My Favorite Healthy Green Smoothie

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This smoothie is bright, energizing, creamy, and filled with plenty of fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants! No better way to start your day.

It’s finally getting warmer outside and feeling like summer so I am taking full advantage over here and making all of my favorite light and refreshing recipes. When the weather starts getting warmer and we are all in need of a little more hydration, I turn to my favorite green smoothie! It’s delicious, summery, and packs in a ton of healthy benefits from ingredients like spinach, mango, flax seed, peanut butter, and bananas. AND, if you’re worried about tasting the spinach, I promise you’ll barely know it’s there!

My Mornings

Slow mornings are my favorite. While I wouldn’t call myself a morning person, I find that setting intentions first thing in the morning and taking the time to wake up and eat something nourishing and healthy is the best way to start your day.

As a full-time college student, I rarely have the luxury of journaling in the morning, sipping warm lemon water, or preparing a full breakfast for myself. Now that we are all at home quarantining during this pandemic, I am grateful for the opportunity to slow down and start a new routine, one without agendas, to-do list’s or alarms.

This time to get back in touch with your emotions and thoughts is so important, and I have found that taking just 5-10 minutes out of every day to do something for yourself and release your inner fears and frustrations can be so empowering and healing.

For me, nature has always been my outlet. Having grown up surrounded by beautiful mountains and clear blue skies, I long for this connection with nature to bring me back to what really matters and ground me in my intentions. I started photographing a lot of my recipes outdoors because this is where I find clarity and creativity.

I love playing with color palettes and experimenting with my food photography to try and convey the emotion and energy of the food I am sharing. I took this shot of my green smoothie on a background of a rhododendron bush in my backyard and love how the vibrant purple hues compliment the green smoothie, popping with vibrant and bold colors and flavors.

How to build a healthy smoothie

There are a million variations of smoothie combos I have experimented with and I have found that with a couple of staple ingredients, you can make your smoothie into a complete and balanced meal.

THE KEY INGREDIENTS

• Fruit
  • This is key. I like to use a combination of fresh and frozen fruit for the ultimate creamy and refreshing consistency. Try adding a banana and a 1/2 cup of frozen mango, strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries.
• Greens
  • I love adding a little green kick in my smoothie to give it a boost of antioxidants, fiber, iron, vitamins and minerals. My go-to’s are spinach and kale.
• Milk
  • I like to use unsweetened vanilla almond milk to give it a nice flavor of vanilla without all of the added sugars. Trust me, the fruit provides just the right amount of sweetness.
• Protein
  • A scoop of peanut butter makes any smoothie 100x better and gives you a nice source of healthy fats. Try other nut butters or even 1/2 of an avocado (sooo good!)
• Seeds and Superfoods
  • I always have flax seeds, chia seeds, and hemp seeds in my pantry to throw into my smoothies, pancakes, avocado toasts, you name it! They are a great source of omega 3’s and healthy fats that make the perfect addition to your morning routine.

My favorite Green Smoothie

I have to say, I’ve tried MANY green smoothie recipes, and it has taken me a long time to test different combinations and ratios to get the perfect one. If I’m having a smoothie for breakfast, I prefer something creamier and more filling rather than icy or fruity.

The key to this creamy consistency is a combo of fresh bananas with frozen berries to give you a refreshing feel without all the brain freeze (we’ve all been there).

A scoop of peanut butter helps to mask the flavor of the spinach and adds an incredible depth of flavor.

All you need is 8 ingredients and a blender to whip up an awesome green smoothie that will kick start your morning in a healthy and energizing way!

Can’t wait for you to try! If you’re looking for more healthy and energizing breakfast recipes, I’ve got you covered 🙂

• Easy Chipotle Black Bean Breakfast Tacos
• French Toast with Caramelized Bananas and Blueberry Compote