6 Oatmeal Smoothie Power Breakfasts
by The Yummy Life
A complete meal in a glass. The combination of oatmeal, chia seeds, yogurt, and fruit makes these well rounded nutrition. Every smoothie will differ some in nutrition according to the exact ingredients used.
Here is the nutritional breakdown for one 2-cup serving of my Strawberry Banana Oatmeal Smoothie. The other 5 recipes should be in this ballpark, too.
321 calories, 4.2g fat, 58.5g carbs, 13.9g protein, 7g fiber
High in antioxidants, fiber, protein, potassium, calcium, folate, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, riboflavin, and Vitamins A, B12, B6, C, D.
I honestly can't drink a whole 2-cup serving at one time. I've been drinking half of a smoothie for breakfast and having the other half for a mid-morning snack. It keeps me full all morning.
Chia seeds are power food (and a perfect smoothie thickener). If you are unfamiliar with the health benefits of these amazing little seeds, you can read about them in my Refrigerator Oatmeal post.
In these smoothies, they have the added benefit of serving as a thickener, since they absorb 10 times their weight in water and become gel-like. Smoothies often use ice cubes or frozen fruit to thicken them, but that means they have to be eaten right away before their ingredients melt. Using the chia seeds as a thickener allows these smoothies to be made far in advance and still have a perfectly thickened consistency whenever you drink one.
How to make 6 flavor varieties of Oatmeal Smoothies
(or invent your own flavor combo)
I used the same procedure for making all 6 smoothies. I'll share those specific recipes and give you my formula so you can create your own if you like.
Step 1. Assemble these ingredients and supplies.
Oats. I recommend old fashioned rolled oats over instant or quick oats--they're less processed and better for you. But, instant or quick oats will work, if that's what you have on hand. Steel-cut oats aren't recommended for these smoothies, because they don't blend and soften well.
Chia seeds. I bought mine at Whole Foods; available on Amazon, click here. I used whole chia seeds (they blend and soften perfectly in these smoothies); but you can also buy ground chia seeds, if you prefer.
Yogurt. You can use any kind of yogurt (including non-dairy yogurts). I prefer low-fat Greek yogurt for it's creamy consistency and high protein; read my post for easy instructions for straining regular yogurt to make Greek yogurt.
Milk. I used skim cow's milk, unsweetened coconut milk, and unsweetened almond milk in these recipes. You can substitute any type of milk you prefer.
Fruit juice. This is optional. You can use all milk for the smoothie liquid, or a combination of milk and juice. You'll see in my 6 recipes that I did it both ways. Fruit juices can vary a lot in their flavor, nutrition and sweetness.
Blender. They can vary in power and effectiveness. The better blenders produce a smoother consistency. A smoothie blender is particularly convenient, if you have one. They come with multiple containers for blending/storing/drinking.
Pint (2 cup) mason jars. You can use any 2 cup container, but mason jars are the perfect size for storing, serving, and grab-and-go convenience. They stack and store easily in the fridge and freezer.
I have frozen smoothies in regular-mouth pint jars without any problems, but Ball recommends using the wide-mouth jars for freezing. You can find pint mason jars at Walmart and grocery stores; or find them on Amazon: regular mouth pint jars, wide mouth pint jars (freezer safe), plastic pint freezer jars.
A complete meal in a glass. The combination of oatmeal, chia seeds, yogurt, and fruit makes these well rounded nutrition. Every smoothie will differ some in nutrition according to the exact ingredients used.
Here is the nutritional breakdown for one 2-cup serving of my Strawberry Banana Oatmeal Smoothie. The other 5 recipes should be in this ballpark, too.
321 calories, 4.2g fat, 58.5g carbs, 13.9g protein, 7g fiber
High in antioxidants, fiber, protein, potassium, calcium, folate, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, riboflavin, and Vitamins A, B12, B6, C, D.
I honestly can't drink a whole 2-cup serving at one time. I've been drinking half of a smoothie for breakfast and having the other half for a mid-morning snack. It keeps me full all morning.
Chia seeds are power food (and a perfect smoothie thickener). If you are unfamiliar with the health benefits of these amazing little seeds, you can read about them in my Refrigerator Oatmeal post.
In these smoothies, they have the added benefit of serving as a thickener, since they absorb 10 times their weight in water and become gel-like. Smoothies often use ice cubes or frozen fruit to thicken them, but that means they have to be eaten right away before their ingredients melt. Using the chia seeds as a thickener allows these smoothies to be made far in advance and still have a perfectly thickened consistency whenever you drink one.
How to make 6 flavor varieties of Oatmeal Smoothies
(or invent your own flavor combo)
I used the same procedure for making all 6 smoothies. I'll share those specific recipes and give you my formula so you can create your own if you like.
Step 1. Assemble these ingredients and supplies.
Oats. I recommend old fashioned rolled oats over instant or quick oats--they're less processed and better for you. But, instant or quick oats will work, if that's what you have on hand. Steel-cut oats aren't recommended for these smoothies, because they don't blend and soften well.
Chia seeds. I bought mine at Whole Foods; available on Amazon, click here. I used whole chia seeds (they blend and soften perfectly in these smoothies); but you can also buy ground chia seeds, if you prefer.
Yogurt. You can use any kind of yogurt (including non-dairy yogurts). I prefer low-fat Greek yogurt for it's creamy consistency and high protein; read my post for easy instructions for straining regular yogurt to make Greek yogurt.
Milk. I used skim cow's milk, unsweetened coconut milk, and unsweetened almond milk in these recipes. You can substitute any type of milk you prefer.
Fruit juice. This is optional. You can use all milk for the smoothie liquid, or a combination of milk and juice. You'll see in my 6 recipes that I did it both ways. Fruit juices can vary a lot in their flavor, nutrition and sweetness.
Blender. They can vary in power and effectiveness. The better blenders produce a smoother consistency. A smoothie blender is particularly convenient, if you have one. They come with multiple containers for blending/storing/drinking.
Pint (2 cup) mason jars. You can use any 2 cup container, but mason jars are the perfect size for storing, serving, and grab-and-go convenience. They stack and store easily in the fridge and freezer.
I have frozen smoothies in regular-mouth pint jars without any problems, but Ball recommends using the wide-mouth jars for freezing. You can find pint mason jars at Walmart and grocery stores; or find them on Amazon: regular mouth pint jars, wide mouth pint jars (freezer safe), plastic pint freezer jars.
If you want to take your workouts to a higher level and blowtorch body fat, my FREE Bodyweight Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts are what you need. There are 3 levels: Bodyweight 200, 300 and 500. Start at the level you can handle.
