Smoothie Jars

Every morning we have the same routine. Chief gets up, has a diaper change, then we all wake up slowly – Chief sipping his cup of milk while Chase and I sip our coffees, we cuddle on the couch for 20 minutes or so before he’s ready to start his day. And when he’s ready to go, HE’S READY. First thing on his to-do list, climb the stairs. Second thing, beg for his morning smoothie. To keep our mornings running smoothly, I prep smoothie jars on the weekend so I can make our little dictator’s smoothie in a flash. He has no time to wait on me to measure out ingredients.

Here’s what we do:

In a small jar combine the following:

• 1-2 scoops collagen peptides
• 1 Tbsp hemp seeds
• 1/2 tsp bee pollen
• 2 dates
• 2 Tbsp soaked nuts (cashews, almonds, walnuts)

These jars are totally customizable! Sometimes I’ll add a Tbsp of chia seeds (in place of the hemp seeds), or a Tbsp of cacao powder if we need a chocolate fix, but the base of our smoothies usually stays roughly the same.

When you’re ready, dump your ingredients into a blender with 1-1½ cups of milk (or alternative), fruit, and veggies.

Here is a combination we’re loving lately:

Vitamin C Packed Strawberry Orange Smoothie

• 1¼ cups almond milk
• Smoothie jar (collagen, hemp seeds, bee pollen, dates, cashews)
• 1 cup strawberries
• 1 orange
• 1/2 cup frozen cauliflower

Curious about the ingredients in our jars?

Collagen peptides. By now, I’m sure you’ve heard all the wonderful claims of collagen – promotes younger looking skin, helps your hair grow, makes your nails strong, etc. But that’s not why I started taking it. I began taking collagen during pregnancy for joint pain. My knees and pelvis ached from about 25 weeks on – it was painful to walk, painful to stand, and the only thing worse than standing was sitting. I couldn’t get it under control. I was desperate and turned to collagen. I think it did help my pain some and one of the added benefits was I didn’t have all the hair breakage post-pregnancy that a lot of women experience. Maybe the collagen was to thank for that? It also boasts 9 grams of protein per scoop! We take Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides.

Hemp seeds are rich in fatty acids: Omega 3 and Omega 6 INCLUDING Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA). GLA has been known to naturally balance hormones and reduce PMS symptoms. Hemp seeds are a perfect protein containing all 20 amino acids, and each of the nine essential amino acids that our bodies cannot produce. ONE OUNCE of hemp seeds contains: 140% DV manganese, 77% DV Vitamin E, 75% DV magnesium, 41% DV phosphorus, 34% DV zinc, 22% DV iron. Crazy!

Bee pollen has a lot of the same benefits of raw honey. It’s an antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral agent that boosts the immune system and aids in allergy relief. Because it’s so similar to raw honey, I didn’t introduce it to Chief until he was a year old. Even then, if I’m making a smoothie that we’re going to share I’ll only add ½ tsp; if I’m going to be the only one drinking it I’ll add up to 2 tsp. It has a honey flavor but not nearly as sweet. You can usually find it in the refrigerated section of your health food store.

Dates for some sweetness and soaked nuts for a fat source.

Drink up!