In honor of my husbands birthday, I wanted to share one of the recipes he makes for me most mornings. In addition to being a fast and delicious breakfast, smoothies can pack a powerful nutrient punch. I like to add chia seeds for their great source of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, fiber, and protein. If you have a child or adult in the family that needs to gain weight, substitute canned coconut milk for the rice milk. Also, add avocado and more nut or seed butter to increase healthy fat to the shake. Add other greens such as kale, Swiss chard and beet greens for a good source of iron, calcium, magnesium and Vitamin K. If you have a high powered blender, put fresh greens directly into the blender after rinsing. If you do not, just rinse the greens, dry them on a towel, chop them into 1 inch stripes and freeze. Freezing the greens will cause the cells to expand and burst open, allowing for the greens to blend into a fine powder and also allows you to access the nutrients within the greens much easier. I also like to add nutritional yeast or Brewer’s yeast buds for a great source of B vitamins and minerals. Nutritional yeast is an excellent source of Vitamin B12 for those individuals who do not eat meat.
Enjoy!
Serving size: approximately 3 cups
1 1/2 cups unsweetened rice milk
1/2 cup frozen blueberries or mixed berries
1/2 bananna
1 cup packed fresh spinach
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tablespoon nut or seed butter of your choice
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast or brewers yeast buds if on hand
Blend all ingredients until smooth and serve.