Why smoothies can be important for breakfast

Why smoothies can be important for breakfast

by | Aug 16, 2017 | Healthy Living, Healthy Snack Ideas, Recipes

Hey there, how are you doing with your breakfast habits?

And how do you feel throughout the day? Do you get those moments when your energy crashes, maybe mid morning or after lunch? I guess you have heard it before that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? And it really is. Sometimes it just doesn’t fit into our schedule though, the way it should or we don’t really feel hungry early in the morning when we are getting ready for our day ahead. That’s what it is like for me, it’s very rare that I can really eat something at 6 or 7. Then I only have my glass of lemon water and a cappuccino with hazelnutmilk.

But how we begin the day will determine how the rest of the day goes.

It will determine if we feel energized or if we feel dragging with a lack of energy. What we put in our bellies is directly related to how we physically feel. So if you are a skip-breakfast and grab-the-coffee-mug morning person then this blog is for you. We all need and crave energy. Sometimes it is so easy to want to grab a quick bowl of cereal or even forget breakfast and just get through the morning on 1-2 cups of coffee for the energy needed to survive the day. I don’t want you to just survive through the day though; I want you to thrive through the day. I also don’t want you to go on the “crash and crave” roller coaster for the entire day. If you begin your morning with caffeinated coffee and sugar and don’t have anything else for energy you will crash, and you will be either too tired to make it through your responsibilities or you will be reaching for another cup of coffee to get through a few more hours.

Smoothies are a wonderful quick alternative to a fast breakfast that can help energize us throughout the entire day.

When you toss in some greens, a little fruit, and a healthy liquid like coconut water you are bound to feel energetic and ready to take on the day. Starting the day with a smoothie also gives you well needed antioxidants which help protect our bodies from free radicals, and it is a great low glycemic start. Eating a low glycemic breakfast will help curb your sugar cravings for the entire day and it will also help with not crashing. So here comes the caveat: for it to have a low glycemic impact it is important that the smoothie contains a high content of greens plus little fruit and maybe even some healthy fat in the form of flax, chia or hemp seeds. Almost all of the store bought, ready made smoothies you find nowadays in the cooling shelves of supermarkets are at the contrary of a very high glycemic impact, as they mostly contain fruit, so they should be really avoided or be an exception. Make sure you always read the ingredient list! The great thing about a smoothie is that you can take it with you if you don’t fancy having it early in the morning, but maybe around 9 or 10 or even later. When you are about to consume your smoothie always stop for a moment and take 3 deep breaths, thinking about the wonderful food you will be enjoying, maybe even smelling it. This centers you and calms you down, so that then you can drink it slowly and chew every sip. Yes, chew it! I know it sounds strange, but it is so important as it ensures that the digestive enzymes in your saliva can start with the digestion. It also helps the release of hydrochloric acid into your stomach, which will help further with the digestion.

So what should you put in your smoothie?

What greens can you put into your smoothie? Basically all dark leafy greens, think fresh spinach, kale, parsley, coriander, basil, lettuce, romaine salad, lambs lettuce, rocket, chard greens, bok choy greens and even wild greens like nettles. For a starter I would suggest to go with spinach, lambs lettuce or salad, as they taste milder. But it’s good to rotate them anyway, so just start to try them out or the ones you can get your hands on. If you can’t get fresh greens which is always best, there is also an alternative: dried and powdered greens, which often contain the highly nutritious wheatgrass powder and much more. You can get them in health food stores or online, there is a wide variety of them available. So next time you want a quick breakfast, try a delicious smoothie that will leave you feeling energized and motivated. A morning smoothie will provide your body with the nutrients it needs to produce natural energy and naturally boost your metabolism. So, what are you reaching for tomorrow morning? I know I will be making my blender sing and getting ready for some long lasting energy.

Here are 3 smoothie recipes, so that you can get an idea of the ingredients and try them out.

But then feel free to experiment with your own ideas and ingredients.

BERRY BEAUTY

  • 1 cup romaine
  • 1 cup kale
  • 1 1/2 cup water or non-dairy milk (coconut, hemp, or almond milk)
  • 1/2 cup strawberries
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 1 tablespoon flax meal

 GREEN MAGIC

  • 2 cups spinach
  • 1 handful of parsley
  • 1 1/2 cups water or non-dairy milk (coconut, hemp, or almond milk)
  • 1 banana
  • 1/2 cup berries
  • 1 tablespoon flax meal

SUPERFOOD ENERGY

  • 2 cups spinach
  • 1 1/2 cups water or non-dairy milk (coconut, hemp, or almond milk)
  • 1/2 cup frozen mango
  • 1 tablespoon flax meal
  • 2 tablespoons bee pollen (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon chia seeds (optional)

Blend all ingredients & enjoy! Any questions or comments, let me know!

I am looking forward to see you making smoothies and having glorious days! 🙂

This is just one way of having a healthy breakfast and I will be sharing more ideas in the coming weeks. Stay tuned by connecting via my facebook page or why not download my 4-day eating plan here below with recipes and tips, in that way you can also receive further information from me via email as long as you want.

In any way: it’s great having you!

Martina

How a Salad Dressing can give you Freedom

How a Salad Dressing can give you Freedom

by | Jul 8, 2017 | Healthy Living, Recipes

Salad or sandwich? Which do you grab when you are hungry?

Do you often find yourself deciding against the salad because not only do you have to wash and prep the salad ingredients, but you also have to make the dressing and it’s that last bit that then seems to make the whole process too burdensome? And a sandwich is so much easier, right? Just grab and go!

I have been in that situation countless times, but then found a way to move beyond this and it’s been the best discovery and one that to this day still makes me happy every time.

It’s such a simple and small thing, but it makes a hell of a difference. It actually gives me freedom! Yes, I said it. Salad Dressing gives me freedom! Now let me explain that one, otherwise you might thing I am completely mad… 🙂

So… Salad Dressing. The big difference in your kitchen!

A salad dressing in a little screw top bottle, ready to be poured over a bowl with lettuce or cucumber or grated carrots and so much more. A healthy salad dressing, home made, free from any strange ingredients, just the basic stuff, just those few ingredients and voila’! Dinner or lunch or snack is served!

I absolutely love it. It has allowed me the freedom to make the healthier choice because it’s an easy choice, quick to prepare. That’s what I need, simple food, natural, quick to make, no fuss. Especially at lunch time I often ignore any signs that my body needs to be fed and continue to work until I get really strong hunger pangs and then I need food NOW!

Do you recognize this maybe?

In that situation I don’t have any patience to spend time with lengthy preparations and I would grab the first thing coming into sight, so it’s really important that the first thing coming into sight is something nutritious or reminding me of a nutritious option. Hence the bottle with salad dressing sitting on my counter, in full sight, always ready.

I thought I share this with you, as sometimes it’s those simple things that can turn our situation around. And it took me a long while before I realized that I could make this dressing in advance…

Best of course are those days when I have some prepped lettuce in my fridge as well, so I don’t even have to waste time to wash my produce. Those days are still rare occasions, since menu planning in advance is not my strong side. But every time I am so impressed by the added ease to meal preparation that I swear to do this more in the future from then onwards… hmm, I think I will get there one day. Sometimes a good thing needs time, right?

So, let’s finally get to that dressing then, shall we? Better get it out of the way how easy it is and actually not a big thing!

It’s a very simple dressing, I have been making for years and I have never tired from it!

And I never actually measured this, just went by approximate amounts and by feeling and taste testing. I tried to make one and measure it for you, but please taste test as well, since we all have different preferences. And you can always spice it up when you make the salad by adding some pepper or fresh basil leaves or garlic or spring onions. This way you have a neutral base and can give it your own twist every time.

You can make a bigger batch in the blender, this is what I do most of the times now. I actually use empty and washed olive oil bottles as they help with pouring the dressing.
But you can also just put all ingredients in a glass bottle with a wide screw top neck and then shake vigorously until all the ingredients have amalgamated.
Make sure to shake the bottle every time before you use the dressing to help amalgamate the ingredients again and make the dressing silky smooth again.

So here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
  • ½ cup organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar (use more if you like your dressing more tart)
  • 1-2 TBS mediumstrong mustard, less if very strong
  • 2-3 TBS organic Nama Shoyu (or Tamari, Coconut Aminos or other type of organic Soy Sauce)
  • 2 tsp (or to taste) herbal salt or himalayan salt / see salt
  • 2 TBS honey or maple syrup or a few drops of stevia if you want to keep the glycemic index down

Easy, right?

Play around with the proportions and adjust to your liking. Once you have found your perfect basic salad dressing you are all set for quick healthy meals and the freedom of going for the healthy choice!

If you want to see the ingredients I usually use, you can watch me running through them in this video.

I hope you feel inspired to give this a go and if you do, let me know how you liked it or how you adapted it to your taste! I am always eager to see what you come up with!

Stay well!
Martina

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