You know those days when you’re feeling super awake, alive, and in total flow with your day?  

When you’re focused, connected with your body, and tackling your projects like a pro?

Those days feel so, so good, like you’re squeezing the juice out of life. 

If you ask me, the best way to set yourself up for those kinds of days is to nourish your body with healthy nutrients first in the morning. When you start your day off right, the vibrance feels like it’s radiating from the inside out. 

For me, the foolproof way to get in that flow is to start the day with a morning smoothie. 

It’s what I’ve done every day for the past four years as I’ve built my business, made high quality connections with countless women, kept my marriage strong, and stayed on a regular workout routine. 

I won’t credit smoothies to all that, but I’m telling you — they’re awesome.

This technically qualifies as a green smoothie, though I honestly don’t like that term. It makes it sound…gross. Vegetable-y. Totally undersells it, no doubt. 

What it does do is kick off the day with vibrant fruits, greens you can’t taste (free veggies!), protein, and hydration to make you feel fresh, clean, and energetic. With tons of nutrients and goodness, it’s enough to keep you full until lunch. 

I’ve tried a lot of morning smoothies and this one is hands down my favorite. I legitimately had this smoothie every weekday morning for 3 years straight. I mix it up a bit more now, but it’s really that good. 

Five Reasons to switch to this morning smoothie

1. You’ll start the day fresh with fruits and veg, delivering an enormous amount of nutrients to your bod
2. You’ll hydrate 
3. You’ll get protein (10g in this one!)
4. It’s quick to make and clean-up is a non-factor (especially if you use the magic bullet!) 
5. It uses frozen ingredients, so you won’t have to worry about your fruits going bad

My favorite morning smoothie 

½ cup frozen pineapple

½ cup frozen mango

⅓ cup frozen spinach

½  banana 

1 tablespoon of ground flax seed (I don’t measure it, just do a healthy spoonful) 

1 scoop of wheatgrass powder 

Fill it up with water

Blend together, then stir in: 

1 tablespoon Chia seeds 

1 tablespoon Hemp seeds

I use a magic bullet for this smoothie, and can’t recommend it highly enough. You can make a single serving size, drink it right out of the cup, and pop both the cup and the base in the dishwasher after. Boom.

I buy all of my ingredients at Trader Joe’s except for the wheatgrass powder. I buy that on Amazon. Try the one I like here.

What’s the benefit of each ingredient?

All told, this morning smoothie packs: 10 grams of protein, 14 grams of fiber (over half of the 25g per day that women should get), and 330 calories.

So basically, it’s a perfect breakfast. 

Each of the ingredients is great on its own, which means you get a ton of nutrition when you put ‘em all together. Here are some quick stats:

Frozen pineapple – may boost immunity, lower cancer risk, and contains tons of antioxidants that fight disease, among other benefits.

Frozen mango – supports clear skin and healthy hair, may lower cancer risk, keeps arteries clear, and reduces risk of disease by lowering inflammation and providing many antioxidants, among other benefits.

Frozen spinach – great source of iron, which helps bring oxygen to the muscles, great source of Vitamin A, which promotes healthy skin and hair, lowers blood pressure, and may lower cancer risk, among other benefits.

Banana – contains nutrients that moderate blood sugar, great source of potassium, which can lower blood pressure and promote heart and kidney health, and contains antioxidants, among other benefits.

Ground flaxseed – high in Omega-3 fats and high in lignans, which may reduce cancer risk. 

Wheatgrass powder – high in vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. One study found that it also reduced oxidative stress to cells. 

Water – since you’re aiming for half your body weight in ounces each day, this is a great way to get a head start. Water also helps increase your energy, clear your skin, flush toxins from your body, and promote weight loss. 

Chia seeds – high in antioxidants, fiber, and high quality protein. Also high in omega-3 fatty acids, among other benefits. 

Hemp seeds – these are soft little seeds you buy in a bag at the store and sprinkle on top. Hemp seeds are a complete protein, meaning it gives you all the essential amino acids your body needs to function. May also reduce the risk of heart disease, among other benefits.

What about protein powder?

You might’ve noticed that I don’t add any protein powder to this smoothie – or any of my smoothies. 

This is one of the most common questions I get about smoothies. It’s easily worth its own post, but in short, most Americans eat far more protein than they need in a day, so it’s not necessary to add another 20 more grams into your morning smoothie. 

Not only are protein powders often unnecessary, they’re also considered a supplement, which isn’t regulated by the FDA. The result? Supplement companies have free reign to make their product how they want. In a study by The Clean Label Project, many protein powders contain heavy metals, high levels of BPA, and toxins. 

Many plant based protein powders are made from hemp seeds anyway, so you might as well just eat the real thing, just like the one included in this smoothie. 

While you’re at it, focus on getting most or all of your protein from natural sources like beans, grains, and seeds, rather than processed foods. Your mind and body will thank you!

 

So what are you waiting for?

If you’re ready to start the best new habit of your morning, go put these ingredients on your grocery list, get your blender out, and start it up!