Blueberry Almond Bliss With A Banana Twist Smoothie...

There are few things better then a delicious, nutrient dense smoothie to kick-start your day; but they’re also a great way to give you a little extra push in the mid to late afternoon when you’re starting to feel that drag. The following recipe is a variation on a smoothie I generally like to make after a sweaty mid-afternoon workout. I get that sweet taste that I crave along with a good pump of protein, fiber, enough carbohydrates to re-energize me, and enough potassium to replenish me. You can drink this for breakfast if you like to give your morning an added boost, but I really recommend trying it after a workout.

It is a truly good source of a whole slew of nutrients. The blueberries and almonds alone provide you a whopping 39% of your daily fiber, 12% Iron, 10% Calcium, 9% Potassium, 8% Carbohydrates, 2% Vitamin A, 4% Vitamin C and 6g of protein. Adding in one medium to large sized Banana adds an additional 10-15% fiber, 15-20% Potassium, 20% vitamin C, and 35% vitamin B6. Not to mention Potassium is one of your bodies most important electrolytes helping to aid in the normalization of blood pressure, heart function, and fluid balance. It’s for this last reason that I strongly believe this to be a particularly excellent smoothie to sling back after a workout. It’ll go a long way in helping you to replenish all that fluid you lost though your sweaty exercise regime.

Another added bonus of drinking this in the afternoon is you’ll be able to healthfully stave off those pre-dinner hunger pains. With your belly full and your nutritional needs met you won’t be running to the pantry for that bag of chips and a "diet" coke, that’ll only make you more hungry, bloated, and lethargic all while contributing to the excess bunching around your mid-section.

Blueberry Almond Bliss With A Banana Twist Smoothie

2/3 C unsweetened Almond Milk
½ C water (or as needed to thin)
3/4 C Frozen Blueberries
1/3 C Raw Almonds **
1 Medium Sized Banana
1-2 Packets Stevia (optional)
Generous dash of cinnamon

- Place Almonds and Almond milk in high-speed blender and let soak for a few minutes while you get together your other ingredients or tidy up a bit.

- After about five minutes or so add in blueberries, banana, cinnamon and quarter cup of water. Blend on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until everything is smooth.

- Check for consistency and sweetness. If too thick add another quarter cup of water. If not sweet enough add stevia to taste.

Enjoy in peace and quite, while reading a good book, or catching up on the weeks e-mail. You could also enjoy garnished with a handful of fresh blueberries.

*** Note - If you want to lower the calorie content of this smoothie or you simply don’t want to be overwhelmed by almond goodness, you can opt out of using the almond milk and use water instead. The smoothie won’t be quite as creamy but it’ll be just as tasty. Keep in mind though that if you do use the Almond milk, there is added nutritional benefit to it as well. Of course nutrient content will vary from brand to brand depending on what and how much it’s been fortified. The brand of unsweetened Almond milk that I use however had 25% Vitamin D, 50% Vitamin E, 20% Calcium, 2% Iron, 10% Vitamin A, 4% fiber, 5% Potassium, and 1g of protein for every 1 Cup serving!! ***

*** Raw nuts will yield a smoother result that’s milder in flavor, however if you prefer you can use roasted almonds as long as they are unsalted***