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4 winterized smoothies to make your breakfast less boring and more nutritious

4 winterized smoothies to make your breakfast less boring and more nutritious

First off, you don't need to measure to make a great smoothie. Fill a drinking glass half-full with your liquid, then add produce, sweeteners, and other ingredients to taste.

THE PERSIMMON-SPICE: Fuyu persimmons, maple syrup, almond milk, ginger, pumpkin pie spice, and ice.

Fuyu persimmons can be eaten hard as an apple or fleshy as a ripe plum. But don't confuse the squat fuyu for the oval, pointy-ended hachiya persimmon, which has an awful chalky flavor when it isn't ripe and squishy as a water balloon. The flavor of a persimmon is somewhere between pumpkin and sweet peach.

A single persimmon has about six grams of fiber and fulfills 21% of your daily vitamin C needs and 55% of your daily vitamin A requirement, according to LiveStrong.com. The ginger is a great anti-inflammatory that also soothes upset stomachs.

To make this smoothie, we filled a glass halfway with nut milk, added it to our blender, and then chucked in three sliced persimmons (skin on), a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, a tablespoon of maple syrup, a few cubes of ice, and a half-inch nub of peeled ginger. To finish, a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice on top.

Note: Drink this quickly. The blended persimmons have a tendency to firm up into a pudding-like texture if the drink sits for too long. If you prefer to eat your smoothie with a spoon, by all means, let it sit a spell.

THE BEET-BERRY BLAST: Pre-cooked beets, orange juice, collard greens, frozen berries, and optional bee pollen topping.

Low in fat and calories and high in B vitamins and manganese (good for brain function), beets are full of folate. According to Dr. Oz, they also improve blood flow and have been linked to increased stamina during exercise. Collard greens, meanwhile, are rich in protein, vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium. The slightly bitter green also beats kale in terms of fiber content.

Against the berries, beets, and OJ, you won't taste the bitterness of the collards. The beets lend extra sweetness and an unexpectedly amazing vegetal flavor.

Here we blended a half-glass OJ, two whole beets, a cup of frozen berries, and two stalks of collard greens. The bee pollen topping provides a boost of protein, antioxidants, and color.

Note: Bee pollen can cause severe allergic reactions in some cases. Check with your doctor or avoid it altogether if you're prone to allergies or unsure of whether it might cause a reaction.

THE MOCHA-MINT: Fresh mint, peppermint extract, vanilla bean powder, maple syrup, almond milk, frozen bananas, white chocolate, and optional hemp seed topping.

This one has a few more ingredients, but if you use fresh spearmint (as opp posed to regular mint) you can eliminate the peppermint extract. Feel free to substitute vanilla extract for vanilla powder and dark chocolate for white chocolate. Add a few cubes of ice if your bananas aren't frozen.

Mint contains iron, vitamin A, fiber, potassium, and antioxidants. It's also a digestive aid and has been linked to allergy prevention.

Starting with a half-glass of almond milk, we threw one-and-a-half frozen bananas, a handful of mint, a half teaspoon of extract, a teaspoon of vanilla powder, four squares of white chocolate, and a tablespoon of maple syrup into the blender.

A few hemp seeds on top add protein and essential fatty acids.

THE PUMPKIN-SPICE: Pitted dates, salt- and sugar-free canned pumpkin, frozen bananas, coconut water, pumpkin pie spice, optional flax seed topping.

According to the Mayo Clinic, canned pumpkin has all the potassium, vitamin A, and iron that the fresh stuff has. (And you don't have to gut it, peel it, and cook it.) However, the Clinic also warns to avoid labels that say "pumpkin pie mix" and look for cans that contain 100% pumpkin with no added salt or sugar.

Here we added a half-glass of coconut water, half cup of pumpkin purée, one-and-a-half frozen bananas, a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, and five dates into the blender. A few flax seeds tossed on top add fiber and nutty flavor.

Remember to add ice if your bananas aren't frozen. If you don't mind spending a little extra, Medjool dates are sweeter and taste like caramel.

Forget treacly frappuccinos — this is what we'll be drinking all winter.

Now go forth and blend!