Shawn Phillips | Start Strong Monday

Now I know I’ve been the first one to tell you, you do not need to blend Full Strength with anything other than a little water and ice. That said, I do enjoying creating new custom blends and this is one of my favorites.

Add to Blender (I prefer the convenience and power of the BlendTec)
1 – Full Strength vanilla
6-8 Organic fresh raspberries
6-8 organic raw almonds*
1/3 banana (can go 1/2 but don’t need more)
1 tbs raw flax seed

Then add 15 oz of cold water** and 4 ice cubes. Blend on “Smoothie” or the “Full Strength” setting, if you’re using a BlendTec, until it’s a perfect berry smoothie. If you’re using a regular, one of those Target disposable blenders, as I refer to them, blend until it’s done. Not sure what that means on your machine.

The Strength-Shake will have some crunchy texture from the almonds and flax. This is really a nice addition in the morning. It also helps remind you to “chew” a little which slows the consumption and helps trigger lasting satiety.

* Almonds: I like to freeze my raw almonds to keep them fresher and they’re great for a shake too.

** For a twist, replace 4 oz of the 15-16 ozof water with orange Juice. This makes for a delicious variation on this already stunning treat.

Do try this at home! Give it a try and please let me know what you think.