Strawberry-Kefir-Protein Smoothie

I wanted to find a way to get some more protein into my breakfast without eating anything too heavy. 

I find that as I get older, I'm just not as hungry for a big meal in the morning. BUT, we need to bring our cortisol down in the morning for several reasons. 

Cortisol is often referred to as the "stress hormone." If you live with sensitivity, anxiety or insomnia, you'll want to find ways to balance your cortisol.

Cortisol is at its highest in the morning. So to wake up and hit your body with caffeine first thing in the morning isn't going to help this balance. OR to wake up and fast in the morning will also act as a stress on your body.

You'll want to eat something protein-rich within the first 30 minutes of waking up. But if you're like me, you won't want anything heavy. 

Meet my Strawberry-Kefir-Protein Smoothie! 

I started making Kefir again recently and was reminded of how ridiculously simple it is. I got my hands on my A2, grass fed kefir grains and prepared it with A2 milk. I let it sit for just over 24 hours on my counter (out of the light) and got a delicious, protein, probiotic-packed drink. 

You can make any number of combinations of Kefir Smoothie, but I love strawberry. Berries are the lowest glycemic fruit that we can eat, are full of nutrients and taste delicious. 

If you are interested in making Kefir (which I would highly recommend!) you can source grass-fed, A2 kefir grains here.

I am not, in any way, affiliated with this company, but I LOVE their products.

I searched high and low for both A2 Kefir grains and an A2 yogurt starter. I’m not great with regular, A1 dairy, but I seem to do just fine with A2 dairy. I’ve written before about the difference. A2 milk contains different proteins. And it’s almost always the protein, like casein, that people react to in dairy.

A2 dairy comes from the ‘original milkers.’ These are Guernsey Cows, Jersey Cows, Brown Swiss and Normande. These cows produce the A2 beta-casein protein which is the same primary protein found in a mother’s breast milk. So it is most natural to the human body and more easily absorbed.

Kefir is very high in probiotic content; much higher than even homemade yogurt. It is an amazing drink for the gut.

This smoothie is great in the morning as part of a protein-packed, delicious and healthy breakfast.

INGREDIENTS:

1 - 1.5 cups of A2 milk kefir

1 banana

1 cup of frozen, organic strawberries

1 scoop of vanilla whey powder

DIRECTIONS:

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend.

Serve cold and drink immediately!