I don’t mess around with breakfast. I have to have something in my system within an hour of waking up or I get really cranky and annoying. I like smoothies, but needed to find a way to make them easy to make and go and find one I like.
The part that makes this smoothie the best, and oh so green, is the tablespoon of spirulina powder. Spirulina is a nutrient powder keg. I make sure I get these smoothies with spirulina about four times a week. Spirulina is a blue-green algae. More specifically, it’s a microscopic algae, or a microalgae. Unless you’re a microbiolist, you don’t care. But you should care of all the health benefits of this sexy powder:
- Contains high concentrations of 18 Vitamins and Minerals
- Rich in Chlorophyll
- Contains ALL essential amino acids
- 65% of spirulina is protein, aka 1 ounce is equal to 16 grams of protein.
- Rich in gamma-linoleic acid (GLA) – an anti-inflammatory omega 6 fatty acid
- 100x the vitamin A of carrots
- 50x the iron of spinach
- 10x the beta carotene of carrots
- 7x the calcium of milk
- 6x the protein of eggs
- 3x more iron than beef
- Rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants
Yeah, it’s a 3,500 year old superfood that you should totally be consuming, if you have any sense. It doesn’t taste the best, and the smell confirms that it is for sure an algae powder. If you mix it into a smoothie though, you can’t taste it. You simply get the health benefits and pretty green color without the taste.
I buy my spirulina powder in the bulk section of Whole Foods. I like buying bulk there because you can get a little if you are trying something, or just need enough for a recipe, or get as much as your pretty little heart desires. It does look expensive when you see the $39.99 per pound price tag, but I got .175 pounds for $7 and that has lasted me over 20 smoothies, and I still have about 10 more. For the amount you use in this recipe, it is a lot cheaper than protein powder and a daily supplemental vitamin.
Don’t give me the excuse of “I don’t have time for breakfast” with this one. Prepping the produce for the smoothies and storing them in portioned out freezer bags have saved me so much time. I buy my pineapple, bananas, strawberries, and spinach and portion them out to little freezer baggies and then store all little smoothie packs in one larger gallon bag for breakfasts on the go. In this recipe, I listed the amount of produce that I include in one bag, make them ahead of time and keep in the freezer. By using the frozen produce, you do not need any ice in your smoothie and can avoid accidentally slurping a half-blended ice cube into your mouth.
You can even put your smoothie in a to go cup like this and take it with you for your commute. I found that my blender bottle keeps it from spilling in my purse.
What You’ll Need:
- 1/2 banana
- 2/3 cup chopped pineapple
- 2/3 cup of chopped strawberries
- 1 handful of fresh spinach, about 1 cup
- 1 teaspoon of spirulina powder
- 1 container of yogurt (greek, almond, coconut, non dairy, whatever)
- 1 cup milk (skim, almond, coconut, whatever
Let’s Get Cooking:
- Place the yogurt and milk into the bottom of your blender
- Add the spirulina powder
- Top with fresh or frozen produce
- Blend and enjoy.
bethcaseycooks 