Adventures in Smoothies #1: Blueberry Banana Smoothie

We absolutely love having smoothies for breakfast as well as afternoon treats. We have a small collection  of tried and true smoothies that we switch out. We usually have them 3 times a week for breakfast, along with a whole grain bread product..muffins, Ezekiel bread, waffle, etc. While smoothies are great, they don’t always make us feel satisfied as if we’d eaten, so we try to make sure we have a little extra to go with it to help make it a little longer to our mid morning protein snack. The smoothie contains protein in the forum of yogurt, milk and hemp protein powder.

You can be tremendously creative when making smoothies – throwing a little of this and a little of that in. Or you can stick with some traditional recipes until you have  your confidence down in what you really like in a smoothie.

BLUEBERRY BANANA SMOOTHIE (for full blender, serves up to 4, we freeze any leftovers as popsicles)

2-3 frozen bananas (depending on how large they are)

2 C frozen blueberries

1.5  C non-flavored , full-fat  yogurt

3 TB ground flax or chai seeds

3 TB hemp protein powder ( optional)

Dash of cinnamon

1 TB of honey

Enough milk to make it as soupy as you like. We start with about 2 C

1-2 C of ice (optional)

Blend til smooth, and enjoy!

Info on the fruit:

Blueberries add a healthy dose of antioxidants, are high in fiber and vitamins C & E. There are lots of studies that link them to being heart-healthy, helping control cholesterol and diabetes, being an inflammatory, aiding in diabetes control, and being linked to helping prevent Alzheimer’s! Granted, miracle fruit is a status that is easily heaped up on the fruit-of-the-moment, but blueberries do have great health benefits not found amongst all fruit.

Bananas, known mostly for their high potassium which aids in heart and circulatory health, and at helping reduce stress (through the tryptophan – a protein that is converted into serotonin). They’re also high in fiber, and it’s simple, natural sugars are well-known for providing big bursts of energy. It’s considered America’s #1 fruit, even though none is commercial cultivated here.

What are you having for breakfast today?