One thing I love about my husband is that I can tell him anything without judgement. Except for one thing. One thing totally grossed him out.
The other night, I confided in him that as a child, I used to eat Pepto-Bismol chewable tablets like candy. I would often sneak my parent's Tums too. They tasted like my chewable Flintstones vitamins. The worst part is that sometimes I would lie to my parents, telling them my tummy hurt, just so I could get some Pepto-Bismol candy and a can of 7-Up (in our house, this was medication). Let's just say, Chris was less than delightfully amused.
Recently, my stomach has been in a funk. She seems to be irrationally irritable, moody, and it has shown lack of interest in activities that it used to enjoy. I just never know what will upset her and some days, she just brings my whole body down. Chris says that it might be because she spent her childhood being filled with Pepto-Bismol tablets, Tums, and 7-Up. I think she's just going through a phase.
One thing that I've found that will generally always perk my stomach (and me) up is a smoothie. On a day when my stomach was throwing a pity party, bringing my whole body down with her, I turned to my favorite childhood candy medicine for inspiration. I wanted something light and refreshing, but something I felt my stomach would be up for. And it had to be that perfect shade of pink. This smoothie, using a Sol Bliss papaya puree packet (I love their convenient little smoothie packets for fruits that might otherwise be a pain to put in a smoothie), some strawberries, and a bit of vegan yogurt (thank you, probiotics!), fit the bill. I was in love with the lightness of this smoothie, as well as the color, and my stomach had no complaints. In fact, she seemed a bit cheerier the rest of the day. Chris was just happy I wasn't scarfing down Pepto-Bismol tablets.
DISCLAIMER: This smoothie does not contain any Pepto-Bismol, nor does it have any of the same chalky goodness flavor.
PRETTY PINK PAPAYA SMOOTHIE
Ingredients:
- 1 packet of Sol Bliss papaya puree
- 1 cup of strawberries (I used frozen, but fresh would be fine as well)
- 1/2 cup vegan unsweetened plain yogurt
- 1 T flax meal
- 1 T Cashew Maca-Maca Butter (or nut butter of your choice)
- almond milk (or vegan milk of choice)
- 2-3 ice cubes (optional)
Instructions:
- Combine the first 5 ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth. Add almond milk as neccessary to thin the smoothie out (I used about 1/8 cup, but you might want a thicker/thinner smoothie). Add ice cubes and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass and serve immediately. Enjoy!
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All Photos taken by Chris Miller
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Cadry
Thank you for letting me know that I shouldn't expect the chalky goodness of Pepto Bismal in this smoothie. That will help in managing my expectations. You know, if it has to taste like sweet papaya and strawberries instead, oh, well, I suppose I'll force it down. 😉
I'm sorry that your tummy has been in a funk. I hope you're able to figure out the culprit soon!
keepinitkind
I felt that I would be doing a disservice to all if I didn't warn them that the taste would be remarkably different from Pepto Bismal. Despite the fact, it does go down quite painlessly. 😉
Thank you, Cadry. I'm seeing a gastroenterologist and it seems as though my body is not producing the correct bacteria or drawing in enough water (though I drink plenty) to properly digest things. I'm trying a probiotic treatment for a couple weeks to see if that works. I'm sure we'll get her back to her old self soon. 🙂
jess
hahaha, i had an abnormal obsession with tums too - except instead of being a child, i was in 1st year university! i'm sure it was brought on by the steady diet of beer & pizza though. after not having them for years, they've found their way back into my purse {just to clarify, the tums, not the pizza & beer} just to keep any pregnancy heartburn at bay 😉
lovely pink smoothie!
keepinitkind
Thanks, Jess! I'm glad it was the tums, and not the pizza & beer, that found it's way back into your purse! I would have to say, though, I always had tums nearby when I was in college too. 🙂
Caitlin
omg..i loved tums, too! and rolaids! my dad would take them when he had heartburn and i would always BEG him for one. i don't think he ever let me have one, though. so in reality, i can't say i ever tried them, but always had a burning desire to eat them like candy.
i can't get over how creamy and delicious this smoothie looks! it definitely looks like it would cure any tummy ache!
keepinitkind
Thank you! It's so funny you say that- I always had a fascination with my dad's rolaids as well! I think it was because they looked like the roll of life savers my mom would always keep in her purse. I don't think I ever had a chance to try his rolaids either. 🙂
Gabby @ the veggie nook
Oh man I have to agree with Chris on this one- Pepto Bismol is the worst! I used to gag trying to get it down and was so happy when I found the tablets- no need to taste the grossness! You my dear have very interesting tastes! Although I really liked Dimmetap so maybe I'm a little weird too...
BUT this smoothie sounds amazing and what a gorgeous colour! I think that's the one redeeming quality of Pepto Bismol- the colour. This smoothie on the other hand looks and sounds so good, there's nothing bad to say about it. Lovely recipe :o)
keepinitkind
Thank you, Gabby! I only just kinda liked the liquid Pepto Bismal, but I loved those little tablets. Thank goodness my tastes have changed! 🙂
Richa`
i like pink.. come on. i love this pink smoothie! though we dint have any pepto bismol growing up, we did have some tums type plain white things which interested me.. i have no clue why we kids like the chalky calcium-y taste.
hope your tummy is being fooled into believing that this is the new and improved pepto bismol. have a good tummy weekend!
keepinitkind
Ha! Thank you, Richa! Why is it that kids have tastes for such weird things? I hope you have a good weekend too! 🙂
Hannah
Ah, you're not alone... I ate Tums like they were candy until I was about 20 years old! No lie, I still love the mint ones. If a had a delicious smoothie alternative like this around when I was growing up, I'm sure I would have been able to ween myself off those tablets much earlier.
keepinitkind
Thank you, Hannah! I'm so glad to hear that I'm not the only person who had a taste for chalky calcium-tasting medicines. 🙂
Jackie @ Vegan Yack Attack!
This smoothie looks so thick and delicious, almost like a strawberry milkshake! I've never had papaya in a smoothie before, sounds like something that I need to try out!
keepinitkind
Thanks, Jackie! Papaya adds a really flavorful, yet refreshing, quality to a smoothie. I can't get enough lately! 🙂
Visitor
Where can I buy sol bliss packets? I haven't seen them in any local stores.
keepinitkind
I got mine at Whole Foods. I hope you're able to find some! 🙂
whiness
It looks like a delicious dessert. 🙂 And I'm sure it tastes like that.
keepinitkind
Thank you! It is and it does! 🙂
Caralyn @ glutenfreehappytummy
you're right! that is pretty and pink! it looks so refreshing! i love papaya!
Heather
when I am in a funk smoothies are always on my list of comfort foods and are so energizing - haha sprite was our "when I was little and sick this would make you feel better" and I LOVED the flintstones chewables too 🙂
CJ at Food Stories
This smoothie is gorgeous and I love that papaya product ... gots to check it out 🙂
Melissa
Looks beautiful! Even if it slightly resembles Pepto! I've been loving smoothies lately too!
keepinitkind
Haha! Thank you, Melissa!
Bex @ Vegan Sparkles
haha, well I'm glad you have better taste these days, although I must admit I was pretty keen on 7 Up myself back in the day... This smoothie looks like the perfect 'cheer up' drink for your belly. 🙂
Angelia
WOW these look so thick and refreshing on hot summery days. Living in Quebec Canada I have never seen packaged fruit purees before (maybe I'm just not looking in the right areas...?). I don't often like to use nut butter (commercial peanut butter being the only nut butter I have ever owned and put in a smoothie) in smoothies because I find that even the smallest amount overwhelms the rest of the drink... but I have to admit that this drink looks so perfect for these balmy august days 🙂
keepinitkind
Thank you! It is the perfect hot weather drink. I'm totally with you on the store-bought nut butter. That's why I use a cashew butter that I make myself. I usually find the fruit puree packets in the freezer section of my local health food store. Hopefully, you can find some! 🙂
Courtney Jones
I still eat like 8 Tums a day. *hah*
I've been having a really upset stomach lately too. I think a smoothie would be more gentle on my stomach and help me get all the nutrients I need. Thanks for posting this! I cannot wait to make it! 🙂
keepinitkind
I'm sorry your tummy is hurting lately too- It is no fun. Papaya is really great for your digestive health, so I think that is why it settles my stomach a bit. I hope you like it and I hope you feel better soon! 🙂
Tara A Tempting Vegan
Haha!! I used to eat those Flintstone's vitamins like they were going out of style!! This looks yummy!
keepinitkind
Oh, those Flintstones vitamins, sigh. I loved those things! Thanks Tara!
Katie (Lemon Jitters)
This looks amazing!
keepinitkind
Thank you, Katie!
Andrea
I will have to side with your husband on this one. Though in my childhood home we had the same meds, along with milk of magnesia, and ginger ale instead of 7-up. My preference was milk of magnesia, but I only chewed it under duress.
Your smoothie looks so rich and creamy, and the color is so delicately beautiful. For some reason, papaya isn't a fruit I usually eat, so I can't even conjure up the flavor, but now I'm intrigued. I'm not familiar with Sol Bliss, either. I usually just have bags of frozen fruit in the freezer. I may have to add a bag of papaya.
keepinitkind
Thank you, Andrea! Definitely give papaya a try- I absolutely love the light, aromatic, and slightly sweet flavor it adds to smoothies. 🙂
taylor
Made a slight variation to this smoothie using fresh papaya and it was delicious! Although I have to say the papaya by itself smells and tastes very weird!
keepinitkind
Thank you, Taylor- I'm glad you liked it. Fresh papaya can take some getting used to. 😉
Crystal
I was laughing when I read your disclaimer...too cute!! I have never heard of Sol Bliss. I found that a store near me carries them. Going to go and try them. Can't wait!! Thanks for information!!