Goji Berry, Wild Blueberry, Mixed Berries and Banana Smoothie

This has been our go to breakfast smoothie for a few weeks now. I like having the goji and wild blueberries first thing in the morning. There is nothing like starting your day with lots of antioxidants to give you a natural high first thing in the morning. No caffeine needed.

Goji berries are packed with nutrition and have a very high ORAC value coming in at 25.300. Berries in general are packed with nutrition. Raspberries contain loads of antioxidants and specifically ellagic acid that has been shown to slow tumor growth in mice. Blueberries are high in antioxidants and have been shown to induce cancer cell suicide. Cinnamon is high in antioxidants and has been shown to help the body to process sugar (like that found naturally in fruit) more efficiently. Ginger is also high in antioxidants and is anti-inflammatory. Additionally ginger has been shown to slow the formation of blood vessels to cancerous tumors. Flaxseeds are packed with healthy omega 3 fats. I grind my own in a coffee grinder since reading that flaxseeds are best consuming within 20 minutes of grinding to maximum nutrition. Banana was added for potassium and to help the smoothie’s texture. Whew, that is enough about nutrition on this.

The texture of this is like a soft serve ice cream. We eat it with a spoon. It tastes mostly like blueberries.

Goji Berry, Wild Blueberry, Mixed Berries and Banana Smoothie
Makes 3 servings (a double for the hubby and a single for me)

Ingredients:

¼ cup dried goji berries
1 banana, peeled
2 cups frozen wild blueberries
2 cups frozen mixed berries (I use the Costco Blend with Raspberries, Blueberries and Marion berries)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger, powdered
2 tablespoons golden flaxseeds, freshly ground
2 cups almond milk, unsweetened

Directions:

Combine everything in your blender and process until smooth. I use a Vitamix and the machine turns this into a smooth mixture in under a minute. If you are using a different blender you may need to stop it and move the mixture around with a spatula a few time to get it blend thoroughly.

Serve in a chilled glass with a long handled spoon and enjoy.

Nutritional information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 254.8
Calories From Fat (18%) - 46.23

Total Fat - 5.21g
Saturated Fat - 0.35g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 104.17mg
Potassium - 347.81mg
Total Carbohydrates - 51.29g
Fiber - 7.61g
Sugar - 18.46g
Protein - 5.58g

Comments:

We have been away from added sugar for so long now that this actually tastes sweet to me without any agave or stevia. In the past I have added both and they work well in smoothies.

If you are looking for a fast breakfast that you can toss into a to go mug and eat on the way to work this one fills the bill. Additionally you get a couple servings of blue foods to start your day.

This morning we had this with our usual Green Vibrance chaser. I often think my husband and I have more vitamins and antioxidants at breakfast than most Americans eat all week. I am completely convinced that good nutrition can protect us from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Hopefully during my lifetime this idea will become a widely held belief.

I am off to work on my menu for tonight. Have a happy and healthy day.