Breakfast Recipes: shakes and smoothies

My brother (Boss-Man to all of us trainers and a trainer himself) is Captain Smoothie. Every morning he whips together a wild blend of ingredients that comprise his morning breakfast. They work for him (and probably will for you too) because they are a quick and easy way to pack a lot of nutrition into one big to-go cup. Especially perfect for those who have a commute (and like to sleep in).

**One note: if you are planning on washing your dishes "later" (aka having someone else clean them) I recommend at least filling the blender with water before leaving it in the sink, so as to save yourself a lot of work and potentially save your marriage. ;)

For this section I will describe a good smoothie 'base' and then list a few other things you might want to add for nutrition or taste. You can't go too wrong with most combos assuming you've got a good base and even that's changable. See later for more specific recipes. 

Smoothie Base

1 banana

1-2C vanilla soymilk

1/2C mixed berries*

1-2 scoops quality protein powder 

Blend. 

If too thick, add more soymilk. 

Enjoy!

 *note: frozen make a great texture but be sure to at least drink warm water before or during so the cold doesn't slow down that metabolism we worked so hard to boost!

Smoothie Add-Ins

This is a list of 'da goods'. All these things have different benefits and tastes and reasons you should try them. Contact me for more information (or google 'em and see what you can learn!).

*'Green Powder': there are many makers of this kindof stuff (generally a blend of spirulina, wheat grass powder, algae etc.) but its important to get the good stuff. Metagenics apparently makes a great one (I get mine next week- Ill let you know what I think!). I used to take Greens+ and liked it a lot (its won a lot of awards!). HEALTH BENEFITS OFF THE CHARTS! look em up. seriously.

*Ground Flax Seeds: grind them yourself if you can. great source of fiber, healthy omegas, and have been found to reduce hot flashes by 50% in menopausal women! yey!

*Natural Peanut Butter: if you are NOT on a  diet and want to make your smoothie 'last' longer.

*Vanilla: a splash of this in a soymilk and banana shake makes for a yummy bananas and cream flavor

*Chocolate Soymilk: for the extra-indulgent. Better for post-workout than breakfast (too much sugar for the start of the day!).