blueberry peanut butter smoothie

I like a really good smoothie and I love this blueberry peanut butter smoothie. Training for a running event or for a triathlon often has me reaching for a smoothie very often. It is especially helpful after a long training session.

I really do love blueberries and I always have them in my freezer. When they are in the store, I bulk buy them. I have also learned how to, easily make my own peanut butter. With these two main ingredients, we often make smoothies. For me, a smoothie is a treat in a glass.

blueberry wonder

These little blueberries are packed full of nutritional goodness, they are tiny little superfoods. If you look to any or most lists of best foods, the little blueberry is on the list.

Blueberries are packed with antioxidants, they have a lot of nutrients in a tiny, low-calorie berry. You also get a good amount of fiber, Vitamin C & K, and manganese in every 250ml-cup serving of blueberries. What’s not to love about these little jewels.

The frozen berries are very convenient to have in your freezer because they can be stored for longer there. Often fruit and vegetables are frozen soon after they have been picked or harvested, so their nutritional value remains good.

We also love to make pancakes and since I first started adding in blueberries, they now always go in. Having them in the freezer, almost permanently, makes this very easy to do. Having pancakes plain no longer works for me. I have tried other fruit, but the blueberry is my number one.

peanut butter goodness

Peanut butter can be a healthy choice when people enjoy it as part of a balanced meal plan. It is rich in several nutrients, including protein and magnesium, which may help protect the heart and manage blood sugar and body weight.

Many people avoid peanut butter as it’s high in fat and calories. But, a little goes a long way. Use it sparingly and enjoy it is this smoothie.

Where I live, it is not always easy to buy peanut butter. It is either too expensive or it is filled with ingredients that we do not like or want to have in our peanut butter. I now make it myself. It literally takes me less than 5 minutes to do this.

In our grocery store, we can always buy tins of peanuts. We get 2 types, one with salt and the other without salt. I usually buy quite a few of both kinds and they live in the pantry. Most often, I add one salted and one unsalted to the food processor. It works beautifully. In the beginning, it is rather noisy, but after about a minute or two, it changes. When the oils are released then it turns the peanuts into peanut butter. I love this process.

Sometimes, I stop the machine after a minute scrape down the sides and set it going again. All in all, this takes about 5 minutes. Quick and easy. This works for us as I control what goes into the mixture, with no added oil or extra salt.

adding in oats

We love oats, and it works in this smoothie. This makes it breakfast in a glass. I have prepared this when I have to have a very early start and I know I’ll have to have breakfast at the office, on the train or in the car.

Oats make the smoothie thicker, heartier, and all-around more filling and nourishing. They give the smoothie a subtle nutty flavor too. We always have oats in our pantry and if you are like my sister, she does not like oats porridge, then this is a good way to get oats into your diet. It’s there without you knowing it’s there.

bananas

We love bananas and like to have them with most of our breakfasts. I buy the smallest ones available, because when it comes to bananas – a little goes a long way. The potassium in bananas is a good way or source to get potassium into your body. But, like everything else, know your body and the amounts that you can take.

Adding in the bananas to this blueberry peanut butter smoothie gives it smoothness, sweetness, and richness that is a good way to start any day. Some people like to add in honey and or maple syrup for sweetness. This is not necessary because a ripened banana adds in enough sweetness for our taste.

blueberry peanut butter smoothie ingredients

• blueberries
• milk (of choice)
• bananas
• peanut butter
• cinnamon
• yogurt

simple to put together

• peel the bananas and break them into pieces, and put in the blender
• add in frozen berries and milk
• blend
• add in the yogurt, oats, and peanut butter
• blend
• add in the cinnamon
• blend on high for about 2 minutes until smooth.
• pour into glasses
• yummy, enjoy

variations

One of the things that I love about any smoothie is the many variations one can make. I am not too good at knowing straight off what will taste good together, so we have a lot of experiments. Some are delicious and some are not.

When I find a combination that works, I keep it, memorize it and we have it often. Some ingredients that are handy to have to add to a smoothie are:

• frozen spinach is a sneaky way to add in a healthy vegetable. Just don’t add in too much. A little goes a long way.
• almonds, I’ve put them in whole or chopped up. My blender does not seem to mind and manages to grind them down so you don’t even know they are in there.
• dates, we use them quite often to sweeten our smoothies. I love adding them in when we don’t have any bananas at home. This is another place to go carefully – a little goes a long way. They are packed with goodness, don’t use them all up in one smoothie;)
• collagen powder, I always have some in the pantry. I love making bone broth, but often I lag behind and for me, collagen powder fills in this gap for me. No, I am not suggesting you put the bone broth into your smoothie! Please don’t! The collagen helps with bones, cartilage, and skin. Do some research, it’s a great product, but make sure it is okay for you before adding it in. I like it, and only use one level tablespoon in the blender for 4 portions. It also helps to thicken up the smoothie.

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