Smoothies

Smoothies are a great way to add nutritionally dense calories into a Vegan diet. Usually my breakfast and luch consist of a fruit smoothie and often dinner will begin with a green smoothie. I f- as an athlete - my goal is to consume 300+ calories a day - than smooties provide a quick, easy and calorically high means. This could be anywhere from 6-15 ripe bananas, several dates and fruit for flavoring (strawberries,mangoes,blue berries,ect...) Consume this slowly, as if it were a regular meal (chewing even aids in digestion)and enjoy. It takes so little to prepare and is such a quick after clean up that there is no need to rush - truly fast food. Add your greens in and it's a simple way to get in your daly requirment (1lb daily) and the fruit cuts the bitterness making it go down very easily. Adding ice is a great option but I prefer frozen fruit - which holds it nutritional value while adding a creamy texture.
I'm using a Ninja (cause I like the name) Pro 1000 and it's on the less expensive end of smoothie makes at $100 - the top end - Vitamix easily tops $350 but is well worth the investment.

So experiment, have fun and enjoy the great health benifits of a diet high in fruit and greens. More on that topic later!