Are you an early bird or a night owl? Mornings are my absolute favorite. Whether I’m home with my boys or visiting a new city, getting up before the hustle and bustle of the world has started with a coffee in hand is my favorite time of day. I find it so peaceful. Even though I tell S all the time that sleeping is my favorite hobby lol [I sleep like a brick], I like getting to bed early and up early!
Lately since I have been spread so thin, I try to leave my mornings as my ‘me time’ and digital free. Especially when I work from home, grabbing my laptop right off at 7AM to get a head start on work or reaching for my phone before getting out of bed to catch up on blog emails are both easy to do, but not healthy for me. I’ve been working towards finding a better balance between my corporate job, my business and personal life with my little family, friends, hobbies, fitness and loved ones. It’s hard to juggle, right?
I’ve found that prioritizing quiet time in the morning sets the tone for my day and allows me to have a breather before the day starts rolling.
All that to say, I’ve been resisting reaching for my laptop before 8AM – even when I’m swamped with work. Instead, I head on a run with S before work, make my recovery smoothie and sip on my coffee with Muenster after S leaves for work.
Muenster actually has the cutest morning routine. At our old apartment, he would loaf in front of our balcony door and have his ‘meditation time’ as S and I called it. He’s getting into a little routine in our new home now too, but his priority in the morning is looking out the window, dog watching and sitting in the morning stillness. That’s when I’ll sip on my coffee and sit with him for a bit instead of turning on Good Morning American or reaching for my laptop. I’ve been finding that I’m less stressed and have much better ‘work life balance’ since I don’t think of work, work, work from every hour of the day.
While I have not found the key to balancing everything, I hope that gives you a refreshed idea on starting your mornings if you’ve feel overwhelmed lately!
Speaking of mornings, I’m not sure I can love any beverage more than my morning coffee, but my morning smoothie is a close second! While I’ve shared my daily smoothie recipe ad hoc on Instagram Stories a few times over the years, I’ve never curated a blog post for you!
When it comes to smoothies, I’ve learned over the years that they can be easily be made to be chalk full of sugar and not filling. A strawberry banana smoothie may sound yummy and it’s surely better than ice cream as a dessert, but there is zero protein, zero greens, zero healthy fats and all the sugar from whatever milk is being used and the fruit will just spike your blood sugar and send you into fat storage.
When it comes to smoothies, I try to reference Be Well by Kelly’s Fab Four smoothie guidelines: fat, fiber, protein and greens. When I build my smoothie by her Fab Four guidelines I am always full until well past lunch, have less sugar cravings throughout the day and get loads of vitamins into one meal!
Before we hop into it, the Vitamix blender we received as a wedding gift and LOVE is $100 off at Crate and Barrel right now. Wanted to note since I get asked about it a lot! You can shop it HERE.
MY DAILY PROTEIN PACKED GREEN SMOOTHIE RECIPE
- Tone It Up Protein Powder – 1 scoop *protein, check!
- Vital Proteins Collagen Powder – 1 scoop *protein
- Amazing Grass Green Superfood – 1 scoop *fiber, check!
- Leafy greens: Kale or Spinach – 2 handfuls *greens, check!
- Califia Farm Unsweetened Almond Milk – 1 cup
- Ice cubes – 6
- Water – 1/2 cup as needed for consistency
From here, I just need to add in some healthy fats to complete my four Fab Four groups. Fun fact – healthy fats make you feel more satisfied and fulfilled after a meal.. like the feeling you have after a hearty, home cooked meal! So true, right? I’ve also found that healthy fats change up my smoothie the most as far as flavor and texture, so I switch them up a lot.
I add one of the following healthy fats to my daily smoothie:
- 1/2 an avocado
- 1 tbs of coconut oil
- 1 tbs raw almond butter or
- 1 tbs raw peanut butter
- 1 tbs chia seeds
- 2 tbs hemp seeds
*Tip: To avoid extra sugar and junk ingredients, make sure nut butters are unsweetened and unsalted.. the label should read literally just ‘almonds’ or just ‘peanuts’ 🙂
And while this is a really long post on the topic of smoothie, I just needed to share tow more superfood ingredients I L-O-V-E!
- Maca powder: This superfood is known to brighten your mood, boost energy, reduce anxiety and calm stress. It’s my HAPPY powder 🙂 Plus it stabilizes blood sugar levels [key for reducing fat storage] and so many other things you can find through Google. I purchase my bag from Trader Joe’s for ~$6 and it lasts me 6+ months. On top of the health benefits, I love adding this if I’m cravings something sweet!
- Cacao Nibs: Not to be confused with cocoa or chocolate :lol:. Cacoa nibs are a powerhouse of antioxidants, fiber and iron. I add these to my smoothie when I’m craving a crunch!
So there you have it! All this information may be overwhelming, but ya probably know by know I am a long form writer and provide the story from A to B. You can simply start by following Be Well by Kelly’s Fab Four guidelines and find what works for you! From there, try new fats or superfoods to spruce them up.
What’s your go to smoothie recipe?! Xo Mindy!
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