoon of cocoa (when it’s not Lent!)
- 1 teaspoon of coconut oil
- A dash of cinnamon
My smoothie tastes good with the banana, but without it, it’s bla. Do you have any go-to smoothies that you love? I would be so happy to try new ones out with my family.
Disclosure: I was compensated by Hamilton Beach Canada to facilitate this post. All opinions are honest and my own.