More than likely, your mornings are busy with getting yourself and the rest of the family ready, packing lunches, and preparing for the day. You may not have a whole lot of time to cook a healthy, well-balanced breakfast every day of the week. If this is true for you, then a healthy but quick breakfast smoothie may be just what you need to get all of the important nutrients you need for the day into one quick drink.
To make a well-blended smoothie with a creamy consistency, you don’t need an expensive blender such as a Vitamix or Blendtec, but it may be worth looking into if you’ll be making smoothies on a regular basis. Blenders such as the Vitamix or Blendtec are great for daily use and they’re even great for making hot soups or homemade ice cream. If you’ll just be making smoothies a few times each week, then a regular, inexpensive blender will work just fine.
Smoothies are great for using any raw fruits or vegetables before they expire. Just about any fruit or vegetable can be thrown into a smoothie and you won’t even taste it if you have the right base ingredients, such as milk or water, frozen bananas, and a light sweetener. Great options for milks are almond, coconut, or rice milk.
It may be helpful to keep frozen banana slices in the freezer at all times for a quick smoothie whenever you need it. If you don’t like bananas, you can use half of an avocado and a handful of ice. Great sweeteners to try are organic maple syrup or stevia.
For a quick but well-balanced smoothie in the morning, try blending about a cup or two of milk with one or two frozen bananas, a handful of spinach or kale, a tablespoon of ground flax seeds or chia seeds, and a scoop of protein powder. The protein powder isn’t necessary but it may help to keep you fuller for longer. You can also try rolled oats as well. If you don’t like the taste, try mixing in a little maple syrup or one or two drops of liquid stevia.
Sometimes you prefer something a little sweeter in the morning, and that’s where peanut butter and cocoa powder come in. Make a quick protein smoothie by blending one or two cups of milk with one or two frozen bananas, a tablespoon of peanut butter or almond butter, and a tablespoon of cocoa powder. You can also add in flax seeds, chia seeds, or hemp seeds.
If you don’t like bananas, you can simply substitute one half of an avocado with about a cup of ice. You may need a little extra liquid and sweetener as well.
If you prefer fruit smoothies in the morning, then it’s best to pair it with some sort of healthy fat. Blend a cup of frozen berries with one or two cups of milk, a tablespoon of organic coconut oil, and a handful of nuts such as brazil nuts, almonds, or walnuts.
Smoothies are quick and easy, but they’re also loaded with nutritional benefits. You can even double the batch and keep an extra on hand for lunch or tomorrow’s breakfast, if needed. Just give it a stir before you’re ready to drink it and it will be good to go!
Feeling your best involves healthy eating, lifestyle changes, and sometimes even nutritional support and chiropractic care. If you’d like to see what these changes can do for you, contact Premier Health Chiropractors today!