I love my morning smoothies. They make me feel good, they pack me full of fiber and nutrients, and they generally gross out my coworkers. This morning, I had a blueberry, apple, almond milk smoothie with a heaping scoop of fresh made peanut butter. Looked like vomit. But it was delicious.
Smoothies are the most time efficient way to get a good breakie in when you have to work some obnoxious morning shift, but it has become a staple of my intake. By tossing greens and some not milk (soy, almond, coconut, etc) into my insanobot (aka my blender) and thoroughly pummeling it, then adding frozen and fresh fruits, I know I get my protein, fiber, fruits and plenty of greens for a serving. You'd be amazed at how well apples mask spinach, green leaf lettuce, and kale. Or how nicely cucumber can taste when paired with oranges. The thing I find most important about why I choose a smoothie over juicing, is that smoothies retain all the pulp and a ton of the fiber and nutrients. Besides, I have low blood sugar and need that heft.
So, what to blend? Freaking anything. I literally go to the store, buy a bunch of whatever fruit and veggie is on sale, freeze most of it, and smoothie shit together. Easy. My freezer is full of golden green beans, strawberries, apples, a half of a mango, bananas, and some nectarines. I'm a hoarder. I love making apples a staple of each concoction, because they are filling and cheap. Then I add pretty colors, and choose a theme for that day. Lately I've been obsessing over peanut butter we sell fresh made at my store with absolutely nothing in it but peanuts, though sometimes I want to get my greens the more colorful way and obliterate them in my machine. I also like adding my vanilla Alive powder to my smoothies, but the possibilities are endless. I know many enjoy Chia or Flax in their shakes, adding protein shots, fresh ginger, or sprouts (which I very much so want to start doing).
Considering I'm a pill popper (I take like 8 supplements a day), I make sure to eat some toast with my smoothie, to make a nice cushion for my pills to rest on, instead of making me want to die, instead of my usual wanting to kill. The most important thing about smoothies is to preserve your frozen veggies and fruits in a smart and sanitary way. Blanch veggies prior to freezing, never freeze anything that's already half gone, be sure to wash your foods first. Just because it's labeled Organic doesn't mean someone didn't touch it with their bare hands.
Get your blender, get going, and get your green smoothie on!
