Cinnamon Roll Smoothie

You all know by now that I love my Smoothies in the morning and I'm always looking for a new recipe to throw into the normal routine.

I was making some cinnamon pancakes for my daughter when I thought, 'why can't I make this into a smoothie?'  And thus the idea was born.

A simple and easy smoothie that will take no time at in the mornings and with the great benefits from the banana and cinnamon you are already giving yourself a great way to start the day. 

Did you know that cinnamon can help to lower bad (LDL) cholesterol and also help to lower blood sugar levels?*  I love the flavor of cinnamon and use it fairly often in my baking.  It always helps to up the flavor profile in most of my baking recipes and I love that.

Eating a banana for breakfast gives me a great, natural boost of energy and is perfect for post workout snacks as well.  Yet another staple in my pantry.  I tend to buy bananas and then will pre-portion them out to freeze.  This helps me use them in more things, plus keeps me from throwing out past ripe bananas. I take a banana, slice and then place in a ziplock bag.  Pop in the freezer, then you have them for smoothies, baking or even as a fun cold snack on a hot summer day for the kids.  

So let's jump into this smoothie!

Here's one of my prepacked Ziplocks of 1 frozen banana.  Put into your blender.

Add 1 cup of Almond milk, (or sub whatever milk you like).

Add 1 t of ground cinnamon and 1/4 t of vanilla extract.  Then, BLEND!

And there you go - add a straw and enjoy!  Tastes like a cinnamon roll!  Even my toddler loves this smoothie, and my husband, (and let's be honest ... he is not a lover of smoothies).  

Cheers!

~Jacqui

*Source: http://www.organicauthority.com/health/11-health-benefits-of-cinnamon.html