A Nutrient Packed Smoothie Is Part of Our Healthy Morning Routine

Re-establishing routines starts to come to mind as the beginning of the school year draws near. As we have older kids, the beginning and end of the school year does not have such an impact in our lives any more. Regardless, I always feel that the beginning of a new academic year is a good time to put in place some routines for myself. I am, after all, the routine girl. Sometimes it takes me a while to get something established, but once I do, look out.

My Smoothie Habit

Take my morning smoothie routine for example. I have been having the same morning smoothie for about 15 years. Yes I said 15 years. I know this might sound weird, but like I said, when I get into a routine, I stick to it.

One of the benefits of eating the same thing for breakfast is that you don’t have to think about what you are having. If you are going to have something every day and make it healthy it’s a win all day. About five years ago, @Geraintthewelsh wanted in on the smoothie habit. Since I was making one every night with dinner clean up, I just doubled my recipes and we moved forward. We are having smoothies every day, so I make it a priority to have the ingredients on hand.

The kids grew up having regular smoothies also, so for the most part, they are also on the smoothie a day plan. To facilitate this, we have a Ninja Professional blender which I use for the double quantity. We use the Magic Bullet for singles.

The Ingredients

I am going to give you the list of everything that I put in our smoothies. The brands may change but the quantities and the types of ingredients have not changed.

I use a cup of mixed of frozen mixed berries. In my opinion, the best priced frozen berries are at Costco. I buy several bags at a time and keep them in my mudroom freezer.

I started adding keifer to our smoothies a few years ago. Keifer is a fermented milk-based drink that is high in nutrients and probiotics. It’s beneficial for digestion and gut health. I add one cup for our two smoothies. One thing I have noticed is that it is important to look at the quantity of sugar in the brand you buy. I buy plain but the quantity of sugar in different brands of plain, varies significantly.

I add two teaspoons of fish oil to our smoothies. I rotate brands but this one I use regularly.

The next thing is two teaspoons of ground flax. Flax is a superfood with nutrients, omega 3s and fibre. It is also a major source of lignans. Lignans have properties that reduce the risk of cancer and improve health. I used to sneak this into everything the kids ate when they were little to up the nutrition factor of kid favourites like muffins, oatmeal and macaroni and cheese.

Next on to protein powder. There are lots of really good ones out there and most people have their personal favourite. We use the whey powder in chocolate from Costco. This one gives you 35 grams of protein per serving. That is a good start to covering off ones daily requirement of protein. I add two scoops for the two of us.

The second last ingredient is greens. There are lots of good brands of greens and I buy a different ones it depending on where I buy it.

The last ingredient is water. You would have to figure out your own quantity depending on the size of your blender and the size of the containers you are using. I add probably two and a half cups of water and when blended, it fills up two of our containers. We have a selection of these types of containers. They are good for taking your smoothie with you.

Our Smoothie Habit

I may miss making the smoothies one day on the weekend, but most of the time I am pretty good at making sure they are prepared. They taste the same if I make then the night before and leave them in the fridge to grab in the am.

I have a good feeling starting my day with this smoothie. I feel that even if I don’t eat as well as I should at my other meals, I know that I already have a chunk of goodness inside me.

The thing about smoothies is that you can make them any way you want. How is your smoothie game?

Always

Leslie