My Signature Smoothie

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Good Monday Morning! I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday! We got home from Scottsdale last night, after enjoying a wonderful week with my parents and Clay. We had perfect weather and soaked up as much warmth as we could to take back with us to chilly Colorado. Tons of delicious food, football, and family time made it an almost perfect week! Having Emily and Joe there would have pushed it into the “perfect” zone.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about some of the ways I incorporate supplementation of collagen and creatine into my breakfasts.  You can find that article here to review the benefits of collagen and creatine for peri and menopausal women. I mentioned that I usually blend them into my morning smoothie, and I got a few notes from readers asking for my smoothie recipe.  Thank you for the requests, and I’m so happy to share! 

Calling this my “signature” smoothie may be a bit of a stretch, but I’m a fan of alliteration, so I’m just gonna roll with it. It starts with Unsweetened Almond Milk, and I’ve recently started adding Kefir milk as well.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, Kefir is a fermented milk that has quite a tart/tangy flavor.  In my article, “A Synergistic Approach to Supplements” (here), I wrote that one of my personal health goals is to support my gut health and mentioned several ways to promote a diverse gut microbiome.  A healthy gut, which starts with a microbiome full of a huge variety of beneficial bacteria, supports everything from our immune system to brain health.  (You’ll be hearing more from me about gut health soon!)  Fermented foods help the proliferation of beneficial bacteria.  I’m not a big consumer of fermented food, but on a recent visit to Whole Foods, I stumbled upon their Organic Kefir products that come in a variety of flavors.  (I grabbed the strawberry).  Although I don’t see myself chugging a glass of this stuff, I can definitely add it to my smoothie!  Ounce for ounce, kefir has more probiotics than yogurt, making it my new choice for smoothies.

Next, I add two big handfuls of fresh organic baby spinach.  Okay, here’s the deal with fresh baby spinach, when blended with fruit and all the other goodies I add, the taste is undetectable.  Raw fresh spinach is so mild that the taste disappears and you’re left with all the nutritional benefits, so if you’re feeling unsure about this, please give it a try!

I always throw in a whole, unpeeled kiwi.  (Just cut the ends off). I know, I know – I was afraid of the prickly, fuzzy skin, too.  This is another one that you’re going to have to trust me on.  My triple blade Ninja blender does such a good job pulverizing the kiwi, that the skin gets fully incorporated.  The kiwi skin boosts the fruit’s fiber by 50%, as well as boosting the folate, Vitamin E, and antioxidants.  The main reason I started adding fresh kiwi to my smoothie is that it contains an enzyme, actinidin, which aids in digestion and can help prevent constipation. Boom – sold!

Ninja Blender link

I add 2 scoops of Orgain Organic Protein Powder (thank you, 21 grams of protein!), 1 scoop of my favorite Collagen, and 1 scoop of my favorite Creatine. 

I have three “Super Seeds” (again with the alliteration!) that I like to add . . . Chia, Flax, and Hemp.  All these seeds are great sources for additional protein and fiber, and they all should be readily available at your regular grocery store.  Take a look at some of the reasons I call them “Super Seeds”:

Chia is truly a super food:

• Omega 3 fatty acids – great for heart health and brain health
• Excellent source of magnesium, calcium, and phosphorous, all critical for bone health
• Digestive support (another constipation warrior)
• The unique fiber in chia seeds slow the absorption of carbohydrates, thus, lowering blood sugar.

Flax seed is another good source for Omega 3’s. One important thing to note, if you buy whole flax seeds, you’ll need to grind them up (like in a coffee grinder).  I buy pre-ground flax seeds, or flax seed meal.  Grinding the flax allows for the bioavailability of the nutrients.  Left whole, our bodies don’t break them down in digestion, and they just pass right through without “releasing” all their goodness.  Take a look at how ground flax seeds can benefit women in perimenopause and menopause:

• Flax seeds contain Phytoestrogen compounds, that mimic the effects of estrogen in the body, and may help with vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes and night sweats).

• Flax also contains lignans which are a type of polyphenol (or nutrient- dense biochemical compounds).  Lignans support estrogen balance by binding to estrogen receptors in the body and acting as a governor to manage estrogen absorption based on the body’s current needs.

Hemp Seeds – yes they come from cannabis, and NO, they do not make you high in any way.  Beneftis of hemp seeds include:

• Excellent source of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids, both tremendous antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients that are beneficial for everything from brain health and metabolism to mood support. Our body cannot make it’s own Omega 3’s and 6’s, so we must get these nutrients from our food or supplements.
• More than 25% of the total calories in hemp seeds is from protein, making them the highest concentration of high quality protein of all the seeds we’ve discussed.
• Hemp seeds contain gamma linolenic acid (GLA), which has been linked to improving serum cholesterol ratios – lowering LDL (the bad cholesterol) and increasing HDL (the good cholesterol).

Safety with Chia, Flax, and Hemp seeds:  It is possible to get too much of a good thing.  Consuming too much of these seeds could cause uncomfortable bloating and digestive distress.  Additionally, these seeds do contain a concentrated amount of fat, albeit healthy fat, so from a caloric intake perspective, we should be cognisant of the amount we consume.  I am a big fan of the “all things in moderation” approach, so I use 1 tablespoon of each type of seed in my smoothie.

To round out my smoothie, I like to add organic frozen blueberries and/or strawberries.  This is where my smoothie recipe has some variations.  If I have fresh fruit on hand that needs to be used, I’ll throw it in.  As fantastic as fruit is nutritionally, it does contain sugar, so I limit the amount of fruit I add to 2 cups (including the kiwi).

This recipe makes a big, delicious smoothie that is packed with protein, fiber, healthy fats and nutrients.  A lot of days, I make one, put it in my big Stanley cup and sip on it throughout the day.

Here’s a little “meal prep” trick that I started back when I had to be at the hospital super early in the morning for a 12-hour shift.  I made “smoothie packets”; little baggies with all the powders and seeds that go into my smoothie.  I also made baggies of portioned fruit that I kept in the freezer.  I always re-use all the baggies multiple times . . . until one develops a tear or hole.  Keep the used, empty frozen berry bags in the freezer, and just refill them when you’re ready to make your next big batch.  It takes a little bit of time to plan ahead and prep 14-ish smoothie packets.  But not only does it shave a few precious minutes off the morning rush, it also makes me more likely to make a smoothie because the process is so much easier and streamlined.

I hope you give this smoothie a try and let me know how you like it. If you have a smoothie recipe you love, please share in the comments! This community is all about learning from each other!

Have a wonderful Monday, friends, and I’ll see you back here on Wednesday!

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