Berry Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie...

I’ve been drinking oatmeal smoothies for years now, and it seems the mainstream is beginning to catch on to how awesome they are. I noticed while out grocery shopping recently that the juice company Naked has a new line of fruit flavored oatmeal shakes on the market. I’ve tried a couple myself and I have to say they’re not bad, and they seem to be slowly gaining in popularity. While it’s nice to see new vegan-friendly products entering the market all the time, offering a wide breadth of choice, nothing could be easier then making your very own oatmeal smoothie at home. Plus if you do it yourself it’s cheaper, more nutritious, and lower in sugar.

An oatmeal shake is perfect for breakfast on the go, or for those of us who may not always be in the mood to eat in the morning and so prefer a liquid breakfast. That’s basically what propelled me to make my first oatmeal smoothie several years ago. You see, I actually really love oats and oatmeal, but I’m not always the best at eating it on a regular basis, and I’m sure others out there can relate to that. For me oatmeal is something I have to be in the mood to eat and honestly when I’m ravenous I don’t have the patience to wait for it to cook. Which makes the oatmeal shake a perfect solution!

The other great thing about starting your day with an oatmeal smoothie is that you’re truly starting your day off right, because they are absolutely packed with nutrition and have sufficient calories to keep you full and energized straight to (or perhaps even past) lunch. Perfect if you have errands to run, meetings to attend or a lot of work to file by the end of the day. An oatmeal shake is also a healthy way to keep an eye on your weight as the high protein content will keep you full longer and help prevent you from snacking before lunch, or even gorging when lunchtime comes around.

Oh and did I mention that oatmeal smoothies are delicious? ‘Cause they are. I promise I wouldn’t say it unless I meant it, and I certainly wouldn’t drink them if I didn’t think they were totally bomb.
I tend to switch up my oatmeal shakes from time to time but the following recipe the one I make most often. I’m particularly fond of the blueberry and oatmeal combination, I mean really is there anything better? I think not, especially when you blend in some super smooth and creamy almond milk and finish it off with a dash of cinnamon. Perfect breakfast heaven!

So even if the idea of oatmeal in a shake sounds strange to you, don’t be afraid to give it a try, you just might find yourself amazed!

Berry Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie

2 C Fresh Blueberries (can use frozen if you like)
2 C Almond Milk (unsweetened or original)
1 Pack Frozen Acai Berry Puree (Thawed)
3/4 C Rolled Oats
1 1/2 Tbsp Hemp Seeds
½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ground Cardamom
1-2 packets stevia (optional)

- Place all ingredient in a high-speed blender and blend on high for 30-60 seconds until smooth. Pour into glasses and top with additional blueberries and hemp seeds for a lovely presentation!

And, just to give you an idea of the wonderful nutritional content of this smoothie, here are a few facts and figures taken right from the backs of the cartons/packages of the products I used. Obviously percentages will vary slightly depending on which brands you use, but you get the idea.

2 C of Blueberries = 48% Vitamin C, 28% Fiber, 70% Vitamin K
1 Pack Acai Berry Puree = 5% Fiber, 15% Vitamin A, 4% Calcium, 6% Iron, 1g Protein, 8% Vitamin C3
3/4 C Dry Rolled Oats = 22.5% Fiber, 7.5g Protein, 15% Iron,
1.5 Tbsp Hemp Seeds = 4% Fiber, 5g Protein, 10% Iron,
2 Cups Almond Milk (Silk Original) = 4% Potassium, 8% Fiber, 2g Protein, 8% Iron, 100% Vitamin B12, 20% Vitamin A, 50% Vitamin D, 90% Calcium, 20% Zinc

If you drink the entire blender full, then that’s an incredible amount of nutrition, heck even if you drink half the blender you’re still getting a whopping amount of both calcium and protein, so don’t ever let anyone tell you that as a vegan you don’t get adequate nutrition, in fact if you’re eating healthfully you’re probably getting superior nutrition. Considering that animal flesh doesn’t contain fiber, antioxidants, or vitamins and comes along with a heaping side of saturated fat. So drink your oats and be happy!

*** Note - For Gluten-Free be sure to use GF Oats!***