Here’s another of my balanced macronutrient smoothie recipes, my coconut blueberry balanced macro smoothie. I always start with a base of almond milk as it’s naturally low in calories so you can build more nutrition into each meal. You can use fresh berries if accessible, otherwise frozen berries work very well too. You can mix it up by using a combination of different types of berries as they are all highly anti-oxidizing so go where your heart leads you!
The banana is optional. I use it to add a little boost of sweetness plus it helps to give a smoother texture. Sugar free chocolate chips add little bits of goodness, but again, optional.
The most important aspect of all my smoothie recipes is that they have balanced macronutrients–that is the perfect combination of lean protein (from whey or collagen peptides), complex carbohydrates (from fruit and vegetables) and healthy fats (from flaxseed meal, olive oil, avocado oil, nuts or nut butters). In this particular recipe, the coconut flakes also add some healthy fat to this meal.
You can play around with how much ice suits you, depending upon how liquid or thick the desired end result. I prefer around 7, but you may want to start with fewer and you can always add from there.
As you may have noticed, I never add sugar to my recipes and always opt for either a small amount of honey, which does have some allergen benefits, but usually I use natural, non-caloric sweeteners like monkfruit and stevia blends. If you don’t have any on hand, the smoothie may already be sweet enough for you with the addition of the banana.
How to Make Life Easy:
You can:
- Make this smoothie the night before, just add ice and blend it in the morning.
- Drink it during your commute to work.
- Enjoy half for a pre-workout meal and the other half post workout.
- Freeze it into pops for a treat.
- Add a multi-vitamin boost (yes, an enormous vitamin will get pulverized in your blender and you’ll never know it’s there)
- Have it for an anytime meal. Smoothies are not just for breakfast anymore.
- Pssst! Hide a fist-full of leafy greens to bump up the nutrients. The family will never know!
One last comment before you launch into your coconut blueberry smoothie making endeavor and it’s a pro-tip from watching way too many smoothies expand into twice their volume due to over blending. I suggest adding the whey protein last, after you’ve blended the rest of the ingredients, then blending it on low just until it’s incorporated. This will give you a compact, not overly frothy concoction that will satisfy your hunger, and your palette!
What to Buy:
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 c fresh blueberries or frozen mixed berries
- 1/4 fresh or frozen ripe banana
- 1 Tablespoon sugar free chocolate chips
- 1 Tablespoon olive or avocado oil, or 1 Tablespoon flaxseed meal
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 Tablespoon natural, non-caloric sweetener, like MonkSweet+
- 2 teaspoons organic coconut extract
- 7 ice cubes
- 1 scoop vanilla whey protein
- 1 scoop Collagen Peptides (optional for protein boost)
What to Do:
- Pour almond milk into the blender.
- Add berries, banana, chocolate chips, oil, coconut, sweetener, extract and ice.
- Blend on medium-high until smooth.
- Shut off blender and add whey protein powder.
- Blend on low, just until incorporated.
How to Make Life Easy:
You can:
- Make this smoothie the night before, just add ice and blend it in the morning.
- Drink it during your commute to work.
- Enjoy half for a pre-workout meal and the other half post workout.
- Freeze it into pops for a treat
- Add a multi-vitamin boost (yes, a horse pill will get pulverized in your blender!)
- Have it for an anytime meal. Smoothies are not just for breakfast anymore.
You may also be interested in my Good Moo’d Smoothie with chocolate, banana, and peanut-buttery goodness, but without the fats.
