My favorite breakfast

I wanted to share one of my favorite things to get me going in the morning. It's so easy, so tasty, and so filling. I get my frozen ingredients from Costco and my protein powder from DPS Nutrition, substitute with your favorite brands but note the nutritional difference between brands of protein powder, everything else are raw and simple ingredients. And that is really one of the keys of eating healthy, simplify. This drink will keep you energized and will help keep you regular without bloating.

So, stock up on frozen blueberries and strawberries (you can certainly substitute fresh, organic, local ingredients but if you don't have frozen berries you'll need to halve the water and substitute with ice which is loud). And if you want to add yogurt or milk again remember simple ingredients and note the caloric changes. I've made this a searchable recipe in LiveStrong.com The Daily Plate, a free (basic account) on-line nutritional and exercise tracking program and supporting library of videos and articles. I really like LiveStrong.com, their food database is expansive and they allow for a lot of customization. So you can use the results from your heart rate monitor or machine to track calories burned, you can track water consumed, and you get a great estimation of total nutrition compared with your custom parameters.

Range of Motion Wellness Blueberry Shake with Flax 

Total time: up to 10 minutes

Total servings: 1 large shake (20 oz) which may take a while to drink.

Ingredients: 

• 1 cu - Wegmann frozen blueberries (best value is 3lbs at Costco, if you know better please share!)
• 1/2 -1 scoop SNI Pro Whey vanilla protein powder (check your recommended protein consumption with a nutritionist or an on-line tracking tool which estimates your needed intake, many of us are getting way too much protein vs. what we can actually use, don't overdo it)
• 1/2 cu  (3 or 4 berries) - Kirkland Frozen Strawberries (again, Costco)
• 1 ounce (heaping Tbs) - Brown or golden flax (I get mine in bulk at the co-op)
• 1/2 cup - raw, rolled oats (again, bulk is easy and you can get them organic for cheap)
• 2 cups - water (or 1cu water, 1cu ice if using fresh berries)
• 1 tbs grated or diced ginger (you can peel a root and wrap it in plastic to freeze for long-term storage and ease of use)

Directions: 

Grind the flax and oats together in a coffee grinder or other processor, use a brush to clean the device before and after (I have one grinder specifically dedicated to these ingredients). You can also prepare large batches to stick in an air-tight container in the fridge or freezer to keep for a month; in which case use 2/3 cup of the mix.

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend the crap out of them until smooth and frothy. You can split into two cups and save one for a little later (post workout perhaps?)

Drink and enjoy.

I'd love to hear you alterations and substitutions.