When I am at home, I begin each day with a blueberry smoothie. Occasionally, I will use a different fruit, such as pineapple or peach, but blueberry is my go to fruit. Love me some blueberries!
Flax and chia seeds may be tiny, but they are nutritional powerhouses! Grinding them, especially fresh grinding them, releases more of the nutritional benefits that adding them whole will not. When you eat, or in this case, drink them whole, the majority of the seeds will pass through your system undigested. Grinding them releases the vitamins and minerals to be absorbed. Grinding them as the first step in making a smoothie is best, but if you don’t have a grinder, you can buy them already ground.
My husband and I love our Cuisenart seed and nut grinder. He grinds coffee and I grind flax and chia. If memory serves me correctly, I think I paid $40 for it on Amazon. With almost daily use for 2 1/2 years, it has been money well spent.
Step 1 to an amazing smoothie!
Grind 1 tablespoon flax seeds and 1 tablespoon of chia seeds. Add to blender.
I have added the flax and chia meal after the blueberries, yogurt, or kefir, as step 2, 3, or 4, but it never blends right when I do. Start with the flax and chia as step 1 for the smoothest blend.
Step 2
Add 3/4 to 1 cup frozen blueberries, or other fruit of your choice.
The lesser amount will give you a looser smoothie. The higher amount will give you a thicker, more frozen smoothie.
Step 3
Add 6 oz or 3/4 cup yogurt.
Because I buy the large 32 oz yogurt, I add a heavy 3/4 cup. That gives me 5 smoothies from 1 container of yogurt.
I use vanilla, but any flavor that you like and that will compliment the fruit works just fine. On the rare occasion that I am out of vanilla yogurt and I use fruit on the bottom yogurt, I leave the fruit on the bottom and just use the yogurt. To me, adding the fruit makes the smoothie too sweet.
Step 4
Add 2/3-3/4 cup kefir.
Use a spoon to pull the fruit away from the sides of the blender to allow the kefir to go to the bottom.
You’re probably thinking, “Why don’t you just make ‘add kefir’ step 2?” At least with my blender, it gives me a different consistency, just like adding the flax and chia anywhere other than step 1.
Just like the blueberries, add the amount of kefir that makes the smoothie the consistency that you prefer.
My favorite kefir is Green Valley Organic. I use their blueberry pomegranate acai. Other brands have other flavors that will compliment different types of fruit better.
Step 5
Blend. I start on a lower setting, which on my blender is puree, until the chunks are gone, then turn it to blend until it is the consistency that I like.
Step 6
Enjoy!
Recipe
1 T flax seeds
1 T chia seeds
3/4 – 1 cup frozen blueberries
6 oz or 3/4 cup yogurt
2/3-3/4 cup kefir
Loree the Domestic Diva 