Easy, Healthy Breakfast Smoothies

I love a good smoothie in the morning, and try to have one a couple times a week for breakfast. Added bonus: it’s a great way to get vegetables into my son’s diet bright and early in the morning without him knowing! Over the years, I’ve learned a few tricks to make the process easier. There are a million recipes out there, but here are my tips on an easy, healthy breakfast for your kids.

•  Pull out all of your ingredients, making sure you take out the frozen stuff first. It will blend better and help your blender last a little longer if frozen foods have been thawing for a couple minutes! (I’ve burned through a few blenders over the years!)
• Start with the greens. I like to make sure I’m eating a good portion of greens in my smoothies so I always add a handful of dark greens first. I change up what I’m using, but it’s usually kale, spinach, or a spring mix. Then I add my vanilla almond milk (vanilla adds a little more flavor) and blend for a minute. The last thing I want is to chew my smoothie! I feel like I’m sneaking in my veggies when I have a smoothie and to make sure I don’t taste or see them, I blend them for a while. The veggies are half the reason I have a smoothie in the morning. It’s a great way to start the day and then I don’t always feel the need to eat a salad for lunch because I basically had one at breakfast!
• Next I add the rest of my veggies—carrots, cauliflower rice, cucumber…pick your favorites! I’m always experimenting with combinations, and the more the better, as long as I don’t taste them! (I promise I like vegetables, I just don’t want to taste them in my smoothie!)
• Then comes the protein. Add whatever you like: nut butter, seeds, protein powder, avocado.
• Finally, I add the fruit.

These steps help me ensure I’m getting in all the good stuff before I add the sweet fruit. I don’t want to run out of room for the power nutrients by overfilling my blender with fruit. I also don’t use juice in my smoothies because I try to keep the sugar to natural fruit sugars, but if you need a little more sweetness, add the juice in last!

Here’s a recipe I’ve been loving lately:

This one comes out green so it feels extra healthy. What’s your favorite smoothie recipe? I’m always on the lookout for easy, healthy breakfast smoothies!