Friday, October 16, 2009

Power Packed Blueberry Smoothie

I have a new crush....I hadn't wanted to talk about it thinking it might have just been a summer fling, but no- those cold autumn days have come and I'm still loving it. I think that now I'm ready to reveal it though...I'm completely in love with my breakfast smoothie.
See-I've never been a breakfast person-always looking for anyway to get out of it. Cereal has never been a good choice for me- those soggy pieces at the end turn me off. Eggs are great- but in a morning when I'm running out the door? I just don't have time. Bagels, while tasty, are such a waste of calories for me...no I needed something that would fill me up, provide some good nutrients and really kick off my morning in the right way. And so was born the Blueberry Smoothie. I got the idea one Sunday morning at the gym as I planned my weekly trip to the grocery store (see how that works? work out then grocery store-I like to think I buy healthier that way). I started thinking about what to bring for breakfast and then I realized that I could cram a ton of good stuff into one, portable drink by blending it all together. Off to the grocery store I went, and then set on home to create my first smoothie.
It was summer, and those wonderful anti-oxidant laden blueberries were in season- I stocked up. Fat free Greek yogurt-full of Protein and Calcium is a key ingredient. A banana got tossed in for all of that great Potassium, and then I started getting a little creative. I remember when I was a kid my mom always had wheat germ around for us to put on yogurt. Turns out- Wheat Germ has all sorts of good nutrients in it-Vitamin E for starters but also zinc- which I always try to stock up on. Then I added in a couple of handfuls of almonds, which have recently been talked about as a "miracle food" helping with digestion and lowering cancer risks. And finally, I boiled a pot of green tea (said to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer), let it cool and added just enough to make the mixture drinkable after blending.
The result? A power packed breakfast for a girl who hates to stop and eat in the morning. Now I'm not a nutritionist by any stretch of the imagination, but drinking this each morning lets me know that at least I'm starting off my day on the right foot, and I feel ready to start the day!
Also- since the summer has ended I've switched to frozen blueberries- cheaper, last longer and every bit as delicious :-).
(If only every day I could drink it out of a pretty crystal champagne flute, but unfortunately a portable plastic bottle has to do most mornings)

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