Breakfast Oatmeal Smoothies Three Ways

Ingredient Notes

1. Oats: Either old fashioned rolled oats and instant oats work great for smoothies. I usually lean towards the instant oats, because they're more broken down and seem to blend up a little easier.
2. Bananas: I use frozen bananas in each of these smoothies for flavor and texture. You can either buy pre-frozen bananas or freeze your own. To freeze your own, make sure to peel them first and store them in a freezer bag or airtight container.
3. Milk: Use absolutely any milk you prefer!
4. Nut butters: If you're allergic to nuts you can omit these or try sunflower butter instead.
5. Sweetener: In all honesty, I rarely add sweeteners, such as honey, agave or maple syrup to my smoothies. I added them to these recipes because I felt it created the most ideal flavor, but omit them to save on some calories and sugar if you prefer.

Recipe Steps

To make these breakfast oatmeal smoothies, simply add all of the ingredients to a blender and process until smooth. Whether you're making the strawberry banana, turmeric mango or chocolate peanut butter version, opt for frozen fruit to create thick, creamy smoothies. Add honey, agave or maple syrup for added sweetness, if desired.

A completely optional step is toasting and/or grinding the oats. To toast the oats, preheat your oven to 350F and bake on a sheet tray for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown. This is a good option if you're not comfortable with the idea of eating raw oats.

After they're cooled, you can grind them in a coffee grinder or small food processer so that they blend more easily into your smoothies. This is helpful especially if you don't own a high powered blender, such as a Vitamix.

Recipe Tips

1. To save money, freeze all of your own fruit. Make sure to peel the bananas first. Same goes for the mangos, which also need to be chopped. Wash and de-stem the strawberries. Store the fruit in separate freezer bags or airtight containers.
2. Toast the oats in bulk. If you plan on making these smoothies from time to time, you can toast a few cups of oats at once. After they cool, store them in an airtight container for a number of months. They also store well after grinding them.
3. Experiment with the flavors. Try using these base recipes with different types of fruits and flavorings. Here are a few ideas to add to a banana-oat base: Blueberries, almond butter, vanilla extract; Mixed berries, peanut butter; Peaches, almond butter, vanilla, cinnamon. The sky's the limit!