Now that winter is officially over in the East Bay (I hope) it’s time to enjoy the abundance of fruits and vegetables that are coming into season with a delicious breakfast smoothie!! Normally in the winter-time I discourage my patients from drinking smoothies in the morning. A smoothie is cold, damp, and raw and can often make us feel sluggish, quite the opposite of what we set out to do when we drink them. But now that it’s warm and dry outside, it’s the perfect season to start the day with a cool, refreshing, and chock-full-of-vitamins drink!!

Yesterday was actually the first time that I made my own smoothie at home. The desire came from my inclination that I should for some reason start eating yogurt, which I actually despise. It’s just not something that I can eat by itself. Even with cut up fruit, it just makes me gag! Fortunately when blended into a fruity breakfast drink, it’s not so bad. Happy days!

I downloaded a free little e-book of recipes from EatingWell.com. I chose their “Wake-up Smoothie Recipe” even though it called for bananas, which I detest more than yogurt. Supposedly they are very healthy but in actuality they are evil and I refuse to accept them. To my delight, the instructions said that I could replace them with mango. Yes please. Let’s move on. I also added flax seed for a good dose of Omega-3 fatty acids and some kale for an extra added health benefit, plus I liked the earthy bitterness it brought to this rather sweet and sour drink. Here’s my altered recipe.

Yummy Breakfast Smoothie Recipe

1 1/4 cups orange juice, preferably calcium-fortified
1 mango – NO BANANAS!!
1 1/4 cups frozen berries
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon flax seeds
1/2 cup of chopping Kale (ribs removed)

Combine all the ingredients in a blender; cover and blend until creamy.
Serve immediately.

breakfast smoothie

Yummy, nutritious smoothies for the All-Star and I to enjoy!!

And for dinner I have to give a shout-out to Jen at My Kitchen Addiction for her absolutely delicious Ham and Bean Soup recipe. It is SOOOOO good. Here’s a photo of the little that’s left over.

ham and been soup

It’s a bit more pureed than Jen’s at My Kitchen Addition. I went a little nutty with the immersion blender. I’m in love with this tool!  Besides, we like mushy soups that look like baby food over here so it’s perfect!  😉

Please note that I do not judge nor discriminate against those who eat and enjoy bananas. Just please don’t eat them in front of me. Thanks!  ♥