Start your day on a healthy note...

What is the first thing do you take in morning? This question became quite a matter of discussion between two friends. O’ yeah!! I know it may be sounding little lame, but it does mean a lot to people like me who care about fitness and their eating habits. However, this particular question has changed my friend’s mornings.

So when I asked this question to my friend, I was amazed to know that his breakfast is pretty much an order from McDonalds or StarBucks or some other fast food outlet. This discussion had nothing to do with anti feelings towards junk food or fast food chains; rather just about eating healthy and being fit. When he asked me I replied - a fruity punch from a nice protein rich FRUIT SMOOTHIE!! No wonder I was answered with a shrug - “Hunh!! Who is having that much time to prepare so called healthy smoothie?” But for sure making a fruit smoothie takes lesser time than what it takes him to go to Starbucks and placing an order. The good news is that our discussion ended up in making him to buy a blender. This small conversation inspired me to write this post which is for people like my friend who want to opt for a healthy choice for their mornings.
As we all know that a smoothie is a kind of beverage made from usually fruits and juices added with other ingredients like chocolate, peanut butter or green tea for flavors but it tastes best when made with frozen fruits or ice. It is a perfect choice for enhancing a meal or to be taken just as a healthy snack.

First, if you don’t have a blender please run towards nearby electronic outlets and pick a good quality blender (which can crush ice as well). Spending on blender is like a long term investment for you so don’t hesitate in picking the best quality. Considering its benefits, it’s worth it to spend few bucks. Smoothies give you more fiber and vitamins than juices. So set aside few minutes for your smoothie in the morning. Drinking fruit smoothies will not only give you high water, fiber and nutrient content but will also bring a good feeling. (Trust me you are going to feel that first day itself!!) Also adding a protein supplement like whey protein powder to smoothie, gives you an adequate dosage of protein as well. The good thing about a smoothie is that it takes less time to prepare and in fact, you can prepare it like 7-8 hours before and store in the freezer.

Well…. what it is the perfect recipe for Fruit Smoothie? The answer is “NONE”. It really depends on your needs and imagination. However, here are few of my favorites:


Peach Banana Smoothie
Makes 2 servings
• ½ cup skim or reduced-fat milk
• 1 cup nonfat plain or vanilla-flavored yogurt
• 1 tablespoon honey, or more to taste
• 2 cups (8 ounces) frozen sliced peaches or other frozen fruit
• 1 ripe banana, sliced
• 1 tablespoon bran, optional
Put milk, yogurt, honey, peaches, banana, and bran in a blender and process until smooth. Serve chilled.

Peanut Butter Smoothie
• 1 banana (peel before freezing)
• 3 tablespoons peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
• 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
• 3/4 cups milk or soy milk
• Ice Cubes
Blend until smooth


BlueBerry Smoothie
Add contents to blender according to the order below and blend till desired consistency:
• 1 cup soy milk (or dairy milk)
• Vanilla protein powder (1/8 cup)
• 1 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1 apple
• Ice Cubes
(You can also replace blueberries with strawberries)




The Perfect All-In-One Smoothie
Makes two 16 oz glasses.
Add contents to blender jar in the following order:
• 1 cup soy milk (or dairy milk)
• half a scoop of vanilla protein powder (1/8 cup)
• 1/2 lemon with skin
• 1 kiwi with skin
• 1/2 cup grapes
• 2/3 cup blueberries
• 4 strawberries
• 1 cup raw spinach
• 1 apple
• 4 cubes of ice
(from http://www.perfectsmoothie.com/recipes/perfect-all-in-one-smoothie)


Kiwi Banana Smoothie

• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1 banana, cut into small pieces
• 1 small kiwi, cut into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon toasted wheat germ
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
Blend all and drink.


Tips for making smoothie
- Don’t use concentrate juices or syrups for making smoothies as they just add up more sugar.
- If using milk try to use low fat or if possible use soy milk. Low fat soy milk helps in increasing the nutrient content of smoothie.
- Grab a pack of flax seeds and put a scoop in blender. Flax seeds are a great source of fiber, lignans, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals.
- Don’t add sugar to smoothies. If absolutely necessary, pick bottle of honey.
- Add protein supplement like whey-protein powder. Pick any flavor which you like. Vanilla flavor is best known for tasting well with most of the fruits.

…so HAPPY BLENDING GUYS!!