Lately, I’ve been needing more calories than normal as the result of an especially busy schedule and the fact that stress seems to send my metabolism into overdrive (I’m so glad it’s spring break). It can be hard to eat enough if you fill up on high-fiber plant foods, as I tend to do. That’s why I’ve been looking for new and interesting ways to get more out of my meals and snacks.

A little while ago, as I was trying to decide between a green smoothie and a bowl of cereal with yogurt and banana, I figured it would be fun to see what happened if I combined the two. So I threw some ice, almond milk, plain yogurt, protein powder and vanilla extract in the blender with half a ripe banana and a handful of spinach. The smoothie came out great, and topped with some Trader Joe’s Os, it was actually even better. Who knew?

This photo doesn’t do it justice, but this snack totally hit the spot. Despite my sleep-deprived state (daylight savings already?), I have enough energy now to tackle the rest of my to-do list. I’m sure I’m not the first one who thought of this combo (it has “health-freak stoner food” written all over it), but I’m definitely glad I tried it out.

Update: The next morning for breakfast, I made a version of the smoothie using 1/6 of a block of tofu instead of  almond milk, protein powder and ice, and it was even better. I think tofu in smoothies is going to be one of my new favorite things.