A refreshing smoothie is, for many health-conscious people, a sure-fire way to get your day started on a nutritionally sound footing. Whether you’re a green smoothie fan or love the sweetness of a fruity smoothie, you can be assured of a hearty dose of vitamins and minerals in your first meal of the day. And in the super hot days of summer, smoothies provide an added benefit: the cooling effect of an ice-cold beverage.
But another great reason to love smoothies is that you can use them as a very versatile meal replacement. If you make your smoothie ahead of time, you’ll have breakfast ready in under 2 minutes, in most cases. You can even have your smoothie as an afternoon snack. The options are limitless, and as a big smoothie fan, I’m delighted to share with you some of my very favorite smoothie options. Enjoy, but first, some tips:
Focus on greens
One way to ensure that your smoothies are nutrient-rich is to use more greens than fruit. For example, aim for 2 cups of leafy greens and 1 cup or less of fruit. The fruit overpowers the taste of the greens, so the smoothie will still taste sweet, and you avoid a fruit overload. Make sure you rotate the greens you use in your smoothies to get as many nutrients as possible. Your green choices include spinach, kale, collards, Swiss chard, beet greens, and dandelion greens.
Time-saving smoothie prep tips
Place your smoothie ingredients in mason jars, but don’t add any liquids (yet) that you might want to add in order to blend your smoothie.
You can create five different smoothies in those mason jars and leave them in your refrigerator for the week. In the mornings, all you’ll need to do is add liquid and blend until smooth.
Here they are: five yummy smoothie recipes!
Blueberry banana
1.5 cups spinach
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup blueberries
Half of a banana
1 Tbsp chia seeds
Add all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth.
Vanilla peach
1.5 cups spinach
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup peach slices
1 scoop organic vanilla protein powder
1 Tbsp flax seeds
Add all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth.
Strawberry mango mint
1.5 cups kale
1 cup cashew milk
1 cup strawberries
Half of a mango
1 Tbsp coconut flakes
1/2 tsp fresh mint leaves
Add all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth.
Raspberry pineapple
1.5 cups romaine lettuce
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup raspberries
1/2 cup pineapple chunks
1 Tbsp hemp seeds
Add all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth.
Pineapple kiwi
1.5 cups romaine lettuce
1 cup almond milk
1 cup pineapple chunks
1 kiwi, diced
1 Tbsp flax seeds
Add all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth.
What are some of your go-to ingredients for your smoothies?
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