Like most startups, we work long days. But we don’t skimp when it comes to fitting in fitness and food. In fact, at “The Lab”, we take our macronutrients extremely seriously.
Over the last 8 weeks, we’ve been perfecting our Blueberry Pie Filling Smoothie recipe. It started as a simple discussion about what to have for lunch, which escalated into a philosophical debate about the critical elements of a smoothie.
At its essence, we believe that a smoothie should:
- A: Be eaten with a spoon not a straw
- B: Provide significant protein
- C: Contain balanced macronutrients
- D: Taste superb
With agreement on these core principles, we embarked on crafting the best possible blueberry based smoothie in the universe. Along the way, we learned a lot about texture, enhancing blueberry flavor, and life.
Have you heard the parable about the monk running from the tiger? If not, we’ll cut to the chase. The monk finds himself hanging off a lone tree branch on a massive cliff – the tiger above (his past), jagged rocks below (his future), and a single berry on the branch (the now). He chooses to eat this berry, and discovers it is the most delicious berry he has ever tasted.
In the day to day of building a startup, anxiety and stress can become overwhelming if you let it. Or, you can choose to enjoy your berry (or… an amazing blueberry smoothie).
Fifteen iterations later, we are pleased to share what is truly the coolest, most incredible, velvety, eat-with-a-spoon blueberry smoothie that will bring you into the present moment with its delicious flavor, textural enlightenment and nourishing macronutrient nirvana!
One serving contains 50 grams of protein, 50 grams of carbohydrates, 25 grams of fat, and a whopping 15 grams of dietary fiber. Total calories per serving: 596.
The Coolest Blueberry Pie Filling Smoothie Recipe
Makes two 16-ounce servings
Ingredients
- Frozen Organic Wild Blueberries: 280 grams (2 cups)
- Unsweetened Macadamia Nut Milk: 1 cup
- Chia Seeds: 20 grams (1 1/2 tbsp)
- Organic Lemon Juice: 1/2 lemon
- Peanut Butter (no sugar added): 64 grams (4 tbsp)
- Honey (ideally local): 27 grams (1 heaping tbsp)
- Peanut Butter Powder: 45 grams (6 tbsp)
- Pink Himalayan Sea Salt: 3/4 tsp
- Cinnamon (Ceylon aka “true” cinnamon): 2 tsp
- Coriander: 1/2 tsp
- Fage 0%: 500 grams (2 1/4 cups)
Instructions
- Blend the wild blueberries with the macadamia nut milk and lemon juice until thoroughly mixed.
- Add the peanut butter and honey and blend until smooth. Adding these ingredients at this stage will make it much easier to blend in the chia seeds.
- Blend in the chia seeds on high to achieve the smoothest consistency.
- Blend in spices and the peanut butter powder.
- Add the Fage 0% to the blender and blend just enough to combine. We often do a quick hand mix with a spatula and then a short low speed blend. Avoid over blending at this stage because it is easy to end up with a liquid beverage versus a thick smoothie.
Notes
- The order you mix the ingredients matters a great deal. If you want textural perfection, stick to the recipe.
- Coriander may seem like an odd choice, but it helps bring out the blueberry flavor. Coriander contains a compound called linalool which is used in creating blueberry essence.
- We have found Fage is by far the best textured yogurt with a significant amount of protein for this smoothie. You can use a different brand of Greek yogurt or Icelandic skyr, but do so at your own risk.
- For peanut butter, we love Santa Cruz Organic dark roasted creamy peanut butter
- Yes, there really are different kinds of cinnamon. The short story: if you eat a lot of cinnamon, it is best to stick to Ceylon!
- We really like macadamia nut milk because it tastes great and blends well, but you can use any type of milk!
