I’ve found that smoothies are a quick and easy way to consume a high number of fruits and vegetables in a short period of time. Combine the core ingredients with some seeds and protein powder and you have yourself a complete meal of healthy fats, carbs and protein. Here are the smoothies I’ve tuned over the years to jump-start my mornings and cool down my evenings:

Ingredient Rules

Before detailing my smoothie ingredients and process, it’s important to note some of the guidelines I follow for ingredient selection.

  1. Organic – I always buy organic ingredients if available. There are too many studies coming out that show how particles from pesticides and synthetic fertilizers make their way into food. These particles can’t be completely removed from washing the food and they make their way into our body upon consumption. Worse yet, there are a number of these particles that the body can’t filter and remove on it’s own so they end up building up in our system over time. This can lead to short term affects like allergies and long term affects like cancer. I’ll stay organic.
  2. Plant Based – I always stick to plant based ingredients. If you keep up with nutrition news or have watched any of the many Netflix documentaries (What The Health, Forks Over Knives, Food Inc.), you’ll know the correlation that dairy has with cancer and heart disease. For this reason, I don’t include common smoothie ingredients like yogurt or whey protein.
  3. Whole Foods – Besides the 100% Pea Protein listed below, I tend to stick to whole foods. I don’t do vitamin, mineral, or oil supplements. Vitamins and minerals are absorbed and utilized most efficiently when they’re consumed from a whole food. A number of studies show that a majority of the vitamins and minerals consumed from supplements go straight through the body without being absorbed or utilized. Don’t waste your money on supplements. Get those critical vitamins and minerals straight from the source.

Morning Jump-start

I make this smoothie every morning alongside my peanut butter English muffins. Despite what seems like a dull ingredient list, it’s delicious. It helps me wake up and feel energized to start my day and it’s nice knowing I’ve already consumed 2 servings of fruit and 2 servings of vegetables by 7 AM.

Morning Jump-start Smoothie

Ingredients:

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a blender as listed in the order above. Blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Nutrition: Serving Size: 1 Calories: 434 Fat: 11.5g Carbohydrates: 75.5g Fiber: 17.5g Protein: 19.6g

*** Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should only be used as a general guideline.

Evening Recovery

This smoothie bowl is usually the last thing I eat each day. It’s packed with protein for recovery and the coldness of it is calming/soothing. What better way to end the day than with another 2 servings of fruit, 30 grams of protein, and nutrient packed seeds. Plus, it’s so good that it tastes like a nighttime dessert!

Evening Recovery Smoothie Bowl

Ingredients:

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a blender as listed in the order above. Blend until smooth. Serve in a bowl with toppings.

Nutrition: Serving Size: 1 Calories: 630 Fat: 40.1g Carbohydrates: 35.8g Fiber: 14.8g Protein: 31.3g

*** Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should only be used as a general guideline.

Blending Done Right

I’ve owned and used a few different blenders in my life but nothing compares to my Vitamix. It pulverizes anything I put inside it. I’ve made these same smoothies listed above using my Vitamix and my friend’s Ninja blender. The difference was more than noticeable. With the Vitamix, we noticed it blended approximately 3 times faster savings us 2 minutes each time. The Vitamix’s end result was extremely smooth compared to the icee like results of the Ninja. And, it seemed to have more taste too. Plus, it comes with a 7 year warranty and excellent Amazon reviews. I’ve had my Vitamix for 10 years now so despite the high price, it’s proven it’s worth over the past decade. I highly recommend getting one if you’re into nutrition! As a side note, I’ve also used it to make nut butters, ice cream, and soups in the past. Below, is the model I recommend.

Vitamix E310

Summary

By consuming these two smoothies alone each day, you’ll have obtained 130% of your daily recommended fiber (based on a 2,000 calorie diet), 4 servings of fruit, 2 servings of vegetables, and a ton of vitamins and minerals. Make nutrition easier by starting your day off right, and ending it the same with these two smoothies.

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