I used to hate smoothies. I mean, really. I had tried so many in the past and I just couldn’t get the combination right enough to be palatable. That, and it just didn’t hold me over until lunch. If anything I felt hungrier than if I had just skipped breakfast altogether. Although, that ^ smoothie? That beauty might have gotten me on board a lot sooner than later. (That is totally not my smoothie. Who has time for that kind of gorgeous styling? Not me.)
Then, I realized with my new 5:00a morning routine that I needed to put something in my body before noon everyday. I know that some of you are into the intermittent fasting trend, but I just can’t hack that. I’ve never been much of a breakfast eater, (unless you count when it happens at dinner and weekend brunch) but I can tell a big difference in how well I perform following such an early morning and workout if I put something of nutritional value into it. With that said, I’m not going to make time to prepare a big breakfast during the week. Little Man eats breakfast at school, and it’s almost always a mad dash to get out the door by 7:30a in order to make sure he doesn’t miss it. As such, I have to figure out something quick, but hearty, and be ready to roll-out.
Enter breakfast smoothies. I wrote smoothie in plural as if I have more than one recipe… I don’t. This is my go-to, everyday, it actually tastes good, and I’m a creature of habit so it’s not changing, breakfast smoothie.
Here you go…
What you’ll need:
Blender (I use a Ninja Professional Blender w/ Cups)
A Little More Than a Handful of Your Preferred Mixed Greens
8oz Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1 Scoop of Vanilla Protein Powder (I use Like a Vegan Vanilla Protein Powder by Happy Way)
2T Organic Ground Chia Seeds
1/4C Organic Raw Oats
1T Organic MCT Oil
Your Choice of Fruit (I flip back and forth between 1 whole banana or 1/2C frozen mixed berries)
Top It Off With a Bit of Water
Combine all of the ingredients and blend! I don’t add ice to my smoothie only because I place everything in the blender cup the night before and refrigerate it so it’s ready for me to blend the next morning. That, and I’m not a big fan of thick-due-to-ice smoothies. And that’s it! Protein, greens, fiber, and healthy fat!
Also, I have to rave a little bit about both the Ninja blender and Happy Way protein powder. This post is not sponsored by either (I’m not that big-a-deal), but seriously I just want you guys to know how much I love both:
We bought the Ninja blender a couple of months ago after using our basic, $20 version we bought when we moved in together TWELVE YEARS AGO. No joke, that thing really made it past its prime and it was time to put it out of its misery. While I didn’t actually destroy it, it was donated and hopefully will continue to live on in a semi-retirement state under the cabinet of someone who doesn’t do a whole lot of blender-ing. Anywho.. we bought the Ninja because I liked that the blender cups were separate and removed an extra step of transferring from the large version into a cup (too many dishes to wash). It really is a game-changer for me. Also, the difference in power from old-man to fancy, shmancy Ninja? Incomparable.
Happy Way Protein Powder. I discovered Happy Way almost two years ago when a YouTuber I followed at the time raved about how much their Vanilla Ice Ice Baby version tasted just like a vanilla milkshake, without the icky aftertaste. So I gave it a try. Seriously… the BEST! I’ve never tasted a protein powder that’s as delicious. It was the first bag of protein powder I have ever finished, it was so good. When I decided to start with smoothies again a few months ago, I ordered the vegan version because I’m trying to stay away from dairy. It’s just as good. I have zero complaints and will never use a different protein powder again. They have several flavors, in vegan and non-vegan varieties. They are based out of Australia, so if you’re shipping anywhere outside of there you’ll pay a standard $23 international shipping fee. BUT, it is SO worth it. I buy two bags each time, and those last me no less than two months, at times more, and that’s with using a heaping scoop 5 – 6 times a week. Not only does it taste good, but it’s so good for you: pea and rice proteins, natural vanilla bean, chia seeds, maca, and stevia leaf to name a few. There’s only 9 ingredients! Okay, I’ll chill out now.
Hope this gives some of you inspiration for a healthy, on-the-go smoothie. I’ve been drinking this for a couple of months now, and it is yet to get old. I finish drinking this no later than 8:30a, and have no problems with it holding me over until 11:30a, or later. Cheers!
Until next time…
