Fresh Views on Healthy Foods: Morning Smoothies

On the first Monday of every month, we are going to start sharing some fresh and easy tips on incorporating healthy foods into your everyday life. For our inaugural post, we are discussing our love for morning smoothies.

Why Smoothies?

Smoothies are such an easy way to jam pack a lot of nutrition into a meal you can prep in just minutes. Even if you aren’t a fan of fruit smoothies, there are hundreds (if not thousands) of variations you can whip together.

Our Favorite Protein Powders

We have two staples that we keep in our house: Arbonne (chocolate and vanilla) and Orgain (vanilla). We are going to quickly break down both!

Arbonne: This is a new find for us, here are some quick facts:

1. Vegan (peas, rice and cranberries), soy free, & gluten free
2. Non GMO
3. 20 grams of protein
4. 24 vitamins and nutrients & 19 amino acids
5. Tested to have low glycemic index (7 grams of sugar)
6. Only available online

Orgain: This has been staple in our house for over a year

1. Vegan (peas, rice and chia), soy free, & gluten free
2. Non-GMO & Organic
3. 21 grams of protein
4. 1 gram of sugar & 5 grams of Erythitol
5. 50 organic super foods
6. Can find in most major grocery stores, online, and at Costco

Go To Add Ins

PB2 is a peanut butter alternative with 90% less fat and 70% fewer calories than traditional peanut butter. The process of making PB2 is to essentially press down peanuts (removing most of the oil), add a little sugar and salt, and voila. If you are on WW, two tablespoons is only 1sp.

Frozen Fruit: This is a classic go to for most smoothie lovers. We personally like the three berry blend from Costco, as well as 365 brands fruits (blueberries, mango, strawberries, etc).

Almond Milk: This is a great milk alternative that gives your smoothie a little bit of flavor (outside of just water). Plus it is low calories, lactose free, has a relatively low carb content, and (if unsweetened), low in sugar.

Extracts: An easy way to punch a lot of flavor. Mint, peppermint, almond, vanilla – the list is endless. These are easy to find, don’t require a lot for big flavor, and can be cost effective.

Coffee: If you want your morning coffee but also want to keep to your morning smoothie routine…cold coffee is a great option. You also don’t need a lot to punch in a bunch of flavor; half a cup or so should do the drink.

Did you know?

On WW, fruit (which is normally 0 points), actually has a point count. One half cup of frozen berries is equal to 1 point!

What are some of your favorite smoothie combinations? We’re also looking for different ideas!