Two Spinach Smoothies
It’s smoothie time! I do like me some kale and lettuce, but when I saw the spinach in my CSA box, I immediately thought of smoothies! The weather is warming up and so I like to change up my usual breakfasts from the comforting oatmeal or hash brown scramble to a cool and frosty treat.
I will admit right off the bat that I have a Vitamix. For reals though, I got it second-hand so don’t be a hater. Yes, they are expensive and yes, they are worth every penny (if you actually paid for one, which luckily I didn’t have to). Don’t worry though, I will not give you any recipe where you will have to blend an entire Chevrolet into a decadent dessert or something. It’s all fruits and veggies, peeps. Anything I do in my blender, you can do in yours.
With that out of the way, let’s talk about my favorite way to consume spinach. I think that a few “go-to” strategies are important when you are eating healthfully, especially if, like me, you grab whatever is easiest more often than what is most nutrient-dense. It is a bonus when you can set yourself up for success by knowing ahead of time what is easy and healthy!
A great tip to be ready for smoothies whenever the mood strikes is to keep frozen bananas in your freezer at all times. I intentionally buy extra bananas and let them over-ripen on my counter, then I peel ‘em, roll ‘em in foil and freeze ‘em.
Enter my two smoothies…
The first is a fruit smoothie. The best fruit to hide greens in (that is why we put greens in smoothies, right?! I mean, if you wanted salad for breakfast, eat it on a plate and have a mimosa to drink!) is mangoes.
I buy a big bag of organic frozen mangoes. They are cubed and ready for smoothies. I think that they can even stand up to kale, if you are so bold!
Green Smoothie – Mango Style!
Spinach (as much as you can cram into your blender)
1 frozen banana, cut into slices
Frozen mango chunks (between ½ and 1 whole cup)
2 cups pineapple juice (or water, or oj, or plant milk, etc.)
Blend it then stick a straw in it and pretend you are on a beach somewhere, soaking up some rays!
Smoothie number two is a treat! Well, anything healthy and delicious is a treat, but this is a “sometimes-smoothie” for me. I feel indulgent when I drink this. I save this for when I need a little boost, a little “me” treat. It is a chocolate peanut butter smoothie, that also just so happens to contain vegetables.
Green Smoothie – Chocolate PB Style!
Spinach (as much as you feel like)
2 frozen bananas, cut into slices
1 heaping tablespoon of natural peanut butter
1 heaping tablespoon of cocoa powder
A dash of cinnamon
A dash of vanilla
1 to 2 cups of non-dairy plant milk (or water, or even cow’s milk if that’s part of your diet)
A few ice cubes (cuz’ this tastes best as frosty as possible)
Blend, then drink while binge watching your favorite show!
Both of these breakfasts are full of plant powered nutrition and will help you get your day started right. They can also be consumed for a snack or lunch, or whenever. Feel free to experiment with the greens that you include. Spinach is the easiest green to disguise, but lettuce, kale and chard are all worthy of a try. “Taste it as you make it”, use what you have on hand and enjoy the bountiful health provided by nature in a cup!
I tried the Chocolate PBJ Style Green Smoothie this morning and loved it! Dee-lish!
Glad you enjoyed it!