Home › Forums › Open Discussion › Smoothies vs. Breakfast Bars?
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January 9, 2014 at 6:02 pm #610138
wakefloodParticipantIn keeping with the current “versus” phenomenon, I pose this question to the WSB gang.
My partner is all about the smoothies for healthy breakfast (she tries to do all the prep at night so it’s toss and blend BUT that rarely happens).
I’ve got a couple of go-to bars that require nothing more than remembering to buy them and shove them in the pocket on the way out the door.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the smoothies but they are a hassle, what with the prep, cleanup, etc.
I’m sure there’s some additional points for the healthy factor since I can toss supplements into the smoothie mix but I can also just take them in tablet form with my bar.
What say ye? Is it simply personal preference or does one of these two breakfast options win outright?
January 9, 2014 at 6:27 pm #802835
JustSarahParticipantWhole foods always win, in my book, so a smoothie would likely be my preference. That said, it’s easy for a smoothie to be sugar-heavy and have few other redeeming qualities. Are her smoothies nutrient-rich and low on excessive starches and sugars? The best combos, IMO, are things like leafy greens (spinach or kale), berries, and plain, high-protein yogurt. If they’re something like orange juice, sweetened yogurt, and banana, I think some of that nutritional value is negated by empty calories.
January 9, 2014 at 8:12 pm #802836
JanSParticipantwhen I have smoothies, I also throw in some raw almonds, or walnuts, some flax or chia seeds. And use frozen fruit…makes it much more palatable.
January 9, 2014 at 8:15 pm #802837
JustSarahParticipantAgreed with Jan; toasted coconut (not sweetened) is also a nice addition for fat and flavor. I haven’t made smoothies in a few years, but one of my favorites for a while involved plain Greek yogurt, coconut flakes, slivered raw almonds, and frozen raspberries. Sometimes some frozen mango, as well. Delicious!
January 9, 2014 at 8:35 pm #802838
wakefloodParticipantWell Sarah, she does like to use Greek yogurt and/or some honey in the mix. Kale is now part of the mix as well. But she’s not normally a nut person so the coconut, etc. might not pass muster.
I’ll run these by her and see what she thinks.
And for comparison purposes, I tend to get the Kashi bars, which are at least a decent attempt at whole food – granted with some significant “sweeting” calories included.
January 9, 2014 at 9:26 pm #802839
BreezyParticipantIf I need to grab a get-it-n-go meal I like bars, specifically Quest. Smoothies are good, but way too much clean up…if I’m short on time.
If I’m not short on time, it’s steel cut oats or Greek yogurt. This is making me hungry!
January 9, 2014 at 11:02 pm #802840
JeannieParticipantNot to stir up the microwave pot again, but Quest bars are best if you microwave them for about 15 seconds.
January 9, 2014 at 11:54 pm #802841
JustSarahParticipantI eat the free instant oatmeal at work. Plain, please! :-) On the weekends, it’s pumpkin steel-cut oats.
January 10, 2014 at 3:29 am #802842
MercyMoiParticipantPumpkin steel cut oats? Sounds deelish. What’s your ratio of oats to pumpkin (puree, I assume)? I make pumpkin smoothies with peanut butter thrown in – so good! Lately I’ve been about the unsweetened kefir poured over my fruit, and this discussion makes me think it would be easy to just throw it all in the blender!
Smoothies definitely win over breakfast bars!
January 10, 2014 at 4:59 am #802843
JanSParticipantno time for steel cut oats in the morning? Make a Bain Marie out of your crock pot. You do the work the night before. Get a smaller crock that fits inside your crock pot. mix up your steel cut oats and water in the smaller crock. Fill the crock pot with water around the smaller crock until the water level is equal to the level inside the smaller one. Put the lid on. Turn crock pot to low, and go to bed. In the morning the oats will be cooked and creamy, and won’t stick to the pot. And leftovers for the next day :)
January 10, 2014 at 8:32 pm #802844
JustSarahParticipantMercyMoi, this is the basic recipe I use: http://skinnyms.com/overnight-slow-cooker-pumpkin-pie-steel-cut-oats-no-sugar-added/
Be sure to coat your slow cooker insert in something nonstick before putting everything in there, or you’ll have quite the mess to clean up. I spray mine with oil. I also use mostly milk instead of water… Mmm, creamy.
January 10, 2014 at 10:41 pm #802845
JanSParticipantSarahScoot…that link takes you (or at least me) to a recipe for overnight in the refrigerator, regular oats.
Using a crockpot, though, one of the reasons I like the water bath in post #10..no oil, no sticking to the crock pot, as the only thing there would be the water surrounding the inside smaller crock. :)
January 10, 2014 at 11:57 pm #802846
addParticipantThanks for the tip on microwaving the Quest bars, Jeannie – great idea! Note that there are only a few flavors of completely “natural” Quest protein bars – the others have more sugars, etc.
January 11, 2014 at 12:30 am #802847
JanSParticipantbut….but….sugar is natural ;-)
January 11, 2014 at 3:35 am #802848
MercyMoiParticipantSarahScoot, I’ve got pumpkin steel cut oats in the crock right now – pot sprayed with coconut oil. I’ve had my crock pot for over three years and I’ve never used it! *blush* If this turns out well I’m going to try all sorts of oats recipes. I eat a (painstakingly made) serving everyday, never occurred to me to make a crock pot full of it. I was going to try a bain-marie, JanS but didn’t have the right sized insert. Hope this isn’t too messy without it…
Mundane topic perhaps but I might be getting a new and happy breakfast routine out of the thread!
January 11, 2014 at 3:39 am #802849
carterParticipantWell, your both right. How’s that. I would recommend one tweak; eat right after you wake up, not on the way to work. By then it’s already too late. You’ve starved yourself and your metabolism thinks your going to not eat, so it begins to slow down. Bummer. At least your eating something. Only 43% of Americans eat breakfast everyday. So, you’re doing alright. As far as supplementing, don’t waste you money. Now that proper research is being done, more and more supplements are being proven useless, if not down right harmful (i.e. most calcium supplementation, fish oils, etc) And unless your eating a horrible diet, you generally don’t need them. If I had to pick, I’d probably go with the bar. Smoothies can produce loose stools and not fun at work. I would take the flatulence producing bar over that!
January 11, 2014 at 10:13 pm #802850
LisaMParticipantSo, if one doesn’t have a crockpot, could you make the pumpkin pie oats in a regular pan on the stove?
I normally eat hard boiled eggs and toast in the morning, I just cook up a dozen eggs each week so they are easy to grab. I also share them with my pooch (SO good for dogs)
January 12, 2014 at 1:00 am #802851
JoBParticipanti share mine with my pooches too:)
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