It is said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day (unless you are intermittent fasting of course!)… I have come to wholeheartedly agree with that. Based on my own experiences, starting your day with foods that fuel your body set your day to be filled with energy, positive thoughts and a high metabolism. BUT it’s hard for many of us to power through that first meal of the day, especially since we are supposed to eat within the first hour of waking up to boost our metabolism. My solution? Smoothies! I start each day with a HARDY smoothie filled with everything to set my day on the right path. Whether it’s a work-from-home day, a weekend morning or before a 7am CrossFit workout, my breakfast smoothie leaves me feeling full, not bloated and fueled for whatever comes my way.
Getting Started
First, you need the right equipment. Any blender will do. I personally cannot live without my NutriBullet. You can use it for smoothies, hummus, soup, you name it! It’s convenient, lightweight, quick and easy to use. You can use the cups to drink right out of, or screw on the top to bring to work. The cups fit perfectly in a car cup holder, too.
What Should Go In Your Smoothie
With a twist of strategy, let your tastes guide you. You want an even balance of fruit, veggies, supplements and protein to compose your smoothie. I’ll use my morning smoothie as an example.
- FRUIT: whole organic frozen strawberries and organic frozen blueberries — frozen here works best for me because I can buy a big bulk bag and use both fruits daily in lieu of ice for coldness and thickness. I like the combo of sweet and sour that these fruits offer in combination with each other, and they are both SO good for you with lots of antioxidants!
- VEGETABLES: raw organic cucumber, raw organic red beets and a small handful of raw organic kale — be careful with the kale, especially if you use black kale, the bitterness can overpower the taste. You want your smoothie to be healthy, but if it doesn’t taste good, none of that matters if you can’t drink it!
- With all my veggies, I’ll buy a large organic beet, few cucumbers and/or big head/bag of kale. I’ll slice or chop each thing, and place it in a big baggy or Tupperware to easy grab and go when I’m ready to make my smoothie.
- SUPPLEMENTS:
- Powdered Greens: While I eat very healthy all day every day, I like to KNOW I’m getting all my greens. I also like my smoothies to replace a morning Cup O’ Joe, so I add a scoop of Amazing Grass greens supplement into my smoothie. I go for the Lemon-Lime Greens SuperFood Energy blend, but they have more than 13 blends to choose from, each with its own flavor and purpose. Choose what works best for you. I love this product to add to smoothies or mix with water. It gives you the supplements you need with a mild, pleasant taste, better than most other greens mixes I have sampled.
- Protein: In an average diet, you should be having about half your weight in grams of protein per day. This varies depending on your physical activity level, but that gives you a good foundation to build from. There are SO many protein supplements out there. Figure out what is most important to you (dairy free, soy free, flavor, etc.), and do your research. Read reviews. Stop by local health food stores to try samples. For my breakfast smoothies, I prefer unflavored pea protein. One scoop is packed with 15g of protein, and you can’t even detect the taste. (Feel free to reach out to me directly if you want help figuring out the best protein supplement for you.)
- I also add a dash a cayenne pepper for taste, metabolism and immune system; a slice of fresh, raw, organic ginger for taste and immune boost; turmeric root for its anti-inflammatory properties and immune support (sometimes raw, sometimes in pill form); maitake mushroom extract for cognitive health; and I occasionally include echinacea if I’m not feeling 100%.
- OTHER FUN STUFF: I also include a splash of apple cider vinegar at the bottom of my smoothie and top it off with coconut water.
As a priority, you always want to use whole, fresh foods to get the most benefit from that food. You don’t have to use these specific ingredients, just remember the balance of fruit, veggies, supplements and protein, and think about what flavors interest you most!
Preparing Your Smoothie
To make a hardy smoothie each morning seems like a daunting task, but there are a few hacks you can use to make the process quick and easy.
- ALWAYS put a little bit of liquid in the cup first before adding other ingredients. This prevents any powders from sticking to the bottom. This is where I add my apple cider vinegar, and it also allows me to measure just a small amount to not ruin the taste.
- You can use frozen fruit as your base. Buy frozen fruit in bulk, and you can interchange the flavors. They sell tropic blends or individual fruits by themselves that you can just plop right into the cup.
- Prep your fresh foods. If you use any fresh fruits and veggies (which MOST, if not all, ingredients should be fresh ideally). Slice/chop/cut these fruits and veggies ahead of time, putting them separately in large baggies or reusable containers. Again, easy to just grab and go.
- You can even prep your smoothie the night before. If you are using a NutriBullet, throw all dry ingredients in the cup, seal it with the blade top and place it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, pull it out, add your liquids, and blend. If you are using a regular blender, do the same thing using any reusable container or cup with a lid, and then throw all that into the blender.
Enjoy your smoothie! Give it a try, and leave me a comment about what you used in YOUR smoothie and what you liked best. And please don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like to chat one-on-one about customizing a breakfast smoothie or any healthy eating habits for you!