Every morning, bright and early you can find me at the gym. I lift heavy, hang out with the morning crew and get my sweat on. It's ingrained now. I can't imagine starting my day any other way.
I used to have time to make breakfast for myself when I got home. Then as the kids got older and time got tighter, I was forced to give one of those powdered recovery shakes a try. It was OK, but I'd rather get my calories and protein from food, not powder. So I set out to create a new, quick post-workout, breakfast as I embark on a new school year and routine.
My first idea was an overnight steel-cut oats bowl but I discovered they will still need to be semi-cooked the night before. I considered pulling out the crockpot but I just wasn't feeling it.
I had some oats sitting in egg whites (the pasteurized kind in the carton) for one of my experiments and then it hit me -- they were totally soft enough to blend into a smoothie!
I'm SHOCKED how good this came out. It's filling, tasty and super quick. All you need to do is soak the steel-cut oats in the egg whites the night before. Then use it to blend the rest of the ingredients in the morning.
I prepared a few servings of the oats yesterday as part of my Sensational Sunday prep day.
This morning I pulled out one of my containers of oats and blended the perfect smoothie to sip while getting the kids ready for their first day of school.
This may be my new go-to. It has a good protein-to-carb ratio after an intense work out session, a fair amount of fat and fiber to help me feel full, and only natural sugars from the banana.
It's not "light" but it makes a great meal replacement and recovery shake if that's what you're looking for. I'm learning my breakfast needs to be more substantial or I just end up snacking all day.
Here's what I did...
Ingredients
- ¼ cup uncooked steel cut oats
- ½ cup liquid egg whites from the carton
- 2 cups baby spinach or a mix of juicing greens (I used half kale and half spinach)
- ½ ripe banana
- 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter (16g)
- 10g ground flax (I used golden)
- 14g cocoa nibs
- ~5 ice cubes
Instructions
Soak the oats and egg white over night.
Blend all ingredients except the ice until smooth.
Add the ice and blend again.
Enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Steel-Cut Oat Breakfast Recovery Smoothie
Ingredients
- ¼ cup uncooked steel cut oats
- ½ cup liquid egg whites from the carton
- 2 cups baby spinach or a mix of juicing greens I used half kale and half spinach
- ½ ripe banana
- 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter 16g
- 10 g ground flax I used golden
- 14 g cocoa nibs
- ~5 ice cubes
Instructions
- Soak the oats and egg white over night.¼ cup uncooked steel cut oats, ½ cup liquid egg whites from the carton
- Blend all ingredients except the ice until smooth.2 cups baby spinach or a mix of juicing greens, ½ ripe banana, 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter, 10 g ground flax, ¼ cup uncooked steel cut oats
- Add the ice and blend again.~5 ice cubes
- Enjoy!
LisaM
If you use old fashioned oats you don't need to soak overnight. Just add them first and buzz in your blender before adding other ingredients