• 1 cup frozen berries (I like blueberries)

• 25g of nuts (I like a mix of macadamias and pecans)

• 300g (1.2 cups) whole milk

• ¼ tsp ground turmeric

• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

• ¼ tsp ground ginger

• 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup

• 5g creatine

• 10g collagen peptides

• Optional: 3g matcha green tea powder (if having this at breakfast)

540 calories 22g protein 47g carbs 29g fat (eggs not included)

Throw it all in a blender with a couple of ice cubes and blend. I’ll often also throw in a couple squares of 95% dark chocolate or maybe some carrot sticks. Sometimes I like to top it with some coconut shavings. The berries will give a nice antioxidant boost, while the turmeric and cinnamon will help to battle inflammation. Ginger will help with good digestion. Nuts and whole milk contain healthy fats, a key minerals, and fat soluble vitamins as well as some protein. The creatine and collagen peptides help to round out the muscle recovery aspect. 

I sometimes have this with my breakfast instead of at lunch, in which case I will add matcha green tea powder. It contains more antioxidants and also a little caffeine, but more importantly has L-theanine in it, which helps to prevent the caffeine energy crashes that can often happen later in the day from coffee. I deliberately pair this with my morning coffee for that reason. Whether I’m having this smoothie for breakfast or not I try to pair matcha with my coffee one way or another. Feel free to omit the matcha if you are having this later in the day and don’t want the caffeine.

This smoothie usually isn’t enough for a complete meal for me since it’s not very filling. I often pair it with something else. For those looking to try to make this a complete meal, here is a version with more fiber and protein designed to be more filling

• 1 cup berries

• 15 g of nuts

• 1 tbsp (7g) flaxseed meal

• 1 cup whole milk

• 1 cup spinach or other leafy green   

  ¼ tsp ground turmeric

• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

• ¼ tsp ground ginger

• 5 g creatine

• 1 scoop of favorite whey protein powder

522 calories 41g protein 32g carbs 23g fat 

 (calories and protein will vary slightly depending on what protein powder you use)

The calories are roughly the same as mine, but if you’ll notice, it has about double the protein. The spinach and flax added also means it has significantly more fiber, helping to keep you full for longer. 

If you’re allergic to milk, nuts or both, you could swap either or both for ⅓ - ½ an avocado. That will give you the creamy texture the milk and nuts would provide, while also adding more fiber for added satiety. Plain fat free Greek yogurt is an alternative protein option over the whey if you prefer that. Swapping the whole milk for Fat free is another option if you are looking to cut back on calories while conserving the protein. For even more satiety, try adding another tablespoon of flax, chia seeds, or doubling the amount of leafy greens.