Smoothies

Smoothies, breakfast of champs!  It's hard for me to get Reid to eat breakfast. He likes something on-the-go that won't cut into snooze time. I like getting fruits and veggies into our day somehow.  I was made aware of how bad we were at getting at least 3 servings of fruit/veggies a day when my friend, Dalia, headed up a Facebook get healthy in 30 days challenge. We were given points for healthy choices and it made me aware that the days I didn't drink a smoothie, I wasn't getting enough fruits or veggies. 

We have a really nice blender, a Blendtec, which makes smoothies a breeze in the morning. I can drink one before (or if I'm running late, carry to) work and leave one for Reid by the door to drink on his way to work. The Blender Bottle really helps break up that weird crust that forms if you don't drink a smoothie right away, so it's my choice for on-the-go smoothies. I even tried the Dr. Oz 3 day smoothie cleanse (because you can do anything for just 3 days). I like smoothies over juicing because it retains a lot of the good fiber benefits from eating fruits and vegetables and it allows me to use frozen fruits.  Plus, blenders are way easier to clean than a juicer! I'm not going to stick to doing something if it's not super convenient for our busy lifestyle.
Here are a few of the smoothie recipes I enjoy.  The raw honey helps my allergies, probiotics help GI health, and ground flax seed is a source of omegas.  All are optional. Reid doesn't like dairy in his smoothies, so I add Greek yogurt after I've poured his cup out.


Green Smoothie

• 2 c. Coconut water
• 1 tbs ground flax seed
• 1 tbs raw honey
• 1 probiotic capsule, opened
• 2 c. spinach or kale greens*
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1/2 c. Frozen pineapple
• 1/2 c. Frozen mango
• 3 tbs Greek yogurt

Combine ingredients in order listed and blend.
*can use a combination of both.  I find kale more bitter and usually add more pineapple to balance it out.


Berry Banana Smoothie

• 2 c. Unsweetened Vanilla Almond milk
• 1 tbs ground flax seed
• 1 tbs raw honey
• 1 probiotic capsule, opened
• 1 c. Frozen blueberries
• 1/2 c. Frozen strawberries
• 1/2 frozen banana
•  3 tbs Greek yogurt

Combine ingredients in order listed and blend.


Strawberry Mango Smoothie

• 2 c. Unsweeted vanilla Almond milk
• 1 tbs ground flax seed
• 1 tbs raw honey
• 1 probiotic capsule, opened
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1 c. Frozen strawberries
• 1/2 c. Frozen mango
• 3 tbs Greek yogurt

Combine ingredients in order listed and blend. 

Berry Banana Smoothie

Strawberry Mango Smoothie

Green Smoothie

Blendtec's an investment, but well worth it!