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Breakfast is so important and it is unfortunately a commonly skipped meal. Many people complain that they do not have time in the morning to prepare something. I feel that smoothies are an answer to the morning time crunch because you just throw everything in the blender, blend everything for few minutes and you’re ready to run out the door. Smoothies are very forgiving and you can experiment to find out what combination works for you. Here is a basic recipe to follow and adjust according to what you have and your personal preferences:
Ingredients:
• 1 cup unsweetened milk (almond, rice, coconut, oat)
• ½ banana (can be frozen ahead)
• ½ cup fruit
• 1 tbsp seeds (ground flaxseed, chia, hemp seeds
• 1 tbsp nut butter (almond, cashew, macadamia)
• 1 scoop whey or vegetarian protein powder (find one that has no artificial sweeteners and colouring)
When using ground flaxseed, don’t buy flax pre-ground as it will quickly go rancid. Buy it whole and grind it before adding it into the smoothie. For added convenience, you can peel and half bananas and put them in the freezer. This is especially useful when your bananas are overripe and about to go bad.
I’ve included some smoothie recipes below. You can play around with the amounts of things you add and you can try different flavour combinations. For example, do you find 1 cup of milk is too much for you or you don’t have enough on hand? Try using a ½ cup milk and ½ cup water instead.
Berry Smoothie
Ingredients:
• 1 cup unsweetened milk (almond, rice, coconut, oat)
• ½ banana
• 1 cup mixed berries (frozen are okay)
• 2 handfuls of organic baby spinach
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
• ½ scoop protein powder
Directions:
1. Place everything in the blender and blend until smooth. It’s helpful to add the liquid first and protein powder last so that items don’t get stuck to the blender blades.
Mango, Avocado and Kale Smoothie
Kale can be bitter and may not be the most pleasant in a smoothie, It is such an incredibly healthy vegetable that it is worth trying to get to like! I would start by adding half of what the recipe calls for and then slowly increasing how much is in your smoothie.
Ingredients:
• 1 cup unsweetened milk (almond, rice, coconut, oat)
• 1 cup kale leaves, loosely packed (do not blend the stems, instead rip the leaves from the stems)
• ½ ripe banana
• ⅓ cup mango (you can use frozen)
• ½ scoop protein powder
Directions:
1. Place everything in the blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!
Chocolate Avocado Smoothie
• ½ cup unsweetened milk (almond, rice, coconut, oat)
• ½ cup water
• ½ ripe banana
• ½ avocado
• ½ cup frozen berries (can be mixed or a berry of your choice)
• 1 tbsp raw cacao powder
• ½ scoop protein powder
• Optional: you can add 1 tbsp nut butter to vary the flavour and add a bit more protein
Directions:
1. Place everything in the blender and blend until smooth. The addition of an avocado makes this smoothie very rich and creamy. If your smoothie is too thick add ⅛ cup water, blend and assess the consistency. Keep adding water until a desired consistency is reached.