Scottsdale has a generally deserved reputation for healthy lifestyles and pretty people, but hunkering at home during the COVID-19 shutdown has made many worry about that healthy tone fading and unhealthy fat building.
One good way to mitigate that is by having a filling and nutritious shake in the morning rather than toast and butter to both build your strength and resistance and also keep the pounds down.
They are not only good for you, they can be inexpensive, delicious, and easy to produce.
Breakfast is an important meal, and the one most frequently missed. You can do a smoothie first thing in the morning every day and not get tired of the options (although it’s probably not a good idea to make it more than one meal daily).
Another advantage for smoothies living in a healthy desert community like Scottsdale is that it’s a cool way to start the day without heating up your body or the kitchen.
Mixing devices for smoothies
Full-sized blenders allow you to mix up smoothies for the whole family, but that requires more cleaning and greater storage space. The most common and probably the easiest method is the personal blender, generally a small one that mixes up the concoction to mix ad serve right in the same vessel. The more powerful the blender, the more thoroughly you can blend ice and some harder-to-liquify substances. They also tend to be more expensive. Click here for a comparison of blenders.
https://blenderauthority.com/best-blender-for-protein-shakes/
Some prefer the basic unmotorized container that works by shaking it vigorously by hand. Sometimes they come with a element inside that helps break up the things put inside. They are cheap and portable (and can be stuffed in a gym bag), but they don’t mix nearly as well, so the motorized version is preferable for morning shakes in your own kitchen.
Smoothie ingredients and flavors
With that, you can get just about everything you need at the grocery store or a warehouse like Costco.
You can buy protein in liquid or powdered form, and they come in multiple flavors and ingredients. Some brands are specifically designed for women or for weight loss. While chocolate and more exotic flavors are available, vanilla is the most versatile in that it doesn’t overpower other ingredients you undoubtedly will want to add.
Among the most common are whey protein ones. You can get the powdered version in large tubs or bags that will last a while without spoiling or refrigerating. They also come in soy and collogen, which has other skin-related benefits. Health food stores have the greatest variety, and the warehouse stores often have good deals.
A study in the Journal of Nutrition found that whey protein helped weight loss in overweight people better than soy protein or carbohydrates. It was better than the latter on body weight and fat mass, and best of all groups in waist circumference reduction.
Our household prefers fruit smooties with ice and vanilla protein, with soy milk, milk, yogurt, or water added. A great benefit of this is the versatile tastes you can produce so you don’t get bored with one. Bananas, strawberries, blueberries, pitted fruits, and citrus can be added – and you can experiment with combinations. Watermelon, kiwi, mango, pinealpple, and pears also work.
You can use whatever fruit is available seasonally, or get larger bags of frozen fruit. It’s like having desert first thing in the morning, and it helps in avoiding snacking or larger meals before noon. You can also mix it up and take it with you when pressed for time in the morning.
If your range demands more variety, one of the advantages of shakes and smoothies is the ability to experiment. You can add flavors like honey, cinnamon and maple syrup. Try blending chocolate protein with a spoonful of peanut or other nut butter for a Reese’s taste.
Some smoothie aficianadoes prefer vegetable smoothies, using ingredients like carrots, spinach, cucumber, and the ever-opopular (and often ridiculed) kale. It’s not uncommon to mix fruit and vegetables in a smoothie, as fruits with powerful flavors and aroma can mask the vegetable tastes, which is less appealing for some users.
Here are 25 smoothie recipies from Good Housekeeping, Sprouts, and Prevention.You can garnish it with mint, lime, berries, or celery for a touch of style.
