MAKING THE PERFECT SMOOTHIE
Published on May 25, 2018
I love my morning smoothies. It is the quickest and easiest way to pack my day full of nutrition and wellness. I typically eat a bit later in the morning (after a 12-14 hour fast) and always use my Nutribullet as my go to blender (so easy to clean and takes up very little counter space).
So....what goes into my perfect morning smoothie? I add a few items which include:
1. Pick your protein
- 1-2 scoops of a good quality protein powder. Some of the powders we recommend include
- ½ cup of unflavoured Greek yogurt or 3/4 cup plain yogurt (1 or 2% is preferred)
- 2-3 tablespoons of hemp hearts (click here for the brand we love)
- 2 Tbsp of collagen powder - I use withinUS True Marine collagen for skin, hair and nails. You can use my discount code Joey15
2. Choose your liquid
Start with 1 cup of liquid and increase slightly to change consistency of your smoothie. The more liquid you add, the runnier it will be.
- Unsweetened nut milk (almond milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, etc.)
- 1 or 2% organic milk
- Unsweetened rice milk
- Unsweetened soy milk
- Filtered water
- Coconut water (I love using coconut water for electrolyte balance)
3. Select your fruit
Choose 1-2 fruits to add into your smoothie. You can choose to use fresh or frozen fruits - both work well but will leave you with a slightly different consistency.
- ½ cup berries
- ½ banana
- ½ frozen mango
- 1 apple
- 1/2 cup peaches or nectarines
- 1/2 cup pineapple
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
4. Don’t forget the good fats!
Healthy fats are a key component to any great smoothie. Some great fats to throw in include:
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1/4 avocado
- 1 tablespoon natural nut butter (i.e., peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower seeds butter, etc.)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 6 walnuts
- 10 almonds
5. Add your greens
Boost your smoothie with a heaping handful of greens. The best greens to add into your smoothie include:
- spinach or kale (can be bought frozen or fresh)
- arugula
- celery
- cucumber
- spirulina powder
- wheat grass
6. Boost the flavour
This is the fun part! Get creative here and try new flavours to see what you like best. Here are some options for some great smoothie add in's to try out.
- unsweetened coconut flakes
- cinnamon
- unsweetened cocoa powder (if your protein powder is not already chocolate)
- cocoa nibs (add on top of your smoothie for a nice crunch)
- bee pollen
- fresh ginger
- fresh mint
- 1/4 cup oats
- goji berries
- maca powder
7. Blend!
Blend on medium to high setting for up to a minute. Make sure everything is well blended and enjoy! If you want a thicker smoothie, add some ice cubes.
Check out some of my favourite smoothies below!
Green Goddess Smoothie
INGREDIENTS
- 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
- 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 banana
- 1/2 tablespoon ground flax seeds
- 1-2 cups of greens (i.e., baby spinach, arugula, kale, etc.)
- 1 teaspoon matcha powder
- 1/2 cucumber
- 1/4 avocado
- 2-3 ice cubes
DIRECTIONS
- Add all ingredients into blender.
- Blend on high for 1 minute, until creamy and smooth.
Serves 1 Nutritional analysis: calories 360, fat 18g, carbohydrates 35g, fiber 14g, protein 19g
Creamy almond butter smoothie
INGREDIENTS
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
- 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 banana
- 1 tablespoon of natural almond butter
- Handful of spinach leaves
DIRECTIONS
- Add all ingredients into blender.
- Blend on high for 1 minute, until creamy and smooth.
Serves 1 Nutritional analysis: calories 280, fat 16g, carbohydrates 24g, fiber 8g, protein 17g
Refreshing mango smoothie
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup 2% plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup frozen mango
- 1/2 banana
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 cup coconut water
- 1 cup of kale or spinach
DIRECTIONS
- Add all ingredients into blender.
- Blend on high for 1 minute, until creamy and smooth.
Serves 1 Nutritional analysis: calories 280, fat 7g, carbohydrates 45g, fiber 12g, protein 14g