I wrote a couple of posts back about my walking buddy. That is part of my morning health – getting exercise!
Today I’m writing about my morning “meal.” Yes, it’s a liquid meal, but it’s tailored to give me a bunch of stuff my body needs.
There is protein in the almond milk and hemp seed (back pile on the plate). Good for the vegetarian!
The ground flax seed (middle pile on the plate) is good for my heart (risk of stroke runs in my family).
The bananas give me stuff I need to help with muscle cramps (the tendency to get those runs in my family and I get them, too).
The greens are just plain good for me. Lots of nutrients! Everyone should try and get these in their diet.
See that dark powder (front pile on the plate)? That’s spirulina. It’s full of anti-oxidents. I only put a little bit in because too much overpowers the flavor of the shake. But 1 teaspoon is supposed to equal 5 servings of vegetables, so 1/2 teaspoon is nothing to sneeze at.
The chocolate! Need I say more? (This is a great way to get a chocolate fix without all the added sugar.)
Occasionally, if I’m really hungry, I’ll also add a dollop of almond butter for some extra fat. The shake is pretty filling as is.
And I blend it in my wonderful Blendtec blender, one of my most favorite purchases.
It winds up being a brownish green color, which turns a lot of people off. But you can’t judge a book by it’s cover and you can’t judge a shake by it’s color. Unless you want to judge it healthy!
I love the taste. It’s not too sweet, I suppose you could add some agave nectar or honey if you wanted extra sweetness. You could also add vanilla for some additional flavor. And the best part of this shake is that I know I’m giving my body lots of good stuff.
If you want to make this yourself, I wind up adding the bananas to the blender first, then almond milk to the 12 ounce mark. Then I pile in the rest of the ingredients. I think I probably add at least a tablespoon of cocoa. But I’m not really sure of exact amounts. Sorry!
I found out recently through an ultrasound that despite strong genetic tendencies towards stroke, I don’t have the plaque buildup that leads to stroke that many others in my family do. So this health thing is working!