Oven Aversion: Cool smoothings

Like Cool Runnings, but for smoothies. Cold food on a cold day... that's about as hardcore as I get! And considering exactly how cold it's going to be tomorrow, it's going to be intense.

Smoothie Making

So it was time again for me to whip up a big batch of green monsters, breakfast smoothies in my house. I like to make enough for 3-4 days at a time because I'm NOT a morning person. The most math I do all day is calculating how many minutes I can sleep based on how many minutes it'll take me to get ready that morning and when I have to be at work. Extra sleep in the A.M. is a science in my house.

So whipping up 3 tonight saved me close to 45 minutes cumulatively of sleep. This batch consisted of:

2 handfuls of spinach
1 handful of broccoli
1 handful of carrots
an apple
a banana
a clementine
8 oz soy milk
2 scoops protein powder
3 tsp flax seeds
frozen fruits-- I added frozen blueberries, strawberries, and sweet dark cherries
cinnamon, ginger, ground clove, and dark chile powder to taste

So here's the breakdown:

Meet Kitchen-Aid blender, ready for action.

Add lots of good, healthy, single-item, plant-based ingredients. Toss a lot of fruits and veggies in there and be brave! When I first started to make my own breakfast smoothies, I didn't like raw broccoli. I would always toss in a handful so I knew I got at least one serving a week. Couldn't taste it, and they were always delish. (Now I adore raw brocc!)

*An important note: Adding a citrus fruit helps to cut the thickness. I've tried making the smoothies without, and they were so thick that they became brain freeze inducing.*

For a big batch like this, you can blend down the first half of the ingredients to make room for the rest. Just the lower blend setting, like chop, does the trick before you puree the whole batch together.

Ohhh, look at that beauty... gorgeous! And so humble. They may be green smoothies, but I'm making them blush! Ok, so it may have something to do with the punch of antioxidant berries in the mix.

I think reusable POM tea glasses with seal tight lids are the perfect option for getting fresh smoothies every day straight from the fridge. For all our fancy glasses from the wedding registry, these are our most versatile glasses. I love that I can seal them up, but they're also a great size. Plus we know we can pick more up anytime at the grocery store with the extra bonus of the tasty tea inside!