breakfast of champions

i love smoothies. i always have... the meal-in-a-glass concept just rocks my world! anyways, my love for them was intensified this summer, when i was lucky enough to get a job at one of my favourite smoothie and juice bars. dangerous. not only did i get a free smoothie per shift, i accidentally added extra juice to the blender so that i could drink the little bit of leftover smoothie. all day, every day i would drink smoothies. i became addicted. it was bad.

anyways, since i no longer work there, i do suffer from smoothie withdrawal. everytime i go to cambie skytrain station i have to stop in and get a smoothie. so, my fix? make some at home. while it is almost impossible to replicate the smoothies exactly (do you have 'tropical nectar' sitting in your fridge? didn't think so) but you can get pretty darn close.

here was my first attempt!

my smoothie   :)

here's what you need:
a blender
3 - 4 ice cubes
3 handfulls of frozen blueberries
1 frozen banana
2 handfuls of frozen mango
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup juice (i used mango pineapple cause that's all i had)

step 1:
add ice cubes, juice, milk, banana, blueberries and mango into blender.
step 2:
blend until desired consistency if achieved.  
j
hint: if your blender keeps going but the contents are not moving, add more liquid. you want the perfect "smoothie tornado". you'll know what i mean if you see it.
note: to make this a proper meal-in-a-cup, i'm going to go out and buy some soy protein and some sweet coconut tofu to add to my smoothies. this way, not only am i getting vitamins B6, C, E, A, vital minerals such as potassium, manganese, calcium, loads of fibre and TONS of antioxidants from the fruit, i'm also getting the protein my muscles and body need to stay strong throughout the day.

TA DA!

so, here's some quick nutrition facts on the fruit i put in my smoothie!
bananas:
- the average banana contains ~470 mg of potassium and only 1 mg of sodium; this means a banana a day will keep high blood pressure and atherosclerosis (build up of plaque along artery walls) away
- very rich in prebiotics, which nourish the probiotics (healthy bacteria) in our colon. the probiotics produce substances which increase our ability to absorb nutrients - especially calcium

blueberries:
- contain huge amounts of antioxidants phytonutrients called anthocyanidins, which help neutralize free radical damage. these enhance effects of vitaminn C, improve capillaries, stabalize collagen matrix (protein blocks for bone, cartilage, tendons and all other connective tissue)
- studies have shown that blueberries and their antioxidants can reduce the effects of conditions such as alzheimer's disease and dementia (dad! just kidding, haha)

mangos:
- very rich in dietary fibre which not only helps the digestive system, but has been shown to reduce the risk of some gastrointestinal cancers
- contain beta-carotene which can slow the aging process, reduce the risk of some cancers, improve lung function and reduce complications of diabetes

so, go now and make yourself a smoothie.
it will be awesome.