You can make it in a glass (or bottle) as an on-the-go breakfast smoothie, or turn it into a nourishing and filling smoothie bowl with toppings and more added goodness, or freeze them in popsicle molds for a refreshing summer snack! There are A LOT of things I adore about breakfast in this post. If you guys are anything like my husband and I, then you simply cannot function during the day without some nourishing breakfast recipes. When I used to live on my own, I’d wake up early for a lazy but protein-laden breakfast made with whatever was on hand. But things are a little different now. On a regular week day, my hubs and I hit the gym first thing in the morning (I do protest occasionally – I was never a morning person and that’s still the same), and as soon as we get back, it’s time for him to head off to work. So he prefers something quick and on-the-go for breakfast. Coincidentally, these peanut butter balls (easy buckeyes) are a frequent post work-out session snack for us. I, on the other hand take a little bit longer to settle into my daily routine, while catching up on the blog, so I can afford to enjoy my breakfast a bit more leisurely. But we both want something formidable for breakfast, something with enough nutrition and protein to make it a meal, an actual post workout meal, not just something to tide us over until lunch. And that’s where these smoothie bowls come into play! Juice and smoothie recipes, like this healthy strawberry smoothie, fruity chia fresca, vanilla avocado drink etc., have been our breakfast of choice for a while now. And today I’m going to share with you guys a couple of neat little things that I use in my smoothies to make them absolutely wholesome, and chock-full of flavor!
Peanut butter berry smoothie
This peanut butter berry smoothie and mango peanut butter smoothie tick all the right boxes for our morning routine. They are so easy to put together. This smoothie recipe has a thicker consistency than what you’d generally find out there, and that’s just my personal preference. Which is why it works just as easily as a smoothie bowl. If you guys prefer a thinner consistency for an on-the-go smoothie in a bottle, you can add a little more liquid in the way of orange juice or milk.
Peanut butter berry smoothie in popsicle form
And my solution for summer snacks? Pour some of that delicious smoothie into popsicle molds and freeze them so that we have healthy, fruity, refreshing snacks through out the day. Perfect as an after-school snack for your kids, or an after-work snack for my husband. These vanilla and chocolate protein popsicles are also one of our favorites!
Add-ins for your peanut butter berry smoothie
To keep things interesting and maintain some variety, I add a mix of the following things to make my smoothies.
Yogurt (good quality greek yogurt like Oikos Triple Zero), or sometimes my own homemade frozen yogurt. Some protein (in the form of peanut powder here plus the yogurt). Fruits or veggies (or both). Liquid (orange juice or another natural fruit juice or milk). Fiber (something like chia seeds or flax seeds). A sweetener (we forego refined sugar in our smoothies and use dates or ripened bananas instead).
And I often go for a combination of these things along with another layer for a layered smoothie like I did here with the mango peanut butter smoothie. And then you have all the little additions and toppings that go into this peanut butter berry smoothie bowl like chopped nuts for a crunchy texture and the extra protein and healthy fats. It’s double the flavor, and those colors are the perfect pick-me-up in the morning!
Secret ingredient for these smoothies
DATES are actually one of my secret ingredients. Instead of adding the usual suspects like frozen banana or agave syrup or other artificial sweeteners, I use dates and I LOVE it. I add dates to my banana bread (both classic banana bread and whole wheat banana bread), breakfast muffins, and even ice cream like this uniquely flavored date and tahini ice cream! Not only does it act as a sweetener in this peanut butter berry smoothie, it also adds this brilliant smoky, deep flavor that no other sweetener that I’ve tried could match. And since you only add about 4-5 dates per serving or per person (that’s about the right amount for me), it’s a good balance of sweetness with the added benefit of fiber. I coupled this with another layer of mango peanut butter smoothie that has another one of my secret ingredients – TURMERIC! Yup, that’s right. Turmeric enhances the color of the mango layer, but more importantly it adds another dimension of smoky flavor, deepening the fresh, tangy sweetness of mango. Turmeric also has medicinal properties, so that’s a plus too (check out this homemade turmeric pasta, or this cauliflower curry, carrot curry, pumpkin curry, red lentil curry etc.) to see that pop of color it can introduce to your food!). No matter what additions or topping we use, we always keep coming back to the peanut butter berry smoothie with dates. It’s just impossible to get enough of those incredible flavors! So there you have it. It’s as simple as blend everything together, pour, and drink. Go ahead and customize your breakfast smoothie any way you like and make it your own! Think of this as more of a guide. But do give these flavor combinations a try sometime. 🙂 I guarantee you’d love it. And I highly recommend using dates as a sweetener too! If you liked this recipe, don’t forget to subscribe for new (and free) recipes by entering your email address on the side bar (and get all these recipes delivered straight to your inbox), so you don’t miss out on a thing. You can find me on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, YOU TUBE and GOOGLE-PLUS too.
