Most Important Meal of the Day

Growing up we’re told breakfast is the most important meal of the day. As adults, breakfast tends to become a lost meal. Whether we’re running late to work during the week or sleeping in on the weekends, I’m willing to bet most “grown-ups” don’t eat for the first time each day until 11am or even later, even though most of us are up and running much earlier.

To give a little breakfast back story, according to WebMD, breakfast eaters tend to weigh less, snack less, and have higher levels of concentration and better performance throughout the day. Breakfast eaters also have higher energy and motivation levels, which can help with staying on top of your workout routine.  The most important ingredient? Protein, protein, protein, which satisfies hunger more than any other food type.

For a very long time I was a victim of the “no breakfast” trend. I would set my alarm earlier so I would have time to drink my coffee and eat a bowl of cereal before leaving the house, but time and again I just hit “snooze.” I realized I needed something on the go and delicious that I could look forward to eating each day.

In honor of spring, I decided to purchase a blender so I could make fruit smoothies and drink them during my morning walk to work. It was on the expensive side, but I invested in a KitchenAid 5-Speed Blender.

After about three weeks I can confirm that it was totally worth it. Yes, I need to wake up 10 minutes earlier to make the smoothies, and yes, I need to wash the blender every day, but between the delicious taste and the clear health benefits, it’s all time very well spent. I even bought the reusable smoothie cup below for easy on-the-go consumption. All of the above is dishwasher safe.

You can definitely switch out the types of fruit used to change up the flavor, but here is what I use to make the smoothies (enough for two people to have breakfast, or you can half the recipe for one person):

Ingredients:

6 large ice cubes

10 frozen strawberries

2 fresh bananas

2 very large scoops of 0% Fage yogurt

2 scoops of GNC brand Whey Protein (vanilla ice cream flavor)

2 packets of Splenda

½ cup of water (more or less as desired)

Preparation:

1. First use the “crush ice” speed to crush the ice cubes and frozen strawberries

2. Once those ingredients are crushed, add in the bananas and yogurt, and use the “puree” speed to blend

3. After blending, add in the protein and Splenda, and use a combination of the “mix,” “puree” and “liquefy” speeds to create a smooth consistency – you may need to stop every couple seconds and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides

4. Last you’ll add in the water and use the “mix” speed to achieve desired thickness

5. Enjoy!