The Perfect Smoothie
Updated: Mar 23, 2021
Smoothies are the perfect hiding place for so many nutrient dense foods and the perfect way for you and your family to start your day. We’ve cycled through many types of smoothies at our house, but this is one of my all-time favorites. My kids love it because it tastes great (at least most of the time). My husband enjoys taking his to work for a mid-morning snack and I love “sneaking” in nutrient dense add-ins when my family isn’t looking.
I have a deep sense of satisfaction watching my kids drink their morning smoothie. It really brings me such pleasure knowing they are starting their day with so many disease-fighting, brain-building, energy-giving whole food nutrients. My husband drinks a smoothie just about every morning. In the winter the kids and myself are hit and miss. I sympathize with them--all I really want is some hot tea on those cold winter mornings. But as spring comes and the days warm up, the smoothie is a constant.
There is nothing not to love about this smoothie! I must credit Nourished Blessings for her Beginner Green Smoothie post! If you haven’t visited Andi’s website be sure to check out her amazing story of recovering her son from autism through nutrient-dense real foods.
The Perfect Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 cup frozen mango or pineapple
1 cup fresh spinach or kale (organic)
1 whole banana
Add water until desired consistency
Additional Add-ins:
More greens! I love getting in that daily dose of natural folate!
Raw pumpkin seeds - My favorite add-in. Pumpkin seeds are anti-inflammatory, high in fiber, high in antioxidants and very high in magnesium. Magnesium is critical for more than 600 chemical reactions in your body and most of us are deficient in it!
Chia seeds - These are high in omega 3’s as well as fiber, protein and much more.
Sprouts - These can be bitter, so you might start with just a small amount.
Avocado, coconut oil, nut butter = MORE GOOD FAT. I find that I function much better (particularly mentally and emotionally) when I am consuming a diet higher in healthy fats.
Directions:
When blending this smoothie be sure to add into your high speed blender in this order: greens, banana, frozen fruit, water. Blend until completely mixed. For my family of 5 we roughly double or triple this recipe and fill our Vitamix almost to the top. This gives me and my husband a large glass full and each child a jam jar-sized drink to start their day.