My Kickstart to the Day

The days are slowly becoming shorter and we have been blessed with an incredible summer so far. Long, hot and sometimes lazy days have lead to warm, breezy evenings (that remind me of summer nights camping as a child), which have been spent with friends, on the golf course or enjoying a quiet glass of wine with Michael and a book.

With summer fun comes the need to maintain wellness. It’s hard to balance sometimes (…there’s that word again!), but the secret is starting your day right (whether on vacation, at the cottage, or heading to the office in the city), and a big part of that is nutrition and energy. For me, and for my family, the morning go-to favourite food to keep energized is a smoothie.

Seems simple, but this super-quick start to the day is surprisingly packed when it comes to nutrients, energy and vitality. It helps maintain a daily routine and also helps to curb salty and sweet cravings later in the day. Smoothies are the “drinkable meal” that allows tailoring to taste preference, and it takes less than 5 minutes to whip up (…truth be told Michael is the best smoothie chef in our house!). Best of all, we’re often able to make smoothies with local ingredients and produce including herbs directly from our “container herb garden” and we’re also able to make them at the cottage.

This week I’m back in the office and getting a head start on planning fall projects, but still trying to kickstart my mornings with proper nutrition and a boost of energy. So, I’m sharing our family-favourite smoothie recipe in hopes you can do the same. Why? Because those warm summer nights will turn to crisp autumn mornings soon, and we’ll be wishing we made the most of those early sunrises. Power up with our Morning Kickstart Smoothie, get out there, and enjoy what is left of summer!

Morning Kickstart Smoothie

Ingredients (… all are approximate, adjust as you please!).

= 4 smaller glasses or 2 large

1 Banana
2 Tbsp Hemp Hearts (we love Manitoba Harvest – local and delicious!)
2 Tbsp Chia Seeds
2 Tbsp Ground Flax Seeds
Large Handful of Spinach or Favourite Greens
1/4 Avocado
2 Tbsp Natural Peanut Butter or Almond Butter
Almond Milk (we prefer Unsweetened Organic Original by So Nice, but it’s your choice!)
Coconut Water (we prefer Zico)
2 Cups Frozen Berries (mixed, your choice)

Directions:

Add all ingredients into a blender (we love our Vitamix!)
Adjust to taste as you prefer (for creamier, increase avocado, and for sweeter, increase berries or banana)
Use the Almond Milk and Coconut Water for your preferred smoothie “thickness” and consistency
Enjoy!

Some mornings Michael will add Spirulina (blue-green microalgae that provides antioxidants, iron, beta-carotene and more).

To convert this recipe to an “after workout” smoothie, you can add a scoop of your choice of protein powder.