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Color me dull. I will be a wholly ineffective person if I do not have a healthy "breakfast" to get me going. I put the word "breakfast" in quotes because my current schedule would indicate that most people call it "lunch". You see, I usually get up between 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM. It's not that I'm lazy (although I am a devoted procrastinator), I am on a shifted schedule that has me going to bed between 2:00 and 4:00 AM. I still get my 8 to 9 hours of sleep each night, and I feel better than ever.
What does this have to do with smoothies?!
Well, to make a short story long...even when my schedule had me getting out of bed at 4:30 or 5:00 AM each morning, this smoothie was still an essential part of my day. When I lived in South America making a smoothie each morning was not a realistic possibility, so I had to search for something that worked for me. What worked for me was mate de coca and fresh pan with some sort of fruit marmalade. When I don't make smoothies I have raw nut milk with live cereal or some heirloom whole grain cereal. Its even better if you can find a few great breakfast meals that work for you. The point is...find what works for you to get your day started off right, and go for it. Make your health a priority each morning, and it will set a great tone for the rest of the day. Okay, enough preaching already...time for my smoothie recipe:
Ingredients
1 organic banana
6-10 organic frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1-2 tablespoons raw honey (or agave nectar, or medjool dates)
1-2 cups of organic unfiltered apple juice
(optional) 1/4 cup wheat germ
(optional) 1/4 cup organic flax seeds (preferably raw)
(optional) 1 tablespoon pure synergy superfood
(optional) 1 organic açaí packet (or 2 scoops organic açaí powder)
(optional) 1/4 teaspoon fresh organic ginger, peeled
Equipment
1 Blender
1 Large glass or (or bowl)
Steps:
1. Open the banana and break it up into the blender. I have found that adding the banana first will allow your smoothie to mix far better than adding it at the end.
2. Add your strawberries and any optional items now. You want your flax seeds/wheat germ/powder to be between the strawberries and the blue berries (which will go on top next). The reasoning...if you add it last a lot of it will just stick to the top sides of your blender.
3. Now add your blueberries and lastly your unfiltered apple juice (cranberry juice and various lemonades work well too).
4. Put the cap on the blender, hit the ice crush button a few times (if your blender has one), and blend it at a moderate speed for a good minute or until you've had the "vortex" going for awhile.
5. Pour into a glass for a smoothie, or pour into a bowl and top with granola and/or fruit.
End notes: This recipe easily serves two...usually the smoothie for the wife and the the bowl topped with hemp plus granola for myself. However, I used to make this recipe solely for myself in a large bowl each morning and it kept me completely satified (and hunger-pain free) for half the day. I have recommended this morning gig to many friends and co-workers and several have told me that they're hooked. Since there are countless alternatives to the types of smoothies/bowls you can make, don't be afraid to experiement and share what works best for you.
What is your favorite/essential breakfast? What is your favorite/essential smoothie?
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