Treat of the Week, Part 1: The Smoothie

I thought I would give everyone's brains a rest this week.  So, for a change, I will not impart tremendously useful knowledge to you today.  This week I would love to focus on the best ways to start and end the day.

I don't know about everyone else, but when I wake up in the morning I don't always feel like eating; it's as if my body isn't ready to accept food just yet.  I know how important it is to get the metabolism going as soon as possible (we'll delve into that in another post) so we have devised a way to get food in our systems while keeping it light and refreshing and not overwhelming at the same time.  I give you...

THE BARON GINSBURG SMOOTHIE


Ingredients

• 1/2 frozen banana 
• 3/4 cup frozen fruit of your choice (berries are a great option but we've also had success with peaches and mangoes - ANY supermarket will have bags of frozen fruit, just make sure that it is 100% fruit with no additives)
• 1 cup Almond Milk (we've tried many brands but are happiest with Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Original Unsweetened - most stores carry this now, as well)
• 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal (go with Bob's Red Mill if you can - the flaxseed is SO high in fiber and Omega-3 fatty acids)
• 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder (we use Navitas - you can skip this step if you'd like but we love having a little hint of chocolate in our smoothies)

Directions

1. Blend to desired consistency and drink up!  That's it!  That's all there is to it!  

We drink these smoothies every morning, right when we wake up, and they are just what the doctor ordered.  They only take about 5 minutes to make and they are the perfect blend of simplicity, healthy ingredients, and great taste.  The best part is - this is just our version.  You can add whatever you want to this basic template.  Wanna add some all natural peanut butter for thickness and protein?  Do it!  How bout a few drops of Agave for your active sweet tooth?  Go for it!  Or even a handful of spinach to get your dose of leafy greens?  Have at you!  Note: we've tried the spinach trick and, trust me, you can't even tell that it's there.  If leafy greens aren't your thing, THIS is how to eat them.  They won't affect the flavor and they give you ridiculous amounts of vitamins.  Drink your greens!  I encourage you to give this recipe a try, jazz it up to your liking, and start your day off by letting your metabolism get to work on easily digestible foods instead of the 1790 calorie (970 calories of fat) Big Country Breakfast at IHOP.

Thank you for reading, PLEASE become a follower, PLEASE find me and follow me on Twitter (@Recon_Carnivore), and PLEASE tell your friends!  Tune in on Friday for the perfect late night snack to end a hectic day!