salted caramel smoothie topped with peanuts, avocado toast on plate, lemon water, daily planner

My mornings are so sacred to me! It sets the tone for my entire day, and I just think there is something to be said about a simple ritual as an act of self-care.

While I am not extremely rigid in anything that I do, I do tend to stick to these habits for the most part in the morning. I’ve created a little routine that makes me feel great and gets me ready to tackle the day 🙂

Wake up, hydrate.

This step is super important. Your body has not had water in roughly 8 hours while you were asleep, so we need to replenish our fluids first thing for basic bodily functions. I keep my water bottle at my bed side and take my thyroid medication with it, and then I head to the kitchen to make my warm lemon water and take my probiotic. After doing this, I check in with my daily planner to start thinking about what I need to get done that day.

Below are links to some of my favorite items:

Not all probiotics are the same, but this one that I take daily is best taken on an empty stomach (lemon water is fine).

I feel the lemon helps to sort of wake my sensitive digestive system up. Mostly, I do just love it for the ritual aspect :). I drink 8-12oz of warm water with 1/2 of a lemon.

salted caramel smoothie topped with peanuts, avocado toast on plate, lemon water, daily planner

Morning movement.

For me, a morning work out is best. It gives me energy for the rest of the day, and I also am just not someone who can typically have the energy later in the day to exercise. This is personal preference! If an evening work out works best for your schedule, then always do what is best for you!

If I need a bite to eat before exercising, I opt for my bliss balls or a bowl of fruit.

As for what my favorite exercises are, I tend to change it up! I use ClassPass for booking HIIT, yoga, or pilates classes. However, I also love to do my own thing at the gym in my building- whether that’s some strength training, a ride on the Peloton, or a gentle treadmill walk. I check in with my body and go with what it needs for that day.

And yes, there are of course days where I skip my work out if I’m not feeling it!

salted caramel smoothie topped with peanuts, avocado toast on plate, daily planner

Breakfast.

After working out I fuel my body with a nutrient-dense and satisfying meal. Lately, that’s been a smoothie and avocado toast. The recipe for my salted caramel chocolate chip smoothie is below; I also love to do a combo of berries, cherries, and spinach with protein and nut butter. I use vegan protein- either pea protein, hemp protein, or brown rice protein (or a blend of those). Organic is best if possible, and even better if you can find a sprouted protein (easier on digestion).

I’m currently on a quest to perfect my own gluten free sourdough; my first loaf is pictured in these photos 🙂 It definitely needs some work to get more of a rise and perfect the bake time, but I am super hopeful! I can’t wait to share more on this with you when I perfect it- stay tuned!

I load my toast up with 1/2 of an avocado, lemon, red pepper flakes, and sea salt and pepper.

salted caramel smoothie topped with peanuts, avocado toast on plate, daily planner

Finally, below is the recipe for the smoothie I am currently obsessed with! There’s a hidden veggie in there- and I promise you’d never know it! It’s vegan and refined sugar free. The flavor is out of this world.

Hot tip: add a splash of cold brew to replace some of the dairy free milk for a coffee flavor!

I hope you enjoyed a little glimpse into my morning. xo

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  • Author: Mia Zarlengo
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1 serving 1x
  • Category: Breakfast

Description

Salted caramel chocolate chip smoothie (vegan, gluten free).


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup-1 cup unsweetened dairy free milk of choice, vanilla or plain (depending how thick you want your smoothie)
  • 12 dates, pit removed
  • 1/3 cup frozen cauliflower rice 
  • 1 serving of vanilla protein
  • 1 heaping tbsp peanut butter
  • 1 tsp chia seeds
  • Ice
  • Dash of sea salt, to taste
  • Cacao nibs

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients besides the cacoa nibs to a blender. Blend until smooth.
  2. Add cacao nibs. Pulse a few times to break up but not completely blend. Taste and add more sea salt if needed. 

Breakfast, Recipes

Category:

Feb 27, 2020

Morning Routine + Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Smoothie

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Simple. Attainable. Gathered Nutrition.