Quick & Easy - Apple Breakfast Smoothie

Happy 2013!  I wish everyone a fantastic year full of love, happiness, & - of course - delicious food!

I don't know when it became customary for me to make New Year's resolutions but it definitely didn't happen until a few years I moved to the US.  When I was still in school, my resolutions were almost always about how I would be more studious.  Then in the last 3 years, my resolutions shifted to how I would get healthier or how I would lose weight.  This year, I am making a different resolution: to take better care of myself.  This means physically, mentally, emotionally, nutritionally, & any other -ally that I can't think of right now.

To not only start off my year but also my day right, I am trying smoothies.  Yes, I know I'm a good number of years late to this game but I didn't have the motivation or the tools to even attempt to make this a regular thing so I never bothered.  Until now.  I didn't want to do the usual strawberries & banana smoothie so I did a bit of browsing and came across this recipe created by celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak (Katy Perry, Megan Fox).  This drink only takes a few ingredients, is quick to make, & it is super nutritious.

Throw in your blender...
     1 apple
     1 banana
     0.5 cup low fat milk
     0.75 cup plain Greek yogurt
     5 raw almonds
     1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Give it a whirl...
    Blend at high speed until the desired consistency (~30 seconds)

Makes 1 serving

After having a few of these, I wanted to know just exactly how this concoction is healthy.  I did a little bit of digging & this is what I found:  Apples are high in fiber, vitamin C, & they have phytonutrients that can help regulate blood sugar.  Bananas are high in vitamin B6, potassium, & they are a great source of energy.  Milk has plenty of protein & calcium & it is great for bone health.  Greek yogurt has tons of protein & it helps boost digestive & immune system health.  Almonds are high in manganese, vitamin E, healthy fat, & magnesium which increases blood flow as well as the distribution of oxygen & nutrients throughout the body. Cinnamon slows down stomach emptying, thereby sustaining the sensation of fullness  & lessens the body's blood sugar spike.  One additional perk about cinnamon is that its smell can increase a person's cognitive function.

This recipe comes in @ about 382 calories.  It tastes a bit like an apple pie when I could ignore the taste of the banana coming through the background.  Even though I used my super high-powered Ninja blender, there was still little bits of almond.  This was good since it gave me something to chew & tricked my brain into thinking I was eating my breakfast instead of drinking it.  Even though it doesn't look very large in the photo, this drink is filling & can keep me happy from 8am to lunch without the need for a snack.  Here is to taking better care of myself & to making this into a part of daily life!