Smoothies are one of my favorite things to eat either in the morning or after a training session.
I often hear people say that they don’t have time to make a smoothie. I understand that most of us are very busy in the morning (especially if you have kids). However, all of these recipes you see below will take you less than five minutes to make.
Before we get started, here are some key tips to remember when making your smoothie:
- Frozen fruit is a great substitute for fresh fruit when certain foods are not in season.
- Make sure that you have a good blender that has different speeds that will allow you to chop, blend, and crush your ingredients.
- Adding certain fats (i.e. avocados, chia seeds, coconut oil (unrefined/organic) is a nice way to get some healthy fats into your nutrition plan.
- Smoothies are always better when they are cold so I would recommend that you add ice if you are using fresh fruit.
Here are five smoothies you can make this week.
No. 1) Power Smoothie
Prep time: Less than 5 minutes
Ingredients
¼ cup of blueberries
1 scoop of vanilla whey protein (grass fed preferred)
¼ cup of frozen mango
2-3 frozen strawberries
1 handful of leafy spinach
2-3 beets from a can
1 cup of water w/ fresh lemon juice
4-5 ice cubes
Directions
Mix all of the fruit into the blender.
Wash the spinach and place it in the blender.
Open the can of beets and pour some juice and 2-3 beets in the blender.
Blend until creamy.
Mix in the whey protein after you have blended all of the ingredients.
When to eat
Breakfast, post workout or a snack
No. 2 Pumpkin Spice Smoothie
Prep time: Less than five minutes
Ingredients
1 cup of raw milk, regular or coconut milk.
1 frozen banana (FYI, frozen bananas work best for this recipe).
1 scoop of pumpkin from a can.
1 tsp. of ground cinnamon.
1 scoop of vanilla whey protein.
2-3 ice cubes
Directions
Pour the milk in the blender.
Add in the banana, pumpkin, ice and cinnamon.
Blend until creamy.
Pour over a glass and mix in the whey protein and extra cinnamon.
When to eat
Breakfast, post workout or a snack.
No. 3) Spinach and fruit smoothie
Prep time: Less than 5 minutes
Ingredients
1 handful of leafy spinach washed (about 1-2 cups).
½ avocado
½ cup of frozen raspberries.
¼ cup of strawberries (frozen or ripe).
1 cup of water w/ fresh lemon juice.
4-5 ice cubes.
Directions
Mix all of the fruit into the blender for 30-60 seconds or until creamy.
When to eat
Breakfast, post workout or a snack.
No. 4: Recovery smoothie
Prep time: Less than 5 minutes
Ingredients
2 strawberries
¼ cup of frozen raspberries
1 handful of leafy spinach
½ of avocado
Fresh lemon juice squeezed from ¼ lemon.
Fresh ginger (peel and chop off a small piece)
Note: Fresh ginger is a great food to help with inflammation.
1 cup of water (more if necessary).
Directions
Mix all of the fruits and veggies into the blender.
Blend until creamy.
When to eat
Breakfast, post workout or a snack
No. 5) Super fat smoothie
Prep time: Less than 5 minutes
Ingredients
1 ½ cup of coconut milk (unsweetened)
1 tbsp. of chia seeds.
1 tbsp. hemp seeds.
½ avocado
6-8 raw almonds (soaked if possible).
1-2 raw Brazilian nuts.
2-3 shakes of cinnamon.
1 scoop of vanilla whey protein (grass-fed preferred).
1 tsp. of organic cacao
1 handful of leafy spinach
Directions
Mix everything into a blender
Blend until creamy
When to eat
Breakfast, post workout or a snack
So now you have no excuse for skipping breakfast in the morning. Try one of these smoothies if you are in rush and it will help get your day started.
The recipes above are also good choices after you have finished a tough workout. Post workout nutrition is really important if you are looking to add muscle, lose fat and kick start your recovery.
This is part of the Goal Oriented series with Philadelphia Union Strength and Conditioning coach Kevin Miller.
