Cheers! I hope you “FALL” in love with morning smoothies too!

I am celebrating a special anniversary in a few weeks. My VITAMIX and I are celebrating 9 years of wedded bliss together. I’ll never forget the day we met. I walked into COSTCO and as I was heading towards the olive oil aisle the smell of tortilla soup caught my attention. It was coming from a blender? Soup in a blender, now that got me really intrigued. Behind the blender, stood a woman standing with a fancy headset on, spouting out all sorts of fun facts about all the incredible things this blender could do…make soups, ice cream, smoothies, grate cheese AND fold your clothes, walk your dog, help your kids with their homework, just to name a few…

I listened and listened and then I sampled the tortilla soup. It was delicious. She then told me to stick around for her famous healthy no cream “ice cream.” Yummm, even better. Then it came time for me to sample my very first green drink. And there it all began…

I have been drinking green drinks every morning ever since…except when I’m on vacation…I have to say one of the only reasons I’m ever dying to get back home after a great vacation is to get back into my morning smoothie making routine and to be able to go to the bathroom again, but that’s a whole other post…I’m addicted to the way these green drinks make me feel…energetic and healthy! Healthy habits are contagious. There was a time I was making 5 different smoothies every morning for the whole family. It never felt like a chore because I was so happy that everyone was joining in on starting their day in the healthiest way possible.

The nice thing about green drinks is you can really tailor them to your own likes, dislikes and dietary needs. Below is my most BASIC morning smoothie recipe:

Peanut Butter/Almond Butter Green Drink

• 1 cup Organic SOY MILK or ALMOND MILK (I use unsweetened but if that’s not sweet enough for you use regular. Also, I’m not a huge stevia fan BUT when using unsweetened milk I do add 4 drops of the stevia liquid drops and it does not have that weird stevia aftertaste. I purchase the stevia liquid drops from Trader Joes.) Note: Soy has the most protein of all the nut milks and when purchasing ANY soy products, make sure they are organic.
• 1 heaping Tablespoon of Organic PEANUT BUTTER (or Almond Butter, whichever you prefer; note…natural peanut butter is not as sweet as a JIFF, so if you’re new to “this” you may start with JIFF at first while you’re leaning into switching over into a “smoothie lifestyle.”)
• 1 T of ground FLAXSEED AND 1 T of CHIA SEEDS (GREAT sources of fiber, antioxidants and omega 3’s; note…you do not want to use any more than 1 T of flax a day because it does have trace amounts of cyanide in large amounts.)
• 1 BANANA
• 2 big handfuls of SPINACH
• A small handful of grapes (Vitamin C helps your body absorb the iron from the spinach)
• Big handful of ice cubes

Blend it all up and ENJOY!!! I love starting my day knowing I have had 4 servings of fruits and veg under my belt by 8AM. It definitely sets the tone for my entire day.

My Smoothies have evolved over the years. I switch up my greens; sometimes I swap broccoli or kale for the spinach. Broccoli is also a crazy powerhouse of a veg to use and it has great blood sugar controlling properties. Some days I’m not in the mood for peanut butter but I want a nice, clean protein source. I will sub the nut butters with black beans. I know it sounds crazy but beans are nutritional perfection and very neutral tasting. I am not a big fan of protein powders but those are obviously great options too. Below is my latest Morning Smoothie concoction that is SUPER healthy and well worth an attempt:

Blend away and CHEERS to good health!

Go GREEN Go BEAN Morning Smoothie:

• 1 cup unsweetened Soy Milk (or Almond Milk)
• optional: 4 drops of liquid stevia IF you use unsweetened milk
• 1 T ground flaxseed and 1 T chia seeds
• optional: 1 teaspoon matcha green tea (google for the incredible health benefits)
• 1/2 cup black beans (I promise you do not taste them and they are an incredible source of protein, fiber, potassium, folate, B6 and antioxidants)
• 2 big handfuls of spinach
• 1 big handful of frozen Mangos (vitamin C helps your body absorb the iron from the spinach)
• extra ice and water to thin out drink if it gets too thick to blend

It seems like everyone has joined the Smoothie Train. In case YOU haven’t yet, I hope my little Smoothie Share will inspire you. I love my VITAMIX blender but it is pricey. It’s an investment. I have to say I bought my daughter the Ninja blender, which is wayyyy more affordable and I actually prefer the way the Smoothies taste coming from that one. So, there you have it…now no more excuses! Cheers to good health!