Power Breakfast Smoothie Formula

Dr Shannon’s Power Packed Breakfast Smoothie Formula

Not only are smoothies a little easier on digestion because your blender has done some of the hard work for you, but they’re delicious, fast and we pack them full of nutrients.

The fun part too is that there are so many combinations and varieties you can choose, so you’ll never get bored of the same thing day after day.

Here’s the secret formula to making a power-packed breakfast smoothie that will give you energy in the morning and keep you full and energized until lunch.

1. LIQUID (many of my patients are sensitive to dairy, and you might be too! Try to find ones that don’t have added sugar or make your own at home!)
   1. Coconut milk (my standard fav)…it’s full of medium chain triglycerides that help give you quick energy and healthy saturated fat to keep your energy levels stable through the morning
   2. Almond milk
   3. Cashew milk
   4. Rice milk
   5. Filtered Water
2. FROZEN BERRIES/FRUIT (I have a Costco card and I’ll often be able to find a fantastic variety of ORGANIC frozen berries to choose from during those winter months when tasty farmers market or garden berries aren’t available)
   1. Blueberries
   2. Raspberries
   3. Strawberries
   4. Cherries (limit these as they’re pretty full of sugar!)
   5. Mango (limit these as they’re pretty full of sugar!)
   6. Any other fruit you’d like!
3. BANANA
   1. I love the taste of banana in a breakfast smoothie so I always add one in, but feel free to omit them or add in ½ instead if you’re watching your fruit sugar levels
4. HEALTHY FATS (I’m so glad we’re coming out of that terrible low-fat trend and adding healthy fats back into our diets! They keep stabilize blood sugar levels and keep you more full and cut cravings!)
   1. ½ ripe avocado
   2. 1-2TBS of your favorite nut butter (cashew, almond, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower)
5. PROTEIN POWDER (protein is key at EACH meal! Try your best to find UNSWEETENED options without much else added and DEFINITELY AVOID anything with artificial sweetener)
   1. Vegan: hemp, rice, pea, pumpkin
   2. Dairy: whey or casein (if you tolerate dairy and make sure it’s a good source!)
   3. Animal: beef protein is a newer one on the market and many find it delicious
6. FIBER (it’s important for regular movements and to keep your gut happy!)
   1. 1 TBS Freshly ground flax seeds
   2. 1 TBS Hemp hearts
   3. 1-2 tsp Chia seeds (these out of the three will tend to thicken your smoothie the quickest, so keep this in mind when you’re adding them in!)
7. GREENS (I promise you won’t taste them and it adds some great extra vitamins and minerals into your breakfast!)
   1. Spinach
   2. BABY kale (the big ones you may taste, so stick with the babies)
   3. Spring mix
   4. Romaine greens
   5. Any other greens you’d like!

Being the environmental medicine nerd that I am, I always try to have everything in my breakfast smoothie be ORGANICALLY sourced and without as many chemical additives as possible.

Smoothies are also great because you can prep the freezer portion of things ahead of time! Here’s me part way through prepping my freezer bags for the week!

Here’s what goes in the freezer bags:

1. Frozen fruit/berries
2. Fiber
3. Greens
4. Protein Powder

You pull one out, put it in your blender, add in the healthy fat, banana and liquid (to a consistency of your choosing) and your power-packed breakfast smoothie is ready to go!

Let me know what your favourite smoothie combination is!

 

Want more diet or nutrition support? Let’s chat!