Smooth Mornings

Cereals rule for breakie these days – they’re fast, tasty, easy and unfortunately, too often loaded with a whole bunch of sugar that will have your energy level crashing well before 10am. So, what’s a girl to do? My solution is quick, easy and ah, smooth(ie)! Yup, I’m talking about those blender delights that can be whipped up in 2 minutes or less, contain a lot of energy rich nutrition and taste…mmmm…good! I’ve been working at perfecting my smoothie recipe for a long time…trying to get the right balance of sweetness, fibre, protein, and all that other good stuff. I’ve been enjoying this one for over a year at least a couple of mornings a week and it’s a hit with everyone who tries it. My secret ingredient – pitted honey dates (lots of fibre, lots of taste!). Admittedly, I’m not one who likes to measure but I’ll do my best to steer you in the right direction…but know this…it is very, very difficult…no, almost impossible to screw up a smoothie! Place all but one ingredient in the blender, stir for a minute, liquify for a couple more minutes, pour into your favourite glass or grab and go container…and enjoy!

LYNN’S "SMOOTH MORNING" SMOOTHIE
Serves 2…or more, depending how much of it you want to part with!
2 BANANAS (ripe, over-ripe, really over ripe…doesn’t really matter)
1 part PLAIN YOGURT (no fat, 1% or 2%...your choice)
1 part FROZEN MANGO PIECES
1 part FROZEN STRAWBERRY PIECES
2 parts FRESH, NOT FROM CONCENTRATE ORANGE JUICE (I like Tropicana OJ)
5 or 6 HONEY DATES, pitted
1 tbsp (a few shakes) GROUND FLAXSEED
1 tbsp (a few shakes) WHEAT GERM
1 SCOOP VANILLA PROTEIN POWDER (add this at the very end and stir to mix)
GARNISH WITH A FRESH FRUIT SLICE