Morning smoothie

Every morning I have a smoothie for breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!  👍 Here's what I put in it:

Of course I start off with ice, then I put in 1/4 cup of hydrated mixed chia and flax seeds and 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt. 

 

What do I mean by "hydrated mixed chia and flax seeds"?  I put 1 Tbsp of dry chia seeds and 1 Tbsp of dry flax seeds into a jar and add one cup of water. Since I've started making water kefir (not pictured), I'm now using that for the hydrating liquid. 

What's water kefir? It's a probiotic food. Kefir is a mix of bacteria and yeast that eats sugar, and its waste products flavor the water and make it good for your gut. I make a quart at a time, using 2 Tbsp of plain white sugar and 1/2 Tbsp of brown sugar (for the added minerals), plus the water kefir grains. I let this sit at room temperature for 3 days then put the grains into a new jar of sugar water and let the previous batch sit out for another 2 days to finish fermenting. For more info about water kefir, go read here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibicos

Why hydrate the seeds? Chia and flax seeds are mucilagenous, which means that when they get wet, they surround themselves with a gel sack. They do this to keep the water close by so they can grow, but it's advantageous for us because it makes them good as a bulking fiber, which is good for your gut! 

Here's a pic of a chia seed with a gel sack:

 

Next comes the protein powders. 

 

I chose the EAS AdvantEDGE powder because not only is it low in carbs, but it's also got a ton of other vitamins in it than most other protein powders have. 

 

Ask check out the way some smart engineer designed to store the scoop so it's not buried in the powder! It's stored  in the lid!

 

The MCT in MCT oil powder stands for Multi-Chain Triglycerides and this powder helps make sure I get "good fats". 

The final two ingredients are cocoa and fiber. 

 

I only use 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of the cocoa powder. It adds some nice flavor and is low carb, too, especially since I don't use a full "serving" size. 

 

The Benefiber is nice because it's not gritty and non-bulking (which means it doesn't swell up when wet like the chia and flax seeds do), plus it's flavorless. It can be added to anything, but this works for me. 

Finally, I top up the blender cup to the fill line with water kefir and blend! 

It's yummy and keeps me feeling full for several hours and makes sure I get adequate nutrition, so win-win!

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