Marjory Abrams is executive vice president and chief content officer of Bottom Line Inc. Margie is a self-made health nut, voraciously learning from the content Bottom Line publishes—and the innumerable health experts she has rubbed elbows with over the course of her career. Her nightly game of “What’s in the ‘fridge?” has led to innovative, mostly yummy, concoctions that rarely leave leftovers.
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This week, I’m sharing my new favorite breakfast smoothie. If you are not a breakfast eater, please keep on reading because you should be! Not eating breakfast is proven to cause weight gain as well as lead to insulin resistance and diabetes.
My husband, who isn’t so into breakfast smoothies (or smoothies in general), asked me to make him one of these after he tasted mine—so take his word, if not mine, that this is really yummy! I used dates and oranges to add a little fun to the typical peanut butter breakfast smoothies you see on the internet.
Dates are the real “nature’s candy” to me. For a guilt-free dessert, I split a date (or two) in half, and stuff half of a walnut inside each piece. It tastes just like a candy bar! (Shout out to my friend Chemda, who taught me this.) Bonus: Dates are a great source of fiber and nutrients.
My preferred type is the Medjool variety, which are large and moist. The smaller (albeit less expensive) varieties are unappetizing to me; I think they look like roaches.
Someone sent us a gigantic box of oranges, and we’ve a few stragglers in the fruit drawer that I wanted to use before they go bad, so this concoction has become my smoothie-of-the-week. It is delicious even if the orange is slightly grainy on the inside, which was the case with some of the oranges.
Ingredients
1 Orange
2 Dates
Water to cover
Heaping spoon (about 1 to 1-1/2 Tablespoons) of Peanut Butter (or any nut butter—almond butter is also delicious to use)
Splash of vanilla extract (or almond extract)
Sprinkle of Cinnamon
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Directions
I use a NutriBullet for my breakfast smoothies, but you can also use an immersion blender with its accompanying mixing cup or a regular blender. I find the NutriBullet (or a similar type appliance) much easier to use and to clean than the others.
Cut the orange into wedges, then remove the peel and put the pieces into the cup. (I find it easier to peel this way, rather than peeling the entire orange and then breaking it into sections.) [accordion] [item title=”Tip #1“]Hold the wedges over the cup as you peel so you catch all of the drips. You don’t want to waste any of the delicious juice! Don’t make yourself crazy about removing all of the pith—that’s the thready white part that remains when you remove the peel. It has lots of nutrients, and the dates will mask any bitterness.[/item] [/accordion]
Add water to cover the orange. If you are using a NutriBullet or similar device, use the “max” line as your guide. I fill to just under the max so that there is room for the peanut butter. The orange pieces may sit a bit higher than the max line, but it will compact when blended. I haven’t had anything leak out during blending. [accordion] [item title=”Tip #2“]If you like your smoothies more like a slushy—and aren’t prone to brain freeze, as I am—put in a few ice cubes before you add the water.[/item] [/accordion]
Cut your two dates in half and remove the pits. Cut in half again and add the pieces to the blender mixture. (Note: Dates are pretty sticky, so be careful when cutting them up!)
Add a heaping spoon of peanut butter. (Note: If you want more protein, add some protein powder at this point. When I use protein powder, I prefer unflavored, unsweetened hemp protein. It will be more nutritious, but it does detract from the texture.)
Add a splash of vanilla extract.
Sprinkle on some cinnamon. Or, if you prefer, sprinkle on the cinnamon after it is blended to make it look fancy.
Blend until smooth. I like to pour this over ice to keep it cool.
Drink and enjoy! And—let me know what you think!!!
(I brought in samples for the office and even the naysayers wanted seconds!)
P.S. If it weren’t breakfast, and if I imbibed, this would be really delicious with a splash of rum or Kahlua…and, of course, a little paper umbrella on top.
What did you think of this recipe? Let us know below or on any of our social channels!
