Collagen Antioxidant Smoothie
Smoothies are the perfect way to pack in nutrients and all your macros and that is why it is one of the best breakfast options. Sometimes we can tend to make our smoothies overly complicated, so I wanted to give you and easy, no fuss, perfect smoothie.
Coconut water is one of my favorite smoothie bases because it has a slightly sweet flavor and it hydrated your body and cells as if it was H3O not H2O! It also doesn't add unnecessary calories, and is thicker than just using water, so it makes a much creamier smoothie. Nut-milk is nice too, but I like the hydrating benefits of coconut water, and I personally think it goes better with fruity smoothies. I also think we over-do it on nuts-everything... with the new healthy trends you could say we have gone a little "nutzo!" Anyways, enough of my rant.
I chose frozen spinach for this recipe, although you certainty could use fresh spinach too. Generally if you use frozen organic spinach, you can pack in more than if it was fresh. It's also easier, and keeping most of your ingredients frozen actually helps add to the thick, cool, texture and temp that makes a good smoothie. Kind of like icecream....but not.
Wild blueberries aren't widely available in stores around here, but I get mine at Trader Joes in the frozen aisle. Sometimes farmers markets have them too. Why not just use regular blueberries? Well, to answer your question, you could. But, the ingredient WILD blueberries was completely intentional. Wild blueberries have triple the antioxidant value than regular blueberries. According to the Medical Medium, scientists haven't even discovered 1/4 of the powerful benefits of wild blueberries yet. They are great for the liver, youth, and overall wellbeing. I'd suggest using them on the regular.
Frozen bananas give smoothies the best texture! It's truly hard to beat it! They are also great for fiber, potassium and prebiotics that help your tummy. Additionally, they are great for post workout recovery and muscle cramps - so power up with a banana in your post workout breakfast smoothie!
Collagen is an amazing protein. It helps your hair, skin, nails and joints. It fuels your muscles and helps grow and keep your ligaments strong. It is also healing to your gut. If you're vegan, please use spirulina, vitamin C rich fruits and vegetables, and if you can, a good vegan source of creatine... I use Kreatine by Nutritional Frontiers. You can order some from me! It's amazing for workouts and keeping us youthful, strong and getting the proper amino acids.
You're going to want to use a nice highspeed blender that can really break up the spinach and other ingredients into non existence.. at least to your eyes and taste buds. But truly, this is a pretty good tasting smoothie anyways. I love this blender for everything. I probably use it 2 or m ore times/day.
Collagen Antioxidant Smoothie
Serves 1 | Prep Time 2 mins | Total Time 4 mins
Ingredients
1 C / coconut water
½-1 C frozen spinach
½ C / frozen wild blueberries
½ of a frozen banana
2 tbs collagen powder
High speed blender
Directions
Add it all to a blender or blend and go cup and blend until creamy. Enjoy with a straw and make sure to chew your smoothie for better digestion ;)