Image copyright khawkins04.

Give your morning a boost with a smooth. Smoothies are a versatile breakfast food. You can whip a smoothie up with pretty much anything in the house. These are are my staple ingredients:

• Banana – preferably frozen
• Blueberries
• Strawberries

Use these and mix and match with any of the following for a delicious morning treat.

• Yogurt
• Orange juice
• Water / ice
• Milk – dairy, almond, rice, or soy
• Oranges
• Berries – any kind
• Spinach
• Chia seeds
• Flax meal/ flax seeds
• Oatmeal
• Protein powder

I like to start with a banana and a liquid like orange juice, if you’re using it. Using these first allows the ingredients to blend quickly. If you have a super powered blender like the vita-mix, I’m fairly certain that you can add all ingredients at once. I have a blender that is less than super powered so I find that starting out with a liquid base helps the process. Once you have your banana mixture, add frozen or fresh fruit and/or spinach. Then toss in any seeds, powders or toppings. Blend until smooth. I know spinach in a smoothie sounds off putting but with the right combination it’s quite good, and healthy too. 🙂

What are your favorite smoothie combinations?