Oh you guys are awesome :-) Feels so good to come back home from training and see your messages... And thanks for picking the recipe up, Sue! Couple of questions tho: is the zone protein powder tasteless or with a taste? And since you can't get any frozen cherries in Finland is it okay to use fresh ones? Also, I can't drink or eat soya products so it's prolly okay to use normal milk instead? It is raw cocoa powder that I use for my raw chocolate as well. Didn't know btw that they make products as raw chocolate, in Finland there are none. The only possibility at the moment is to make it yourself and that's all I'm ever aiming for... So good, good :-)

But as soon you'll clarify these if you please may I will try :-P SOunds (even the name!) awwwwfully yummy! Sure my bf's gonna like it as well. Judging by the name ;-) Sounds like the ben and jerry's of the zone diet :-D

Jana, oh yeah, you can easily get away with the energy of the soup but the amount - phew! Gotta respect ya girl! :-D But very, very nice to hear it kept you in the zone. By the way, if I make warm puree soups (not this one, this is always cold but like normal tomato soup or veggie soup) I love to add cottage cheese into it. It melts and is delicious and makes it perfectly balanced :-)

I also quite rarely use banana in the smoothie but maybe once a week or so. A piece of it that is. Usually the strawberries or raspberries will do the sweetening trick necessary. And it's possibly to vary it just like you've done, just let me know if you come up with something superb, I'm all ears. I made mine today without celeriac and with frozen spinach since they were sold out from the store. Noooooo problem what so ever. Still works.

Regarding the early morning snack: I did again a run in the morning at the cottage and had some yoghurt and tahini before. BUT I think I made a crucial mistake by drinking a whole glass of water too, there was too much stuff in my stomach... Still managed the 6K but not as comfortably :-D That was a pure accident, have to pay attention to that. Otherwise I'm all pro the idea and been already advertising it to some of my friends who work out and who I coach.

I myself have been raised by the seaside where I live currently as well so the lake's always a bit... err, non-salty and tamed for me ;-), but I love the cottage! Peaceful, pure nature, cold dips in the lake, yoga by the pier... Reading books, cooking, even baking (had to feed the other people... and myself :-D now I'm paying for eating flour and sugar with some stomach pain). Going back there soon so now enjoying the urban life. But it's so cold! Now summery at all if you don't count the endless light, the sun does barely go down at night.

Anyway, long story, but so glad to hear from you again :-) And looking forward to tasting the brownie batter smoothie!

Hi Meri!

Great description - Ben and Jerry's in the Zone! The soymilk is only to give it a bit iof liquid to blend better. You can substitute milk or water. I haven't made it with fresh cherries, so you can let me know how it works (you might not need it you use fresh unfrozen fruit; the fruit will be more watery then when it's frozen). The frozen cherries and banana contribute to the thick texture of the smoothie, so maybe you could freeze the fresh cherries first. Experiment! Have fun!

Oh Sue! Its no secret to anyone on these forums that I LOVE your smoothie recipe!! LOL! So much so that I feel obligated to share it with anyone that admits to a similar chocolate addiction that I have. I'm really wanting to try the fudge recipe too but I'm having a terrible time finding the fructose...I assume it was supposed to be liquid form for that recipe or do you think granules would work as I found those?

Meri...we enjoy reading your posts too! Your cottage life sounds wonderful! I'm so glad the morning snack is working for you....yes I stopped having a drink before exercise too...I used to have a cup of coffee before starting but now just have the yogurt, macadamia butter and a sip or two from my water bottle...I finish the whole water bottle by the time I'm done exercising but I figure I'm just replacing sweat so it doesn't seem to upset my stomach if I keep each drink fairly small. If I guzzled I'm sure I'd have cramping and have to stop running.

The cottage cheese in warm soup is a great idea! I'm going to try that next time my soup is low in protein. Usually I just have a piece of cheese or meat separately to make up for any missing protein, but I really like the idea of the cc.

Now about Sue's brownie smoothie....I have used chocolate cow's milk instead of the soy milk and it tasted equally as good. The protein powder I use is chocolate flavoured, but you could probably use tasteless as well, it just would be a little less chocolatey. That was a great suggestion by Sue to freeze fresh cherries...especially if you really like the smoothie then you can have them on hand year round if you freeze lots while they are in season at the grocery store. Good luck with the recipe and enjoy! :-)

I love it too Jana. :-))))))))))

I use Dr. Sears Zone protein powder, which has little to no flavor, and it's still extremely chocolatey because of all the cacao powder in it.

When I've made that fudge I use granulated fructose.

Okay, I shall try! There's actually only one protein powder I can use since I can't have the lactose and that i bland, or just vaguely sweet. I'll adjust the chocolate taste with the powder then little by little. :-)

Also thinking could use frozen banana, you've prolly tried the "raw food ice cream" i.e. frozen banana blended? Aaah! But maybe a piece of that and some frozen fruit. Not sure will I try with the cherries or something else but I'll see in the store what's available. Cherries and chocolate would be a classical combination tho. :-P

Still encouraging you to try the crorodile mousse! And watch the video! It's hilarious!... In an awkward way ;-) :-D Soon off to work but in the evening I SHALL MAKE SOME SMOOTHIE!

Meri.... I saw something about your country on the news today...
about a naked run... or something like that.... and the I remember you are from Sunny Findland... ...
just that... I am preparing to do the spinach and celery... green mounster thing... soon, but I didn't got spinach this week.. hope for next one..
best regards..

Bernie, sounds very Finnish! :-D We have a thing with the sauna and being naked ;-) Hope you'll grow fond of the green smoothie <3 Where do you live by the way?

I live in Mexico, up north... actually I am a 100 mts form the US border right now... (work on a factory)... sometime I can not get same products you can in another countries... but I change for whatever is available and less expensive here.. jajaj...
I've learned from your country that you have 44 free days (vacations) in a year?? Wooahh.. that is so nice. We have 6 vacations days a year. Well... need to take advantage of themmm actually they will came soon (end of this month)....
Thank you.... !! and enjoy Sunny days... When is the longest day ?? 21 June? how long it is??

Cherries and chocolate, exacty! And that's also why I chose the almond flavoring to go with it. Yes, have tried making sorbet/"ice cream" of frozen banana, but it's too much C for me. The small chunk of it in that smoothie is about my limit on banana tolerance. I came up with a chocolate raspberry sorbet though. It's in my recipe thread, same thread as that smoothie.

Meri, what a great idea, to use frozen spinach instead of fresh!

Gotta tell you, I live in Wisconsin, and I can totally relate to the cottage on the lake. We don't have one, but I enjoy going to the lake anytime. We do a lot of camping, so we will head off to a camp on a lake and set up for a nice peaceful weekend. My hubby isn't the "nature lover" that I am, so I do settle for a pop up camper instead of sleeping in the tent.

I just got back from a weekend on the lake. Took a lifeguard training course, and passed it--now I am a certified lifeguard! I just wanted to have the certification so that I could take our girl scouts camping and they could also enjoy the lake.

The water was soooooooooooo cold! It has not been a warm summer yet, and the water up north is cold. The instructor said that the water was in the 40's but I have a hard time believing that. I think it was in the 50's. Sounds better, but that is still very cold water to swim in!

Bernie, oh Mexico! Very exotic from the Nordic country view :-) Our selections in the store probably vary quite a bit if you compare Finland to Mexico! I love to travel and often do and one of my favourite things is to go to a local supermarket to explore all things different... Especially organic and nature food stores interest me, but the normal ones as well. I always bring something home back with me. :-) Like goji berries I first bought from Great Britain years ago and now they're here! My bf is actually importing them among other organic raw foods, quite an advantage ;-)

Sue, and I just noticed when I took closer look at the batter recipe that the banana used IS frozen. I've also made some mixtures on my own keeping the amount of carbs quite low. I think the avocado chocolate mousse would still do for you? COuldn't find any cherries at the store today, neither fresh nor frozen nor canned. So I'll get some fresh ones from the market tomorrow maybe, have to postpone the trial a little. :-) And I myself have to avoid the protein powder a bit not to upset my stomach even if it is low or non lactose, my stomach doesn't take anything processed very well and also I love to eat food as "real", if you know what I mean ;-D No mean to badmouth protein powder tho, I'd probably eat more if I could. It's quite convenient even if it's not "real".

Jana and CC, the frozen one worked amazingly well! Now I found some fresh one too. And I also used fennel instead of celeriac today, that's brilliant as well. New combos, exiting... :-P At the moment I'm packed with a huge amount of calamari salad, I seriously over ate, doesn't happen often but then, I'm too good of a cook ;-) hehehehe. Loving the salads. Luckily it wasn't anything not preferred and actually that's the result of postponing eating too long... Always happens. SHould've known by now, I'm 30 already. :-)

Camping! I was a sail scout when I was younger! And I'm a real urban city girl but in the same time I love the nature, and I've began to appreciate it even more growing up. My work demands 110% almost all the time and is basically being with people all the time so don't have the energy to meet people all the time when off work. Btw, is it okay to ask what do you do for living? I'm an occupational therapist myself.

And CC, congrats on the lifeguard thingie! Those skills are valuable whenever, where ever. Like knowing cpr.

Phewh, so so full. Still aiming towards the kitchen to make some raw chocolate. Just because we're all out :-D

I am not sure what a sail scout is, but I am sure it must have something to do with water! LOL! Hey, I am a city girl, too, but brought up to appreciate the country and the outdoors. So, married with children, we now live just outside of a rural town.

Yes, you never know when something bad may happen on the water, so I am glad that I have this skill. Hopefully I will never have to use it, though!

I am a nurse, I work in case management in a small hospital. I know what you mean by being with people all the time!

Sue...thanks for confirming about the fructose...I'll pick up the granules next time I'm at the grocery store. Funny, my DS told me to buy it when I found it but I kept thinking I needed to find a liquid fructose...perhaps it doesn't even exist and that's why I haven't been able to find it! LOL!

CC...I was thinking about you this morning...I made my 'usual' green smoothie this morning (spinach, celery and frozen strawberries...I've been going without the banana the last while) but it tasted more bitter than usual...I was confused until I realized I had purchased regular spinach instead of the baby spinach that I usually buy...maybe this would make a difference for you if you tried baby spinach?

Bernie!! You're going to join the 'green smoothie bandwagon'? that's great!!! Let us know how you like them when you try. I was so hesitant to try, and was so pleasantly surprised...now i actually miss them if I don't have it for breakfast. funny how things can change!

Meri...when I made the Green Angel I used 6 tbsp of avocado (6 blocks of fat, no fat in the cottage cheese I had for protein so I doubled the usual 3 Tbsp) and then I just put one block of banana in (1/3 of a banana) and it tasted great...it was basically equal amounts. I think either cc or yogurt would taste good in that one, think I might try that next time. I have an avocado in the fridge now so I'm planning to try the crocodile mousse tomorrow morning! do you have a specific recipe for the raw chocolate Meri? I know you listed the ingredients in an earlier post but do you have measurements?

I am the opposite of you and CC with work....I have an office in my home and I am an accountant for a manufacturing business...so most of my communication with people is by email, etc. I can go days without seeing or talking to anyone but my family! But it works well for us as my DH has a long commute so his days are long and I like being here to see the kids off to school in the morning and I'm here when they get home, and it's never an issue when they are home sick from school like it would be if I worked outside the home. I used to have a very fast paced career outside of the home but I felt I was missing out on family time (I worked 60+ hrs /week plus brought a briefcase home to work every night and weekend) so I left that behind several years ago and don't regret it....children and family are much more important than career success..to me at least :-)

Keeping Zoning 'Green' everyone!

Hi Meri!

Yes, the mousse looks good, but I haven't tried it because I can't handle sweeteners very well.

You're welcome Jana!

Jana, I think I had used baby spinach in my smoothie... I really think it was the celery. Hmm, maybe the celery was still a bit green? Normally, I really like celery, it usually blends in well to other things. Anyway, I think I will give the frozen spinach a "whirl" next time.

I had the Mousse Crocodile this morning! OMG it was sooo rich and yummy...not my typical breakfast food. LOL!! You're right Meri, you cannot even taste the avocado, it just tastes so chocolatey. I sweetened mine with 1/2 Tbsp natural honey so it was 1C block.

I'd bet I could whip a big batch of this up for dessert for the family and my kids wouldn't even know they were eating something healthy...it was truly wonderful and I'm going to add it to my desert recipes...I'm sure it will get a lot of use in this house. Thanks for sharing the recipe Meri!!

CC - yes celery can be hit and miss sometimes....maybe I'll try organic next time as Sue K suggests

Jana, well here's something to give an idea, but I only have the measurements in metric system so I hope you can convert them via Google (like "0,5 decilitres into cups").

Raw chocolate

-0,6 dl virgin coconut oil
-1 dl raw cocoa powder
-0,5 dl cocoa nibs (crushed cocoa beans, possible to crush them in a blender)
-0,5 dl goji berries (optional)
-some sweetener (organic honey, agave nectar, artificial sweetener)
-generous amount of cinnamon
-optional: add either chiliflakes or gourmet/finger salt or instant coffee or almond (or whatever like vanilla) flavour

Melt the coconut oil putting the cup in warm water (don't let water in the cup, just dip it) so it becomes liquid and clear, doesn't require more than warm water from the tap. Also possible and quicker even to melt it i n the microwave. Add cocoa powder, nibs, cinnamon and sweeten it a bit.

If you want to, add gojis (superb!) and season with cinnamon. A delicious option is, tho it sounds weird, to spice it with a little finger salt. Gives it an interesting twist, sweet and salty :-P OR I just made chocolate yesterday and added incan berries. Nice sourness in the sweetness. Just adjust everything according to your own preference.

Pour the mass into a silicon ice cube mold and put it in the fridge. Doesn't take too long to stiffen, then taste! Uuuuuu so goooooood :-D

Jana, I KNEW you'd love it!! Everybody does and nobody tastes the avocado! A perfect dessert :-D

Yes Meri...I LOVED it! and now I can't wait to try the raw chocolate recipe. Keep sharing those recipes they are great!!

OK, now will have to scroll down and find that crocodile mousse recipe again!

It's very yummy! AND it only uses fat for the avocado and one block of C for your sweetener. Since Fat is usually just an add-to in most of my meals this is fantastic for a desert! Of course to use lots of avocado you need to have a LF or NF protein....

Just had to come to say take care! I'm off to the cabin by the lake for couple of days :-)

And just today morning the approx. 5 teaspoons of natural yoghurt and a little less then 1 teaspoon of cashew butter made my run fly! SO thank you for changing my habits.

Meri, have a wonderful time, will catch up with you later!

Mukkellis = Meri !!

Have a veri nice trip..enjoy.
I had your green drink.. spinahc celery berry... grrrreat !! my tummy say --- Thank you Meri !!
looks weird, but taste nice.. feels better...
Jana posted your receipes and now more persons are trying your drinks...
thank you....... looking forwar to hear from you.