Good Morning!
I feel like it’s time to confess something: I HATE EGGS. Seriously, if you ever see me make an eggy breakfast, it’s for Taylor. Sometimes I feel like the only person on the planet that hates eggs, which has always made breakfast the red-headed stepchild of meals for me. Growing up, I would just eat leftover dinner for breakfast. At brunch outings, I opt for the lunch menu. The first time I tried a green smoothie, it changed my life.
Now, I make this practically every morning before work. It only takes 5 minutes, it’s portable, and cold liquids just go down really easy for me in the morning. Plus I get the added bonus of ENERGY since I am not inhaling a carb bomb of bacon, egg, cheese, biscuits, potatoes, pancakes, etc.
The secret behind a truly life changing, fat busting, energy giving power morning smoothie: calories.
You need to strive for 300-400 calories of fruit, veggies, and whole grains in your smoothie to keep you full for 4 hours until lunch. Anything less will just leave you starving and snacky in two hours, leading to crappy food binges later. The right calories will keep you slim, energetic, and satisfied all day long.
Here’s my go-to morning smoothie, but the best part is it’s completely customizable! I’ll show you how below:
How to make the PERFECT green smoothie:
- Liquid. Always start by adding one cup of liquid to the blender to make everything blend easier. I love unsweetened almond milk, coconut milk, pineapple juice, or for a REAL wake up call, COFFEE! If you are using an un-sweet liquid, consider adding a teaspoon of honey to keep it delicious.
- Fruit. Because it’s sweet and delicious and you need to cover up the taste of your greens! Bananas are amazing bases for smoothies because they turn creamy and thick. I love to add a few chunks of fresh pineapple because it’s the best acidic flavor to hide all the healthy ingredients. Basically any yellow fruit, (banana, pineapple, mango, peach) are my favorite because it doesn’t turn your smoothie an appealing brown color. Also, frozen fruit is always a super easy and inexpensive option for smoothies. Don’t make life any harder than it has to be 🙂
- Greens. Don’t knock it ’til you try it. I know it’s a weird color, but I promise if you do this right you won’t taste it at all. Do you know the WONDERS two cups of spinach will do to your body? The first time you make this don’t be surprised if you feel a little drunk and giddy- that’s just the nutrients energizing your body and it’s wonderful. I highly recommend spinach for the blendability and taste. I know kale was a thing, but it’s gross and gritty in smoothies.
- Protein/ Whole grains. This is the key too a smoothie that fills you up and keeps you happy all morning. I LOVE dry oats for their nutty taste and stick-to-your-ribs qualities. Oh, and it’s like $3 for a year’s supply. Other options include greek yogurt for a creamy, protein-packed smoothie, peanut butter because YES, or chia seeds if you love Whole Foods and being adventurous.
Calorie breakdown:
Here’s my go-to:
- 1 banana: 90 calories
- 1 cup pineapple chunks: 70 calories
- 2 cups spinach: 40 calories
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk: 30 calories
- 1/3 cup rolled oats: 120 calories
- 1 tsp honey: 20 calories
GRAND TOTAL: 370 calories
I now love breakfast and can’t live without it. What’s your favorite go-to breakfast?
- 1 banana
- 1 cup pineapple chunks, fresh or frozen
- 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
- ⅓ cup rolled oats
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tsp honey
- 5-6 cubes of ice
- Add all the ingredients to a blender, and blend on high 30 seconds. Enjoy chilled.
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Very Interesting, must try.
Hey Ally. Some more great recipes for me to try this week! I take you as a bit of an OCD kinda person like myself and wanted to let you know something about the morning power smoothie. In your chart showing each meal for each time for each day of the week, the smoothie is listed as 270 calories. But then in the recipe the ingredients add up to 370 calories. I liked 270 better if you have any tips to reduce it haha.
Oh no, does it?! I’ll have to fix that! Thank you for catching that!
Hi Ally….I just came across your post in Pinterest this weekend and after reading this I thought..FINALLY someone else who hates eggs and is challenged for breakfast. I also do smoothies for breakfast. Your plan got my attention because the first thing I looked at was breakfast and it didn’t have eggs! 🙂 thank you for sharing.
Ughhh yessss! Finally another person who is RIGHT like me haha 😉 welcome, and I’m SO glad you found me then.