Strawberry Vanilla Smoothie Recipe

Mornings are hard and taking the time to eat something healthy isn’t always my top priority. More often than not I find myself reaching for a snack as I walk into the office and when that snack comes from the local coffee shop it’s usually in the form of a chocolate croissant.

We all know that eating a good breakfast is super important, but its not always possible to make something healthy before rushing out the door.

When I received the offer to try out Garden of Life’s Raw Protein Formula I was excited to test out a morning routine that would help me make smart choices in the morning. With 17 grams of protein the Raw Protein smoothie is the perfect quick breakfast I can toss into a shaker bottle as I rush out the door. For a grab and go option I really enjoy that chocolate flavor (because it tastes just like chocolate milk). When I have a bit more time, the vanilla is the perfect additional to a fruity breakfast smoothie.

Garden of Life Strawberry Vanilla Smoothie

Smoothie Ingredients

8 Ounces of milk or almond milk (Almond milk adds protein)
1 scoop of Raw Protein
1/2 cup of frozen strawberries & bananas
1/3 cup vanilla yogurt

For the smoothie to blend properly start by adding the milk to your blender and then layer in your fruit, yogurt and protein power.

I like using frozen fruit because it makes the smoothie a bit thicker and doesn’t water down the flavor the way ice does. Frozen fruit also stays good much longer.

Turn the blender on puree and allow to run for 2-3 minutes. All your fruit should be well blended.

Sometimes the protein powder splashes up on the walls of the blender. I use a soft spatula to scrape the sides of the blender and than turn it back on for another 30 seconds of mixing if this happens.

Pour into a to go cup and head out the door.

With the additional protein this smoothie helps me stay full until lunch but doesn’t sit heavy in my stomach as I spend the morning in front of a computer screen. An added bonus of the Garden of Life protein powder is that it includes a healthy probiotic that helps the good bacteria in your body functioning properly. The amount in the protein formula is approximately the same as what you might find in a yogurt, so if you take probiotics regularly you should still take your daily supplement.

Most people have taken probiotics after starting an antibiotic – but your body can benefit from probiotics all the time! Once I started trying out the Once Daily Women’s Probiotic  from Garden of Life I immediately noticed that I simply felt better without making any other changes to my diet. Probiotics keep your digestion functioning well and that area of your body can impact all other pieces of you health. For me in particular I have a difficult time sleeping and taking probiotics has had a serious improvement on the quality of my sleep.

Have you ever taken probiotics and what has your experience been?

Disclaimer: I received a product sample for the purposes of this post. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for my writing.