Nutrisystem Update Week 14: Getting More Veggies with Green Smoothies! #NSNation

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green smoothie for weight loss

Happy to report that the hubby and I had another great week on our  Nutrisystem program! We love that our meals are already prepared and portion controlled but one thing we sometimes struggle with is how to get enough veggies every day. In one of my earlier updates I wrote about 4 yummy ways to eat your veggies, and we still use those, but I find that it’s good to change things up a bit and am trying to build more variety into our eating routine.

I’d been interested in making my own green smoothies for quite some time, and finally got myself organized to get started. Turns out it’s super easy and fits well with the Nutrisystem guidelines. The only thing to watch out for is the higher calorie and higher sugar ingredients that some recipes call for. My strategy is to include 2-3 servings of vegetables and 1 SmartCarb per smoothie. There’s lots of room for experimentation, and you can use ALL the veggies you want, but if you use multiple types of fruits in one smoothie, remember to still stick to the guidelines. For example 1 SmartCarb could be 1/2 an orange plus 1/2 an apple. Or 1/3 an orange plus 1/3 an apple and 1/3 cup of berries.

It’s fun to experiment and I’ll share the recipe for one of my favorites so far. I like making it as my afternoon snack but you could juggle things around a bit and have it earlier or later in the day depending on how you like to use your SmartCarbs and Extras.

I like using the NutriBullet Blender and here’s what’s in this green smoothie:

  • 2 heaping cups of raw baby spinach
  • 1/2 a banana + 1/2 cup of  frozen pineapple (totals 1 SmartCarb)
  • 2/3 cup of 100% unsweetened plain coconut water NOT coconut milk (equals 1 Extra)
  • Cold filtered water (amount varies depending how thick or thin you like it)

Remember to log everything to help you stay on track! It’s also a great way to keep a record of recipes since you can go back and look through your Nutrisystem meal planner online to see what ingredients and measurements you used in the past. Here’s what it looks like once it’s logged:

Nutrisystem afternoon weight loss smoothie

If you’re looking to add a PowerFuel to your smoothie, you can use 1 cup of Unsweetened Almond Milk or 1 Cup of nonfat yogurt for extra protein and flavor! Or you could add 2 tablespoons of unsalted almonds. I’m on the lookout for other creative smoothie recipes that fit within the plan guidelines, so please feel free to help me out and leave a comment with your suggestions!

After weighing in this morning, I’m happy to report that I lost 1.6 pounds this week for a total so far of 24.4 lbs lost! And Daisy’s papa lost 1.8 (total lost: 42.2). Here’s the running total in case you are interested. I’ve also included links to our previous weekly weight loss updates:

Weight Lost: Liz Garry
Week 1 -4.4 -10.8
Week 2 -1 -3
Week 3 -4.2 -6.8
Week 4 -1.2 -4.7
Week 5 -1.8 -2.1
Week 6 (Thanksgiving) -.6 +5
Week 7 -1.6 -6.6
Week 8 -2.6 -4.2
Week 9 -2.4 -2.4
Week 10 -.2 -4.7
Week 11 (Christmas) -1 +4.1
Week 12 (New Year’s) +.6 -.6
Week 13 -3.5 -2.4
Week 14 -1.6 -1.8
Total Weight Loss So Far: -24.4 -42.2
Starting Weight: 189 250
Current Weight: 164.6 207.8
Goal: 145 190

 

Got a question, tip or suggestion? We’d love to hear from you about your own weight loss experiences and goals, so leave a comment and let us know you stopped by! If you missed any of our previous Nutrisystem posts, just visit the links in the table above or click here to catch up!


Nutrisystem

Comments

  1. Congratulations on your progress! Glad you are having fun with it!

  2. I am a big wimp, I can’t stomach the thought of putting greens in a smoothie.

    • I thought so too until I tried it and with even just a little bit of sweet fruit like pineapple or berries, it’s amazing! The trick is to freeze the fruit so the smoothie is EXTRA cold!

  3. Sharon Gilbert says

    WOW you  guys are doing great!!!  Proud of both of you!!  Keep up the good weight loss!

  4. Woohoo!!! Great job on the losses.

  5. Savannah Miller says

    Congrats on your progress! It sounds like you are doing a great job with it!

  6. I love veggie smoothies, it is the only way I can handle Kale. Can not wait to try this one. You are doing amazing!

  7. Congrats on you and your hubby’s progress. I am hesitant to try green smoothies, but I like that yours include pineapple!

  8. WAY TO GO!! losing weight isn’t easy–but kudos to you and your hubby on your wt loss.  I like my shakes to be ICY cold! that’s the way they taste best in my opinion.  Thanks for sharing and keep us posted!

  9. Great idea with the veggie smoothies!

  10. Wow, you’re doing great!!! I’ve been seeing green smoothies all over lately and have been meaning to try them out for myself… thanks for the recipe 🙂

  11. Congrats on your weight loss, Liz and Garry–that is phenomenal!  I just made the most delicious green smoothie today, very similar to this one!  I used spinach/baby kale (1 cup or so), a handful of fresh pineapple, 1/2 banana, coconut/almond milk (unsweetened), lime, protein powder, and a spoonful of coconut oil for smoothness/healthy fats.  It was freakin’ delicious!!!  I have found that lime or lemon is crucial in these smoothies to cut the sweetness from the protein powder.  Sooooo good!  I’ve found that I really do feel a lot better and more energetic since I’ve started drinking these.

  12. patricia winbush says

    I like kale, strawberry and mango.  how would I measure that out in a smoothie?

    • Hi Patricia! You can use as much kale as you like…so full of nutrients! As for the Strawberry and Mango, I’m not sure about the current points/calculations for Nutrisystem but just measure your portions to avoid too much sugar and carbs so your total fruit equals one serving. Also, you can slice and measure your fruit ahead of time and freeze it in individual smoothie portions so you’re always ready when you want one!

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