Smoothie Round Up!
I love a good smoothie! We have them several times per week in our house. They are an easy way to get a jumpstart on the day and my husband and kids love them! Smoothies can also be loaded with sugar and cause you to crash if the ingredients are not well thought out. A smoothie made with all fruit and fruit juice (like some smoothie chains) are NOT the healthiest option even though they may seem like it. Shout out to Kelly Levaque with Be Well By Kelly, I love how thoughtful her Fab 4 Smoothie recipes are. In a nutshell, the Fab 4 Smoothie at its core has a balance of protein, fat, fiber and greens (one serving of protein + one serving of fiber + unlimited greens + 2 tablespoons of fat + superfoods/phytonutrients). This combination offers an energizing and satisfying smoothie that provides tons of nutrients and supports blood sugar balance. I use this basic framework for all of our smoothies. Here are some good options for each of these categories:
Protein: protein powders (we use Unflavored Designs for Health Whole Body Collagen, Amy Myer’s Hydrolyzed Beef Protein or Be Well By Kelly Unflavored Grass Fed Beef Protein), nuts and nut butters
Fat: nuts and nut butter, olive oil (just a tablespoon or two), full fat grass fed dairy yogurt, coconut milk, avocado, chia seeds, ground flax seeds
Fiber: frozen cauliflower (or frozen cauliflower rice), veggies like zucchini, carrot or cucumber, apple, psyllium husk, banana (opt for greener, less ripe banana = less sugar and more fiber)
Greens (or phytonutrient dense superfoods): spinach, kale, or any mixed greens, parsley, blueberries, blackberries, pumpkin, turmeric, tart cherries or splash tart cherry juice, cacao nibs
The Percowycz Household Smoothie Round Up and favoriates:
Tis the (Pumpkin Spice) Season:
Pumpkin Spice Smoothie
Yield: 2 smoothies
2 scoops collagen protein (I use Designs for Health Whole Body Collagen, unflavored)
1 cup yogurt (typically use Forager unsweetened plain cashew yogurt or unsweetened vanilla)
1 banana (try to go for a greener banana if possible)
4 tablespoons almond (or PB) butter
¾ cup frozen riced cauliflower
¾ cup organic canned pumpkin
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (Malk is my favorite brand, unflavored or vanilla)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp cinnamon
Handful of ice cubes
optional: couple tablespoons cacao nibs
Percowycz Family Fav: PB & J Smoothie
Yield: enough for two adult smoothies and two small smoothies for the kids
2 scoops collagen protein (I use Designs for Health Whole Body Collagen)
1 cup organic frozen blueberries (sometimes will add frozen tart cherries or other berries)
4-6 tablespoons PB or Almond butter
1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
1 cup yogurt (typically use Forager unsweetened plain or unsweetened vanilla cashew yogurt)
1-2 cups unsweetened almond milk (Malk is my favorite brand)
2 big handfuls spinach (or whatever leafy greens we have)
1 banana (try to go for a greener banana if possible)
My favorite Green Smoothie
(This smoothie takes a little more prep work but is totally worth it!)
Yield: 4 smoothies
2 scoops collagen protein (I use Designs for Health Whole Body Collagen)
1 lemon (peeled and take out any seeds)
½ granny smith apple
½ cucumber
½ avocado
½ banana (try for a greener banana if possible)
2 cups greens (I use any on hand but spinach, kale or spring greens work well)
1 cup parsley leaves
1 cup frozen pineapple
1 cup yogurt (typically use Forager unsweetened plain cashew yogurt or unsweetened vanilla)
1-2 cups ice cubes
½ cup filtered water
References:
Russel et al. (2016) Impact of Diet Composition on Blood Glucose Regulation, Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 56:4, 541-590, DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2013.792772
I hope you enjoyed this Smoothie Round Up! To learn more about Alison Percowycz, MSN, FNP and her journey to Functional Medicine, click here!