My Glowing Green Breakfast Smoothie!

Green Smoothie!

After much research and experimentation I finally discovered a tasty and and filling green smoothie recipe that I have every day (with a few exceptions and tweaks here or there) for breakfast.  But first to give you a little background of why I started drinking smoothies for breakfast…I used to eat gluten for breakfast in the form of bagels, cereals, or an english muffin with almond butter being my favorite choice.  But, I nicked the gluten over 2 years ago and needed to switch up how I started my morning off.  I started eating oatmeal for breakfast almost every day.  I felt full at first, but then I would get hungry an hour or so later.  See, I typically workout in the morning, whether its a 60 minute swim or 60 minutes on the spin bike, it’s just the way I like to start my day.  So, I started to play around with the oatmeal concoction, adding almond butter and nuts to give it a bit more heaviness to the meal.  But, then I noticed I started to have that belly pooch you get when you eat too many carbs or drink one to many beers.  Of course, Kevin and I are always discussing nutrition and exercise and how it effects our bodies.  He suggested maybe it was the oatmeal I was eating at breakfast, thus consuming too many carbohydrates throughout the day.  So, I looked back and examined my food logs and low and behold, I was over consuming the carbs, even though I was doing some form of exercise for at least an hour a day.  I just didn’t need all of those carbs, I needed to eat more protein and vegetables. Then came the research.

Of course Pinterest was a great resource to find a lot of different information on smoothies and juices, so I started to make my own. Some were really gross, so bad that I took one sip and had to throw them away. Some were a disgusting brown color due to the order of the ingredients I put in. Others were down right tasty!  I have been making the same smoothie recipe now for quite some time, and I always feel full, satisfied and great after drinking it. I also think it helps my skin stay clearer, especially with how much I sweat.

This is my recipe that I stick too:

Starting with my blender (you don’t need a Ninja, although it would be nice, this standard one works, but takes a bit longer to blend all the ingredients)

The machine that makes the wonderful green smoothies.

Ingredients include:

1) Water 12-16 oz- yes this is more than most smoothies recommend, but I like to drink my smoothie throughout about an hour, so this helps create a bit more volume.  Also, most recipes recommend milk, soy or almond, or coconut water. But to keep down on these calories, I find that water works just fine.

2) 1 tbsp of chia seeds- any variety. But 1 tbsp is about 70 calories and 5g of fiber, also a great source of healthy omega-3s

3) Ice cubes- 3-4

4) Frozen banana- 1/2-1 full banana.  Make sure you peel the banana and cut before freezing.

5) Protein Powder- your choice, but I use vanilla whey protein from GNC that provides 130 calories and 20g of protein

Chia seeds

Pulverize all of these ingredients together before moving forward!

It is quite loud so if people are sleeping they may not be too happy with you. 

Add the following ingredients.

6) Kale or spinach- 2 large handfuls

7) Almond butter- 1/2 tbsp

8) Pumpkin pie spice or cocoa powder (depending on the taste you want, I prefer the pumpkin pie spice)

Blend until a smooth consistency. 

Pour and enjoy the health benefits. No you will not taste the kale or spinach. I promise.

Nutrition- 

Depending on ingredients and quantity you use, but roughly around 375 calories, 30g of protein, 9g of fiber

This will keep me full and satisfied until lunch. I love it.

Enjoy!