A little bit on that healthy morning routine… but first, an obligatory disclosure. I am currently watching a terrible movie on Netflix, devouring an entire “cold brew coffee chocolate bar” that I spotted in the TJ’s checkout line, and drinking nitro leftover from this afternoon. To set the mood a little more, this song is now on repeat.
For the sake of convincing you to make healthier choices, let’s pretend my morning routine never looks like I do right now…
[resume]
I love smoothies because I can hide a lot good-for-you nutrients within a deliciously fruity beverage. And they take me 2 minutes to make, which is really the critical part.
If I remember to make my yummy breakfast the night before, great. If I forget, great. If I remember but don’t want to get off the couch, great. It’s so fast that it really doesn’t matter if you prep or not!
Here are my favorite [organic] ingredients to have on hand all the time:
- Almond milk – love the unsweetened vanilla from TJ’s or Whole Foods. I always buy the milk that’s refrigerated – the other can get clumpy (for me at least!). You could swap this out for regular milk or juice.
- Steel cut oats
- All or at least one bag: Mixed frozen berries, frozen mango, frozen pineapple, frozen acai
- Nut butter(s) – I love almond and peanut
- Fresh: clementines/mandarin oranges, bananas, or spinach
- Stone ground matcha powder (I bought into that trend 100%)
- Flaxseed and chia seeds
- Honey
- My Nutribullet. I seriously love it – so easy to clean. Worth the investment!
Usually I pick a direction – more protein-rich/dense or light and fruity – and just go. I have some “go-to” bases that i’ve included below. But really, you don’t need to be precise.
Only wisdom that applies to all is texture. If you like more drinkable smoothies and do not use nut butter, fill the blender with your ingredients and pour liquid to just cover everything. If you use nut butter, this will produce a very thick smoothie; you will need to leave more room at the top for extra liquid.
Thick or thin, blend until the liquid “folds in on itself”…does that make sense? Think of a slushie machine at the movies or like water spiraling down the drain of a previously full sink. Be mesmerized. If you are struggling to get there, add more liquid and make sure the lid is on tight.
Matcha/Mango
- Fill half a large Nutribullet cup with frozen mango and a little pineapple
- ~4 tablespoons of steel cut oats
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon – tablespoon of matcha powder (a teaspoon adds a very light flavor, tablespoon is more commitment, two tablespoons is matcha marriage)
- 2 mandaran oranges
- Almond milk to cover all ingredients
- A dash of flaxseed and chia seeds
- BLEND!
PB&J
- This is where you can hide the spinach! I would add 1/2-1 cup
- Add 3-4 tablespoons peanut butter. This will flavor power your smoothie – choose almond butter for a less intense taste.
- Add mixed frozen berries (I like to add acai) until the cup is 3/4 full
- ~4 tablespoons of steel cut oats
- Pour almond milk to cover ingredients and add an inch or so more (this will be a thick one!)
- Dash of flaxseed and chia seeds
- BLEND!
If you go the thick route, follow the tips above and throw in a bowl. Add some granola and fresh berries – smoothie bowl!
Also, I love these glass straws. They are on prime and even come with a cleaner!
Let me know your favorites – I am always looking to try something new. It just has to be produced in like 2 minutes, you know? Full confession…sometimes I whip up a smoothie for dinner too!
nolkins 