No matter what time I set my alarm for in the morning, I always seem to be running out the door like I'm trying to win the 100 meter dash. In the Olympics. Enter my favorite breakfast option - the world's fastest smoothie.
I'm already a big smoothie junkie (See my Groovy Green Smoothie recipe HERE), but most days I don't have time to peel and cut up a bunch of different fruits and veggies while I'm curling my eyelashes and lacing up my boots all at the same time. This smoothie involves no chopping, measuring or literally any other preparation but is still filled with nutrients and the other good-for-you smoothie components you've come to expect.
But HOW you say? Read away my friend:
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
a cup of frozen mixed berries
coconut or almond milk
a banana
dollop of plain greek yogurt
a scoop of protein powder
ice cubes
1. Dump roughly a cup of frozen mixed berries into your blender. Don't worry about exact measurements- I pour this straight out of the bag into the blender.
2. Pour in enough coconut milk or almond milk to cover all the berries. (I've made this smoothie many times with both coconut and almond milk, and can't really tell the difference. I'm on a coconut milk kick right now because I like the taste of it on cereal and such better than almond milk, so that's what I used.)
3. Peel your banana (Ok ok you have to peel one thing), break it in half and plop it in there! Note: Bananas are one of the keys to a good, creamy smoothie consistency. It's always a good idea to throw one in.
4. Use a spoon (duh) to scoop a large scoop of yogurt on top of the banana. I like using greek yogurt because it gives the smoothie a bit of a kick in comparison to the very mild and sweet banana/milk taste, but regular yogurt or coconut yogurt (for the dairy-impaired) would work just as well.
5. Blend away! After blending for a few seconds (aka when it looks like a smoothie), I stop the blender and add in a scoop of protein powder, a squirt of water from the sink (to thin it out a little bit), and a couple ice cubes to make it nice and cold. Put it back on the blender and blend again until everything is incorporated.
Voila!
TIPS & TRICKS OF THE TRADE
Tip #1-100: Buy this magical machine. Back when I was in college I got this Cuisinart Smartpower Portable Blending System thingamagig so I could make smoothies in my dorm room (smoothie addiction- I told you so), but now that I am a real adult who has a real blender, I still use this thing more than any other kitchen contraption. It's super powerful (more than a regular blender) and you make the smoothie right in the cups!! WHY THIS IS LIFE CHANGING: Throw ingredients into cup. Don't bother measuring, because you can't possibly make too much- when you get to the top of the cup, stop adding things silly. Blend away- it takes literally 30 seconds to obliterate your smoothie ingredients, even ice. Throw a to-go top on the cup, rinse the blade in the sink and RUN out the door.
I came up with a 2 minute flat smoothie recipe. You didn't think I had time to pour my smoothies into various to-go cups and clean a whole blender did you?
To soy or not to soy?
I generally avoid soy for a few reasons, one of which being it's tended to mess with my hormone levels, so I'm always on the hunt for other protein powder options. If you do eat soy, in general it's better to eat things like edamame, tofu and fermented soy products, like tempeh and miso, and stay away from processed soy (cough cough protein powder). Ok lecture over.
I used whey protein for many years, but it's very hard to find it unflavored. I can always only find chocolate or vanilla flavor- which is great if you like a vanilla flavor in your smoothie- but I am not partial to it, especially since most of my smoothies are citrus- rather than milk- based. This trader joe whey powder thinks it's real fancy with that "designer whey" label.
My current favorite is this "Soy-Free Veg", it's pretty tasteless in my smoothies (just don't go overboard with how much you add- all protein powders will change the taste of your smoothie slightly) and it's made with pea protein! Actually its a blend of protein from pea, rice, potato, barley and spirulina and apparently boosts your B-12, iron, calcium and amino acids as well. Nom nom nom.
☮♡&ladybugs,
Ashley
