We just got back from a short vacation in sunny Florida. It was nice to get away from the cold of the northeast for a few days. AAHHHH!!! While away, I was very happy to be able to quickly have my morning smoothie. It’s good to know at least one meal is going to be healthy! Smoothies are an easy, tasty means of getting your daily dose of vitamins and minerals. If you’re heading off on vacation, or even a day trip, you may be wondering how to continue to get all your nutrients in a convenient, portable way. Packing a blender, an extension cord, a head of greens, a container of yogurt, and several bags of frozen fruit for your morning smoothie isn’t really a feasible option for most of us! Fortunately there is another method.
Portable Smoothies for Vacations, Camping, and Day Trips
It all starts with the Shaker Bottle. Look for a lightweight portable smoothie shaker that will fit easily in your suitcase or backpack. With a rubber seal to prevent leaks and an agitator to break up clumps, all you need to do is add your powdered supplements, fill with water or other beverage of choice, and shake it up to make an instant, healthy smoothie! Smoothies are perfect any time of the day, whether you need a simple breakfast, lunch, snack, or post-workout recovery drink.
If you’re heading out for the day, simply add a scoop or two of powdered supplements to the dry smoothie shaker bottle. Later, when you’re ready for your afternoon snack, just pour in some liquid, shake, and drink. If you’re planning a longer trip, combine all your powdered supplements (in the desired proportions) in a large container. Include a measuring cup to scoop out individual smoothie servings as needed. Although we recommend reusable containers when possible, you can even pre-measure single servings into plastic zip top bags if you need to save space. You can have healthy, nutritious smoothies for breakfast every day of your trip!
Catie’s Organic Greens and Catie’s Gluten Free Greens provide many of the nutrients you may be missing in your diet. With a variety of concentrated greens, Catie’s Greens add probiotics and enzymes, fiber, fatty acids, and antioxidants to your smoothie.Get Your Greens on the Go
Vitamineral Green smoothie powder contains grasses, sea vegetables, herbs, enzymes, chlorophyll, iodine, and adaptogens. Made entirely from real foods grown with standards that surpass organic regulations, this superfood smoothie powder is raw, vegan, GMO free, and gluten free.
Perfect Supplements Fermented Kale Powder may help prevent numerous diseases due to its anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiviral, and antitumor properties. Kale is one of the most popular health foods, with vitamins A, C, E, and K, calcium, potassium, protein, and fiber, and fermented kale in your smoothie provides all these nutrients in an easily digestible form.
Perfect Aquatic Greens Powder is made up of two freshwater algae, spirulina and chlorella. These algae are complete protein sources with vegetarian B12 and packed with vitamins and minerals. The greens in Perfect Aquatic Greens have been used for centuries throughout the world and boost energy, detoxify, aid in digestion, lower body fat, and reduce blood sugar. You can also choose to use Perfect Spirulina or Perfect Chlorella separately in your smoothies.
Perfect 3 Grass Blend is an organic combination of nutritious barley, oat, and wheat grasses. These grasses add protein, fiber, calcium, iron, essential amino acids, B vitamins, vitamins C and K, and more to your smoothie. Perfect 3 Grass Blend detoxifies, improves digestion, reduces high blood pressure and high blood sugar, and strengthens the immune system.
Add in Superfoods for Superior Sustenance
Limitless Good Baobab has a refreshing citrusy flavor with a bit of sourness. This superfood smoothie ingredient is high in fiber, with 6 grams per serving, which helps you feel full. Baobab powder contains iron, magnesium, potassium, and antioxidants. Other benefits of baobab extend to digestion, cardiovascular health, the immune system, blood sugar levels, sleep, and energy levels.
Organic Chia Seeds will thicken your smoothie, creating an almost gelatinous texture. A little goes a long way, so start with about a tablespoon, else you may end up with a congealed mass instead of a smoothie! Make sure to let the finished smoothie sit for 15-20 minutes to allow the chia seeds to absorb the liquid. Chia seeds that haven’t fully hydrated may lead to digestive discomfort or constipation for some people.
Catie’s Whole Plant Food Vitamin C Plus is one of my favorite smoothie add-ins. It is a chemical-free, preservative-free vitamin C supplement made from real food, never anything created or grown in a lab. And it tastes like fruit punch! Vitamin C has too many health benefits to list them all here. Check out this blog, Five Startling Facts About Vitamin C, for more information on whole food vitamin C.
Vitamineral Earth contains omega-3 fatty acids, adaptogens, the Essaic herbs, probiotics, and minerals such as chromium, selenium, and manganese. High in fiber, raw, and vegan, Vitamineral Earth supports healing, digestive health, detoxification, the immune system, and healthy blood sugar levels. Vitamineral Earth adds a savory flavor to your smoothie.
Perfect Acai Berry Powder not only has a pleasant, tart, fruity taste that pairs well with other fruit flavors or chocolate smoothies, but it is also loaded with antioxidants. Acai smoothie powder supports digestion and heart health and the acai tree has been dubbed the “tree of life” for the berry’s anti-aging benefits.
Power Up with Protein
Tony’s Pure Whey Protein Plus Double Dutch Chocolate is a highly absorbable protein powder free of added sugars and other unhealthy additives. Whey protein is an optimal source of high-quality smoothie protein that has been found to boost immune health, aid in weight loss, and lower blood pressure. This is a great tasting protein powder — it’s like chocolate milk when added to milk.
Dr. Tony’s Vegan Protein comes in both French Vanilla and Double Dutch Chocolate and provides vegan smoothie protein from pea, rice hemp, cranberries, and chia seed along with 1000mg of l-glutamine. L-glutamine helps build and repair muscle, boost the immune system, stabilize blood sugar, and promote gastrointestinal health.
PaleoPro Protein Powder is a paleo-friendly protein powder made from grass-fed beef and egg protein. Unlike many other Paleo protein powders, PaleoPro uses the flesh from the beef, not the collagen. While collagen is a great source of protein, it does not have the desired amino acid profile of beef flesh. And, this protein powder tastes great!
Available in Vanilla or Simply Natural, Perfect Plant Protein is a unique blend of mushroom protein, hemp protein, brown rice protein, probiotics, and enzymes. This hypoallergenic formula is perfect for those with allergies and provides 17 grams of complete vegan protein per serving. Perfect Plant Protein smoothie powder supports digestion, reduces inflammation, promotes muscle growth and recovery, supports metabolism, and contains countless vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and amino acids.
Perfect Hydrolyzed Collagen and Perfect Bovine Gelatin are both great protein powders to add to any drink. They come from super healthy pasture-raised grass-fed, Brazilian cattle. They have very similar potential health benefits, including great for digestion, hair and nail growth, and reducing joint pain. The big difference is Hydrolyzed Collagen doesn’t gel whereas gelatin does gel as it cools. And, hydrolyzed collagen may be more easily absorbed as it has been processed one step further with natural enzymes, making the collagen peptides shorter. One 11 g scoop of either provides 10 g of protein!
Make Your Smoothie Taste Great
While many of these supplement powders already have a great taste with natural flavors, you’ll want to make sure you choose a combination of flavors that will mix together well in your smoothie. If you’re not used to the taste of greens, start with a very small amount and rely more heavily on chocolate protein powder or fruit powders. You can also add cocoa powder, ground spices such as cinnamon and ginger, or powdered stevia to your dry smoothie mix. Instead of water, use juice, nut/dairy/coconut milk, coconut water, tea, or even coffee in your smoothie shaker for a stronger flavor. Have fun experimenting, but try mixing up a sample smoothie before your trip to make sure your final concoction is delicious. Happy shaking!
Kerrie’s Favorite Smoothie-on-the-Go Combo
This is for one serving
1 scoop Perfect Hydrolyzed Collagen
1/2 T Catie’s Whole Plant Food Gluten Free Greens
1/2 T Catie’s Whole Plant Food Vitamin C Plus
1 scoop Perfect Acai Powder
2 scoops Limitless Good Baobab Powder
8 – 12 oz of juice, water or any combination of the two
All together, it makes up about 1/4 cup of powder.
I mix 10 days worth at a time up and keep it in the fridge for easy dispensing.
Why these supplements?
I choose the Perfect Hydrolyzed Collagen because it is tasteless in combination with everything else, and I’m still recovering from knee surgery in May and need all the collagen I can get to help rebuild and repair the joint.
I like the Catie’s Gluten Free Greens because it comes from real food, many of the ingredients are organic, and I like to eat gluten-free whenever possible.
I add the Catie’s Vitamin C and the Perfect Acai because I used to get lots of colds, and I get far fewer when I keep my immunity high. Both these products are loaded with antioxidants and immune boosters.
The Baobab Powder is also a great source of antioxidants, but is also naturally high in fiber. Good fiber is an excellent addition to any liquid meal.
I usually get a good 100% organic red juice like pomegranate cranberry or cherry. Then I use about 5 oz each juice and water with the 1/4 cup of pre-mixed supplements.