Do you skip breakfast, opt for sugar-laden cereal, or grab something quick from the coffee shop?
Let’s face it, we do live busy lives, but that’s not an excuse to drain your body of the nutrients it needs and then consequently reaching the point of low energy, relying on coffee for stimulation and end up with array of discomforts or diseases.
So I hope my post today will help you address the morning rush for yourself which actually also works for the whole family.
Smoothies are a great way to load up on nutrition first thing in the morning, and pretty quick if you follow the tips I’ll share below.
However, not all smoothies are created equal. It’s very easy to load up with the wrong ingredients that might taste good, but is hindering your overall energy. One of the biggest mistakes that people do when making a smoothie is adding all fruit. Having too much fruit will result in a blood sugar spike as your body metabolizes natural sugars quickly. This can result in hunger soon afterward and that dreaded "energy crash".
To avoid this, focus on adding protein and healthy fats to your smoothies and limiting the amount of fruit, using more vegetables. I usually recommend no more than 1 cup of fruit for each smoothie. For veggies, I like to load up on spinach, kale and avocado because you can’t really taste them and they're loaded with nutrients.
Protein sources could be nuts, seeds, or nuts/seeds butters, oats or plain greek yogurt. The nuts and seeds are also source of healthy fats, plus you can add avocado or coconut oil.
Now for the tip to make your mornings even easier is to make smoothie packs while you’re doing your meal prep on Saturday.
Basically, these are individually sized portions of ingredients for your smoothies that you can freeze so you have stash for few days in advance.
Add everything except the milk/or water to a freezer bag and pop in the freezer.
Then, in the morning you can just grab one smoothie pack and add it to the blender with 1 cup of milk or water to blend and you’re ready to go!
Few more tips:
- If you want to make one big smoothie batch for the whole family just increase the ingredients in each smoothie pack bag.
- If your smoothie pack becomes a big frozen block in the freezer, dip the bottom of the bag to a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes to thaw. Then you’ll be ready to go!
- Use silicon reusable bags to store, these are healthier for you and are better for the environment.
- You can boost any smoothie recipe by adding chia seeds, flax seeds, raw cocoa, turmeric or cinnamon
- and of course you can use plant-based milk to make your smoothies such Almond milk, coconut milk, cashew milk. Choose unsweetened milk packs or make your own.
Here are some smoothie pack combinations worth trying… and of course you can customize as you like
SUPERGREENS
Handful of spinach/kale, 1 banana, chopped, 1/2 avocado, Handful of parsley (optional), 1 Tbsp sunflower seeds, 1 cup milk/water
TROPICAL GREEN
Handful of spinach/kale, 1 banana, chopped, 1/2 avocado, 1/2 cup pineapple, 1 cup milk/water
SEED BUTTER
Handful of spinach/kale, 1/2 banana, chopped, 1/4 avocado, 1/2 cup frozen mango, 1 Tbsp seed butter, 1 cup milk/water
SUMMER SMOOTHIE
Handful of spinach/kale, 1/2 banana, chopped, 1/4 avocado, 1/4 cup pineapple, 1/4 cup peach, 1/4 pear, 1 cup milk/water
ZENERGY
Handful of spinach/kale, 1/2 banana, chopped, 1/2 avocado, 1/2 pear, 1/4 inch fresh ginger, 1 cup milk/water
MANGO TURMERIC
1 banana, chopped, 1 cup frozen mango, 1 inch fresh ginger, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1 cup milk/water
BLUEBERRY
Handful of spinach/kale, 1 banana, chopped, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt, 1 cup milk/water
STRAWBERRY OAT
1 cup rolled oats, 1 banana, chopped, 1 cup frozen strawberries, 1 cup plain greek yogurt, 1 cup milk/water
Enjoy your nutrient rich quick breakfast!