Blueberry Muffin Smoothie

I’m almost finished with my second round of Whole30 and you know what I’ve missed the most? Smoothies. If you’re not familiar with Whole30, the program discourages drinking smoothies. The guidelines explain that “food that you drink sends different satiety signals to your brain than food that you chew. So when you drink your meal, your brain isn’t getting the feedback it needs to tell your body that it’s had enough of what it needs. Plus, smoothies are generally really fruit-heavy, and starting your day off with a liquid sugar-bomb sets you up for cravings, hunger, and volatile energy levels throughout the day. In summary, we’d rather you just eat the food, and skip the smoothie.”

I 100% agree and understand what they’re saying, but over the last year I’ve learned the right way to do smoothies – by using very little to no fruit and, yes, learning to “chew” them. First, you’d be amazed at some of the vegetables I’ve started incorporating into my smoothies that you cannot even taste – hello spinach, kale, cauliflower, zucchini and butternut squash! When your smoothie (or plate of food) contains the perfect combo of protein, fiber, fat, vegetables and 1/4 cup or less of fruit, it can actually help turn off hunger hormones, stop inflammation, provide essential nutrients, and balance blood sugar levels (blood sugar is something I am always mindful of as I am at risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes – it runs in my family and I had gestational diabetes). My wholistic nutritionist, Barbara Gray at Food for Life, was the first to introduce me to this balanced way of eating – protein, fiber, fat and vegetables – over a year ago, but it’s become more popular recently thanks to celebrity nutritionist, Kelly LeVeque, and her “Fab Four” concept. I just ordered her book, Body Love, and am excited to learn more and also try out some of her recipes!

So while I did follow the guidelines for the past 30 days by omitting the smoothies and eating the food separately, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t already thinking about making my Blueberry Muffin smoothie later this week. 🙂 This is one of my go-to’s and a favorite of my husband too.

This thick, low-sugar blueberry smoothie features both cauliflower and zucchini, and I promise you would never guess they’re in there. Similar to using frozen bananas to thicken a smoothie, frozen cauliflower and zucchini work like magic to provide a rich and creamy texture once blended. If you want to keep your smoothies lower in sugar, or are like me and cannot tolerate bananas, adding frozen cauliflower or zucchini should be your new go-to. *It is important to lightly steam the cauliflower and zucchini before freezing them as it helps reduce bloating and is easier on digestion. I also encourage you to “chew” your smoothie. A smoothie is a bunch of foods blended together, and while blending does make it easier on the digestive system, chewing is what initiates digestion. Pouring it in a bowl and eating it with a spoon can help with this!

I’m working on a detailed blog post that outlines my experience with Whole30 for the second time around as well as a round up of some of my favorite recipes and products. I’m hoping to have it up soon, but in the meantime,  I’ll leave you with this delicious Blueberry Muffin smoothie. 🙂