School-Ade: A Breakfast-on-the-Run Smoothie

Here is a Sears family recipe for a smoothie we give our children and ourselves for a quick and nutritious breakfast as they are hurrying off to school and we are rushing off to work.*

• 3 cups milk or soy beverage
• 11/2 cups plain nonfat yogurt
• 1-2 servings Juice Plus+® Complete or similar multinutrient supplement
• one banana
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup each of your favorite fruit, frozen (e.g., organic strawberries, papaya, mango)
• 2 tbsp. flax oil or 1/2 cup flaxseed meal
• 4 ounces tofu
• 2 tbsp. peanut butter (optional)
• 1 tbsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 California avocado

Combine all the ingredients and blend until smooth. Serve immediately after blending while the mixture still has a bubbly milkshake-like consistency.

We formulated this recipe based on the principle of "synergy." The nutrients consumed together enhance each other's benefits, so the whole nutritional effect is greater than the sum of its parts. I have prescribed this recipe for several hundred school-children and their parents, and we drink it ourselves four to five mornings a week. It's a powerful performance booster for working parents and school-children.

Because fiber steadies the absorption of carbohydrates and therefore contributes to a steadier blood sugar, we suggest using rich sources of fiber, such as flaxseed meal (i.e. ground flax seeds, containing both the oil and fiber), although flax oil has a more palatable consistency than flaxseed meal. For additional fiber, if you don't mind a grainier texture, add 1 tbsp. or more of oat bran.

This family-size recipe makes four 16-ounce servings (approximately 550 calories per serving). Adjust the recipe to the desired taste and volume. Besides being tasty, it's nutritionally balanced, with each serving containing approximately 25 to 30 grams of protein, 55 to 60 grams of carbohydrates, 8 to 16 grams of fat (mostly healthy omega 3's), and 5 to 10 grams of fiber. Enjoy!

SCHOOL-ADE QUICK

• 2 cups of milk or soy or rice beverage, or 1 cup milk and 1 cup yogurt
• 1 serving Juice Plus+® Complete
• 2 tsp. flax oil
• 1 small frozen banana, cut up
• 1/2 cup each of your favorite fruit, frozen (e.g., blueberries strawberries, papaya)
• 2 ice cubes if fruit is not frozen or if you want a lighter taste

Makes one 20-ounce serving. (approximately 550 calories).