Back to my favorite--smoothies

 Every year about this time I go back to my favorite breakfast--a nice, healthy smoothie. The nice thing about smoothies is that they can be versatile, they're high in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and they taste really good. It can be a good way to get your daily allowance of fruits and veggies without having to peel, chop, or dice and that is not something I want to do early in the morning.

My favorite includes an orange, apple, banana, carrots, kale, frozen blueberries, and a few frozen strawberries. Everything gets ground and blended in my Vitamix blender and breakfast is done. I can sip it leisurely or take it with me. The only negative is that it can be really messy, and if you don't wash the glass out immediately, you may have to soak it.

I also like to add some herbs at times. If you feel like you are coming down with a cold, add echinachea (from a tea bag or capsule), and cinnamon, or other herbs that help with cold symptoms.

You can always make your favorite smoothie with tropical fruits like mangoes, pineapple, and add a healthy dose of ginger.

Lately, ginger and cinnamon have been credited with helping to lower high blood pressure and blending them into this healthy treat is a great way to get more of these spices.

It's also a refreshing way to cool down after exercise, so get out your blender and blend up some healthy potions. It will be more like a treat than a healthy meal.