Smoothies

Like lots of people, I'm a grumpy zombie in the morning. Now that work is starting up again, and I have the added annoyance of giving insulin to my cat in the morning, I'm thinking of ways to streamline my AM routine. I already make my lunch, shower, and set out my clothes at night. One more thing I can do the night before is make a smoothie (or, better yet, make a few on a Sunday evening). I find smoothies are pretty foolproof when you have a combination of sweet/tart fruit and something milky as a base. It's easy to hide nutrient rich kale in one of these fruit smoothies, and they really keep me more satisfied than most breakfast foods. When I ate cereal for breakfast, I was dying for a snack while I was teaching at 10am. I took one of these with me to a meeting this summer, and I was so full I completely ignored the tempting table of free snacks. So, with these smoothies, I think I'll make it all the way to lunchtime. You can lose the kale if you're out or it freaks you out but, seriously, you don't taste it.

VEGAN SMOOTHIE FOR ONE

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/2 cup frozen fruits (right now, I'm using berries and mangos) 

1/2 frozen banana, cut up (you can run this under hot water for about 30 seconds to peel and chop into chunks-- don't worry if some of the stringy part gets in: fiber!)

A big handful (about 1/2 cup) of kale, chopped
OPTIONAL: 1 tbsp. chia seeds (I haven't tried these yet: I have them in my cabinet and will give 'em a go tomorrow... they're the latest "superfood," loaded with protein and fiber. They're also, apparently, a natural thickener). 

Blend! I'm using an immersion blender right now; I've also used my food processor. 

I ordered up a bunch of these Mason jars, which freeze and refrigerate, and plan on making a few at a time. I think these will also transport well.