It's a well established fact that polyphenols found in fruits and vegetables make us healthier, protect against heart disease, and can even lengthen our lives. Getting enough fruits and vegetables in your diet can be hard to when you have a busy schedule. These three healthy shakes are quick and easy to make. There's no reason to skip breakfast now. Just pour one of these in a travel mug and take it with you.
Avocado Honey Shake
This is a delicious milk shake that is cool in the summer and is full of omega 3 fatty acids, important for brain and heart health. Adding flax seed meal or wheat germ to the shake increases the fiber content, but it can also be made without the flax seed meal. This shake will keep you satisfied all morning long.
Ingredients for two Avocado Honey Shakes
- 2 cups of nonfat milk
- 1 avocado, peeled and pitted
- 2 tablespoons honey
- (Optional) 1 tablespoon flax seed meal or wheat germ
- 2 cups ice cubes
Place the milk, avocado, and honey in the blender. Add the flax seed meal or wheat germ if you are using it. Blend until the avocado is fully blended with the milk.
Place the ice cubes in the blender. Blend again until the cubes are crushed and the shake is smooth.
Enjoy!
Blueberry Greek Yogurt Shake
This thick shake is full of the polyphenols and anitoxidants that make blueberries such a wonder food. The live cultures in the Greek yogurt promote a healthy digestive system. Best of all, this shake is delicious. You can even put it in the freezer for a half hour to thicken it up enough to eat with a spoon.
Ingredients for two Blueberry Greek Yogurt Shakes
- 1 cup of blueberries
- 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt. Three brands I recommend are Oikos, Chodani, or Brown Cow.
- 1 cup of nonfat milk
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 cups of ice cubes
Blend the blueberries, yogurt, milk, and honey until the blueberries are liquefied.
Add the ice cubes and blend until smooth.
Orange Delight Yogurt Shake
This shake is a longtime family favorite. Chock full of vitamin C, it will keep you from getting the mid-morning hunger strike. It also makes a refreshing snack. If you like it spicy, add the dash of cloves.
Ingredients for two Orange Delight Yogurt Shakes
- 1 cup of orange juice
- 1 banana
- 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 cup of ice
(Optional) A dash of cloves.
Place the orange juice, banana, yogurt, and honey in the blender and blend. Add the ice and blend until smooth.
Take advantage of the wide variety of local fresh fruits available right now. You can use these basic recipes to make your own shakes with local raspberries, strawberries, mango, and peaches, as well as the blueberries and avocados on sale in Sacramento markets.
Salud! Good health to you!
The USDA provides more information about the health benefits of polyphenols and antioxidants.
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Never miss a post! Follow me on Twitter as @Dinnermagic. Subscribe to the RSS feed for the Sacramento Budget Wine Examiner. Have the articles emailed to you. For food and wine pairings, visit my Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner page or my food blog, Dinner Magic, where every Wednesday you can find a week’s worth of easy dinner menus, recipes, and complete shopping list.
Comments
These look awesome!! Thanks for sharing :)
"It's a well established fact that polyphenols found in fruits and vegetables make us healthier, protect against heart disease, and can even lengthen our lives."
I would like to see citations of the scientific research that has established this fact - just for interest!
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