Why? Because you can pack a lot of goodness into one meal--much more than you might think.
Take oatmeal for instance. We all grew up eating it with tonnes of sugar or maple syrup, right? Well, have you ever thought of eating it in another way?
* Flax meal. Save money and don't buy the flax already ground, and in a bag. Buy a bit (say a cup) in bulk, then whur in a blender until all the seeds are ground up. You don't need a fancy blender to do it--any old blender will do. You'll find that though you only purchased a cup of flax seeds, you actually get a lot more meal than that! And it cost just a few cents per serving, and the oils in the seeds won't go bad before you can use it up.
* Wheat germ. It's light as air so cost next to nothing to purchase in bulk, and its health benefits are amazing! Folic acid, anti-oxidents and fibre are the top!
* Oat bran. Very high in fibre, which keeps your plumbing going, and has also been linked to helping to lower cholesterol.
* Nuts. In the past nuts have been pooh-poo'd because of their high fat content, but now we know that the fats in nuts are good for us (in moderation--don't go eating a pound a day now!). Nuts are also mini nutrient-bombs with nutrients like magnesium, protein and vitimin E. Always purchase RAW nuts, which haven't been roasted--even so-called "dry" roasted--because then you get just the good nut, and not the gross oil it's been fried in.
* Seeds. Seeds are wee baby plants, just waiting to grow, so contain a lot of nutrients in their teensy bodies! Sunflower seeds for example, are very nutritious and not at all expensive. As always, make sure your purchase them RAW.
* Chia. Chia seeds especially are very high in protein. Just soak chia seeds in water or another liquid like milk or almond milk for 30 minutes, and you'll see them develop a jelly. Don't worry, they're supposed to do that! Just add them to your oatmeal as-is.
Fruit of all kinds can (and should!) be added to your oatmeal. Choose a sweet variety of apple to sweeten your oatmeal and banish that horrible processed sugar. Remember you want foods that will build you up, not tear you down!!
A Nutrition Bomb Smoothie is as easy to make as Nutrition Bomb Oatmeal. In fact, almost everything above can be included, even if you have a broke-ass blender! Chia, flax meal, oat bran, wheat germ, and even dry oatmeal! Yes, oatmeal!!
For example: Pinch of chia, flax meal, oat bran, wheat germ; 1/4 cup dry oatmeal; 1-2 cups fruit of your choice; 1 banana; water/milk/juice/milk alternative, baby spinach (1-3 handfulls). I would whurr the dry stuff first, to make sure the oatmeal is blended. Then add the rest, and zip until it's all blended together and there aren't any big pieces of the spinach. Don't worry--you won't be able to taste the spinach at all. Promise!
If you were to eat all the ingredients in their original form, you'd be eating a pretty big spinach salad with lots of fruit and seeds etc all over it, and a glass of water or milk or milk alternative or juice, which would be kind of weird. But blended all together it's bloody delicious, and it's a Nutrition Bomb!
Want to make it even more nutritious? Why not add spirulina? Just a tbsp or even less, and it turns the smoothie into a Nutrition Super Bomb!
For more great green smoothie recipes (which in my opinion are just about the best thing in the world) check out the Green Monster Movement website.
So what are you waiting for? Wonder twins activate!!
