How to replace the energy from coffee and filling of breakfast with a smoothie (hack your morning)

Most of my life, including through college, I had never been much of a coffee drinker minus an occasional sweet treat like a java chip Frappuccino at Starbucks. But this all changed once I entered the work force after graduating college. I went from having my first classes start at noon to having to wake up at 6–7am EVERYDAY. Truthfully, I have never been a great morning person because I am naturally a night owl and have always had a problem getting to bed at a decent time. This didn’t change when I began working. I was still living in my college apartment because I had the lease through the summer so I would consistently stay up or be kept up by my surroundings. In turn, I picked up the habit of brewing coffee every morning just so I could keep my eyes open and make it to work. Then I’d drink another one a few hours later at work, then one after lunch to fight the post-lunch drowsiness. This kept up for a few months until I realized the cycle that comes with being a coffee drinker. On nights when I even felt super tired, had nothing to do and free time to sleep, I couldn’t. This was because the caffeine from my post lunch coffee still had its stimulating grip on my brain that I couldn’t shake. Once I had this realization, I decided to quit coffee and try to make it without it.

After a week or so I had completely cut myself off of caffeine, which was what I wanted, but I would still struggle with being tired especially after meals. I started experimenting with different types of breakfasts to derive some energy from but the typical eggs and bacon I was raised on made me just want to hop back in bed and sleep off the grease. Once I decided that wasn’t working, I began to research and ask friends who didn’t drink coffee what they did. Eventually one of my friends turned me on to a smoothie recipe that I believe to be the best morning power smoothie I have ever had. My friend is a vegetarian so I made some non-vegetarian additions to his recipe but I will give both so you guys have options.

My recipe (I don’t have exact measurements, just kinda play it by ear):

• Bananas
• Mixed berries
• Flax seeds
• Hemp seeds
• Rolled Oats
• Yogurt
• Milk
• Coconut oil
• Baby Spinach & Baby Kale
• Toss all in a blender and blend away

Vegan Version:

• Bananas
• Mixed berries
• Flax seeds
• Hemp seeds
• Rolled Oats
• Almond milk/water
• Baby Spinach & Baby Kale

Benefits I have seen from this smoothie:

• Less time making breakfast/coffee
• Increased alertness within minutes
• Lightness in stomach
• Regulatory benefits (easier to poop)
• Energy well through lunch
• All ingredients cost roughly $10 in total and last a week or more depending on portions.

Tips: You can find a combination of flax seeds, hemp seeds, and rolled oats in the cereal/oatmeal section of HEB. Add some honey for more sweetness.

Also, feel free to use these recipes as a blueprint and tweak it to your liking while maintaining the fruit and grain additions.

Whether you’re trying to get healthier, trying to quit coffee, or just looking for a quicker breakfast, give this smoothie a try and let me know what you think.

Cheers

TJ

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