If you’re like us, you’re strapped for time in the morning, on the run, and perhaps not especially “hungry”, but you know the power of fueling your body with the right ingredients to gift yourself the best start to the day. Enter, our everyday superfood smoothie. We make a variation of this smoothie every single morning, and have done so for the last decade. Food is medicine, food is fuel, and this fast-breaker is an impeccable combination of protein, fiber, and healthy fat to keep you satiated, your digestion and immunity boosted, plus a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals our bodies crave. It’s well-blended for well-being (and scrumptious, too!):

After testing smoothie recipes for the past fifteen years, noticing which recipes spiked our blood sugar, or made us crash shortly after drinking them, we’ve come to rely on a no-fail combination of ingredients that wins every time.

• favorite fruit – run a quick search on the health benefits of your favorite fruit, and prepared to be amazed. I love using a variety of frozen fruits to keep things interesting; plus a varied diet helps diversify the (good) bacteria in our gut microbiome to help stave off disease, keep us regular, and balance the necessary vitamins and minerals that allow us to be our best selves. Lately I’ve been reaching for strawberries for glowing skin, heart health, and immunity. My family always asks for a blueberry smoothie which is fantastic for antioxidants and a brain boost. Another excellent bag of frozen fruit to keep in the fridge are cherries – they can help improve your sleep quality, support kidney health, and are a delicious dose of vitamin c!
  • Did you know that frozen fruit is harvested and flash frozen at peak ripeness? This locks in maximum nutrients, flavor, and freshness.
• fresh or frozen avocado – there is nothing more frustrating than paying $3 an avocado at the store only to get home and find that it doesn’t ripen, or worse, is brown inside. When avocados aren’t in season, you can find a bag of diced avocado in the freezer aisle that does the trick just fine. Also check your grocer for blended (no spice) avocado in pre-portioned cups. We have found them at Costco, and they even have organic available!
  • If you’re thinking of skipping this addition, I implore you to give it a try at least once before you knock it. Avocados provide a brain boost to start the day, a delicious dose of healthy fats and fiber, are anti-inflammatory and protect the heart – plus – here’s the BEST part – they give the smoothie a silky texture and eliminate the “green” taste of the next ingredient on our list:
• greens – We know that eating the rainbow benefits our health and longevity in myriad ways, but let’s be honest, we reach for the other vibrant hues more often than green, right? A smoothie is the perfect opportunity to sneak in the veggies that we might not otherwise add to our plate. Once the blender is on, tiny picky eaters and discerning dads will never know what you added in. We have blended everything from Japanese sweet potatoes to kale to broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and beans.
  • Recently, sprouts and microgreens have become a fast favorite. The more greens we can sneak in, the more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants we can load up on to fight disease, improve digestion, and reduce inflammation in the body.
• protein powder – Surely I should tell you that the greens or the fruit are my favorite smoothie addition, but it’s the vegan protein powder all day. It makes me feel superhuman (the muscle-building potential! the energy boost! the flavor!). We have tried them all, and keeping with what we said above about variety, we do switch them out fairly often to vary the flavor profiles and benefits of each, but I keep going back to Truvani vanilla. This protein powder is clean, made with minimal ingredients, zero fillers, and is positively delicious.
  • Other favorites include: Four Sigmatic Organic (love the chocolate flavor and adaptogens!), Earth Chimp (with probiotics!), and Epic Protein (gorgeously clean and a beautiful blend).
• vegan milk of choice – I love to make our own nut or seed milk. It is so much easier than I originally thought, which makes me even more annoyed with myself that I delayed doing it for so long and paid out the nose for store-bought milks with sub-par ingredients.
• boosters (optional) – Here is where a lot of our friends get overwhelmed – but this step is completely optional and solely based on what you’re trying to achieve. You can absolutely keep it clean and simple by using the ingredients listed above. Or, you can choose to experiment with some smoothie boosters to see if it’s a good fit for you. For example:
  • Need to add more fiber to your diet? Try a scoop of organic inulin. This is organic, soluble fiber designed to improve your digestion, metabolism and gut health.
  • Looking to balance your hormones, boost energy, and decrease stress? Maca is an excellent addition.

I could give you an exact recipe, but depending on your well-being goals, and your desired consistency and flavor profile, your best bet is trial and error to see what you like. I like ours thick and positively packed with greens and goodness. I typically do a 1:1 ratio of fruits and vegetables (some days a heavier hand with the fruit, others, an extra handful of greens). I add a scoop of protein per person, but on days where I am weight training, I might go for 2 scoops. You do you!

Today’s smoothie looked like this:

cherry jubilee (makes 4 glasses)

• 2 c. frozen organic dark cherries
• 1 c. broccoli microgreens
• 1 c. fresh spinach
• 1 large avocado
• 3 c. homemade walnut milk
• 4 pitted dates
• 4 scoops truvani vanilla vegan protein
• 1 T. inulin

Don’t overcomplicate it, look at it as a delicious science experiment, and no matter what you do, you won’t screw it up! You’re already on your way to better health from the inside out. Leave any questions in the comments below and we’ll work up a recipe to fit your well-being goals. Be well + joyful, kind friend!