Banana Pear Smoothie

by Amanda Russell

Best Way to Start your DAY!!!

Coffee??…. Not anymore!
I have heard all the rage about the stereotypical ‘healthy-nuts’ loving smoothies, with seemingly disgusting ingredients and I just never understood. They claim it is just ‘so good for you’, and I thought they were just a bit brainwashed. No way would I ever be one of them.

THEN, recently I saw Dr. Frank Lipman, an integrative nutrition doctor (http://www.drfranklipman.com/) who specializes in total mind and body wellness. I knew I needed more protein in my diet, but I also knew I needed something else because I was always tired and just ‘not recovering from workouts’. He suggested smoothes, ‘ugh’ I thought. But in a state of desperation, I said I’d try anything.

Soooo, the smoothie adventure began. I bought myself a ‘MagicBullet’, which is just a cup that plugs into a blender, thus saving the hassle of washing a blender! I highly recommend this, as it has changed my life! My one barrier to smoothies was having to deal with a blender - try the magic bullet, this is more than worth the money, and is the same price as buying 405 smoothies. For a really good price, I order mine from here: I also bought a couple different ‘magic ingredients’ – which I will outline below – and PRESTO. Within a few days I started feeling better. My energy was back, I am more alert and no longer am I famished within an hour of breakfast.

Since this ‘breakfast breakthrough’ I also began experimenting, first with the obvious smoothie addition – a banana, then berries and less banana, yogurt and flax seed, even avocado. Using fresh fruit or frozen fruit, the combinations were endless and to my surprise, the taste of the “powders” was completely undetected. I tried adding coconut water (love ZICO) or almond milk instead of filtered water and discovered how much I actually like the smoothies and how easy breakfast now was.
I was and still am hooked. Having a whey protein and nutrient-rich smoothie for breakfast is part of my morning ritual. I have even started creating my own travel packets so I don’t ever miss a day.

Banana Pear Smoothie (serves 1)

• Half Banana
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup filtered water
• 1 tbsn Sun Warrior protein powder (you need to be careful what type of protein you use, I recommend Sun Warrior, it's most easily absorbed and digested in the body - plus it's vegan for all the vegans out there :)
• 1 tbsn Ground Flax Seed
• 2-3 ice cubes
• Blend in a blender until smooth and creamy