By now all the kiddos are back in school and if your mornings are like mine – they often feel rushed and chaotic no matter how much planning gets done the night before. I have two teenage daughters still at home and most mornings they are hitting snooze over and over trying to get a few more minutes of sleep. Often, that leads to grabbing something to eat as they run out the door on their way to school. My solution: a simple, nutritious and portable breakfast smoothie filled with protein, fruit and important vitamins and minerals. Smoothies are an easy way to nourish their bodies so their minds are ready for the classroom.

Since smoothies are big at my house I’m always curious about new ingredients and different flavor combinations that I can easily blend together. I was recently inspired to up my smoothie game by 10 incredible registered dietitians who visited us in Maine to explore the Wild Blueberry Barrens. In addition to meeting many of our Wild Blueberry growers and talking with our science and nutrition experts, we challenged them to a Wild Blueberry Smoothie Making Competition. In advance of their trip, we asked them to give us their list of ingredients and I have to say it was the most amazing shopping list I’ve ever put together.

In case you didn’t know, Wild Blueberries are great in smoothies for a variety of reasons. First, these unique little berries have twice the antioxidants of regular blueberries, which help decrease inflammation – another plus for my family since my girls are athletes. Additionally, Wild Blueberries are full of fiber, zinc and manganese (girls typically don’t get enough fiber and they certainly need vitamins and minerals to help with bone health especially as they grow). They also have an incredible taste, which can be attributed to the fact that there are literally thousands of different plants in each field – so you end up with a complex blend of sweet and tart flavors in every bag of frozen Wild Blueberries. Finally, the majority of the Wild Blueberry crop (99%) is frozen fresh at the peak of harvest, locking in taste and nutrition so you can skip the ice, which is important to my girls because they like a thicker smoothie.

So back to the contest…it was fierce and the creativity was simply mind blowing – making the simple smoothie a true foodie experience for all of us. I say mind blowing because one of our judges actually remarked after tasting one of the smoothies, “…mind blown.” Our judges were Bar Harbor Inn Executive Chef Louis Kiefer and our own registered dietitian and nutrition adviser, Kit Broihier. They selected two winning recipes. Drum roll please…

Winning Recipe #1

Wild Blueberry Basil Cheesecake Smoothie

By Kara Lydon of The Foodie Dietitian.

1 cup frozen Wild Blueberries

3 Basil Leaves

½ cup Coconut Milk

½ cup Greek Yogurt (plain)

¼ cup Cottage Cheese

2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

2 tbsp. Graham Crackers

2 tsp. Flaxseed

2 tsp. Vanilla Protein Powder

1 tsp. Lemon Zest

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Winning Recipe #2

Wake Up Healthy Genes Smoothie

By Kate Geagan, a nationally recognized and award-winning dietitian and champion of more sustainable food choices. She is also the author of Go Green. Get Lean: Trim Your Waistline with the Ultimate Low Carbon Footprint Diet.

½ cup frozen Wild Blueberries

2 slices of Mango (fresh)

½ large Banana (fresh)

½ Lime (squeezed)

2/3 – 1 Cup Vanilla Yogurt

5-7 large fresh Mint Leaves (or to taste)

1 tsp. shredded or finely chopped fresh Ginger (or to taste)

1 tsp. ground Flaxseed

1/3 cup Ice

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Congratulations Kara and Kate and to everyone who participated! For those interested in amping up their own smoothie making at home, please find eight super healthy smoothie recipes from the wonderful registered dietitians who joined us in Maine last month.

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Wild Blueberry Watermelon Mojito Smoothie

By Dana Angelo White, a founding contributor for Food Network’s Healthy Eats blog.

½ cup frozen Wild Blueberries

½ cup Watermelon

¼ cup frozen Mango

½ cup Vanilla Voconut Milk

1 tsp. Honey

Fresh Mint to taste

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Wild Blueberry Upbeat

By Kathleen Zelman, the director of nutrition for WebMD and nutrition expert for United Healthcare.

1 cup frozen Wild Blueberries

¼ cup Greek Yogurt (nonfat)

½ cup Mango (fresh)

1/3 cup Yellow Beets (fresh)

1 tsp. pure Maple Syrup

1/3 cup Orange Juice

1 Tbsp. Chia Seeds

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Walk on the Wild Side: Choco-Blueberry Smoothie

By Sarah-Jane Bedwell, the official food and nutrition blogger for SELF Magazine.

1 cup frozen Wild Blueberries

2 tsp. Cocoa Powder

1 cup Skim Milk

¼ tsp. Vanilla

Pinch of Cinnamon

Pinch of Nutmeg

2 tsp. Honey

Garnish with extra Wild Blueberries and Cocoa Powder

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Wild Blueberry Lassie

By EA Stewart, a nutrition consultant who blogs at The Spicy RD

1 cup frozen Wild Blueberries

½ cup Greek yogurt (plain)

1 Banana

¼ cup Soy Milk

¼ cup Cashews (raw)

¼ – ½ tsp. ground Cardamom

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Wild Blueberry Lemon Green Superfood Smoothie

By Sally Kuzemchak, blogger for Parent Magazine and her own blog Real Mom Nutrition.

½ cup frozen Wild Blueberries

1 Banana

1 large handful of Spinach

Juice of 1 Lemon

½ cup cold Water

½ cup Pineapple (chopped)

1 Tbsp. ground Flaxseed

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Wild Blueberry Cacao Smoothie

By Alexis Joseph, the whole foods enthusiast behind the plant-based blog Hummusapien and co-creator of Columbus, Ohio-based Alchemy Juice Bar + Café.

1 cup frozen Wild Blueberries

1 handful of Spinach

1 cup Almond Milk

2 Dates

¼ cup Avocado

1 tsp. Cacao Powder

½ tsp. Vanilla Extract

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Wild Blueberry Lemon Ginger Smoothie

By Jessica Fishman Levinson, the woman behind the blog Nutritioulicious.

1 cup frozen Wild Blueberries

½ cup low fat Plain Yogurt

2 Tbsp. nonfat Milk

¾ tsp. grated Ginger

¼ tsp. Lemon Zest

4 tsp. Lemon Juice

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Wild Blueberry Almond Oatmeal in a Glass

By Tina Gowin Carlucci, the senior nutrition editor for Joy Bauer Ventures and owner of GoWin Nutrition.

1 cup frozen Wild Blueberries

½ ripe Banana

¼ tsp. Cinnamon

1/8 tsp. Nutmeg

1 tbsp. Almond Butter

¼ cup Old Fashioned Oats

1 cup Vanilla Almond Milk

1 cup Ice