Super Healthy Smoothies you should try

Juicing every morning is part of my daily routine. I have never felt better after having a big fruit/Veggie shake as soon as I wake up.

In the morning, your stomach absorbs best, so make sure you feed it some great stuff. Forget the fried eggs, bacon and coffee. This can wait for later, or even better, be avoided.

Here is a little list of some of my favorite fruit shakes to start me up and energize the day:

1) Honeydew-Kiwifruit Smoothie- Save on calories and leave out the sugar in this recipe for a delicious all-fruit smoothie. Moreover, you’ll get a hefty dose of vitamin C and potassium, which is great for healthy bones and teeth.

Nutrition facts: 110 calories, 0 grams fat, 27g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 2g protein

INGREDIENTS:

2cups cubed honeydew
1 small Granny Smith (green) apple, peeled, cored, and cut up
1kiwifruit, peeled and cut up
Honey/sugar if desired (I use 1 tbs honey)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1cup ice cubes
Honeydew and/or kiwifruit slices

Mix it all up in a blender

2) Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothie – On the go? Blend a banana, peanut butter, and milk for a healthy breakfast you can easily take with you.

Nutrition facts: 303 calories, 9g fat (the healthy kind), 45g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 16g protein

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of skim milk/ plain soy milk/ Almond milk
1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter
1 medium banana
Add ice if you like

3) Banana and Kiwi Smoothie- The fuzzy kiwi fruit may be small in size, but talk about a triple threat. It’s loaded with vitamin C and antioxidants, which keep skin firm, promote healthy bones, teeth, hair, and protect you from cancer and heart disease.

Nutrition facts: 155 calories, 2g fat, 28g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 7g protein

INGREDIENTS:

1 banana
1 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced (about 1/2 cup)
1 cup low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup ice cubes
2 teaspoons maple syrup, optional

4) Strawberry, Banana & Flax Smoothie- Adding flax seeds to you diet is a great way to increase your intake of omega-3s, which are associated with a lowered risk of heart disease, cancer, and depression.

Nutrition facts: 278 calories, 7g fat, 43g carbohydrate, 7g fiber, 16g protein

INGREDIENTS:

1 small banana
1/2 cup frozen unsweetened strawberries
1 1/2 cups skim milk/light soy milk/almond milk
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds

5) Chocolate and Peanut Butter Smoothie- Chocolate for breakfast — why not? This smoothie has chocolate soy milk to satisfy your sweet tooth and frozen berries to give you a healthy boost of antioxidants.

Nutrition facts: 355 calories, 14g fat, 41g carbohydrate, 15g protein

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup frozen berries
1/4 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup low-fat chocolate soy milk
2 tablespoons reduced-fat all-natural peanut butter (or less if you wish)

6) Whipped Strawberry Lemonade- If you’re fan of strawberry lemonade, you’ll love it in a smoothie form too. This smoothie recipe has more than 100 percent of your daily intake of vitamin C, which may help increase “good” HDL cholesterol levels and strengthen bones. And all for just 89 calories!

Nutrition facts: 89 calories, 0g fat, 23g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 1g protein

INGREDIENTS:

8 large strawberries, stems and leaves removed
1 cup sparkling mineral water, chilled
2 tablespoons honey
4 large fresh mint leaves
Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)

7) Sunrise Tea Smoothie- This blend of fruits like mango and papaya will make you feel like you’re on a tropical island, and you’ll get more than 100 percent of your daily intake of vitamin C to protect you from heart disease.

INGREDIENTS

2 bags of mint flavored green tea
1/2 cup diced mango
1/2 cup diced papaya
1 tea spoon of sugar/sweetener/ honey
1/2 cup ice
2 tea spoons of Juice from of a lemon

DIRECTIONS

1. Steep tea in 1 cup boiling water for 3 minutes.

2. Combine tea, 3/4 cup cold water and remaining ingredients in a blender. Blend until cold and frothy.

8) Apricot Smoothie- Use fresh apricots when they’re in season for an extra-juicy fruit smoothie. Plus, they’re rich in vitamin A, which helps your eyesight.

Nutrition facts: 394 calories, 10.5g fat, 63g carbohydrate, 7g fiber, 17g protein (this is almost like lunch, you might want to share)

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup calcium- and vitamin D-fortified soy milk/ Almond milk
1 BIG apricot
2 tablespoons orange-juice (real orange)
2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ
1/2 cup your choice of nuts (I like walnuts, almonds and hazel)
1 banana

These are some of my favorites and I hope that you’ll enjoy them. I think juicing is so much easier than eating fruits, which most probably most of us don’t even bother to eat. But when it’s blended nicely, it’s just more interesting.