Tropical Green Smoothie I

After living on ginger ale, crackers, and chicken broth for days, I needed something to re-charge my system. This recipe came to the rescue. 

You may be wondering, “where does the green color come from?” Ready?! Spinach. Yes, spinach. But really, you can’t taste it. It just adds a bounty of vitamins and nutrients, not to mention a beautiful bright green color that I find welcome this time of year. The flavor and creaminess comes from frozen banana and pineapple. Since my system is a little iffy with dairy right now, I chose to use vanilla flavored soy milk, but you can use regular milk, yogurt, or juice for that matter. Since the frozen fruit adds plenty of natural sugar, I don’t add any, but I do like to bump up the nutrients (namely omega-3 and lignans), with the addition of ground flaxseed. It lends a nice, nutty note.

Packed full of antioxidants, vitamins, fiber, iron, and potassium, this is one smoothie that will take your body from drab to fab in no time. It is quick, easy, gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan friendly. I call this “Tropical Green Smoothie I” because there are other tropical variations of this green smoothie in my repertoire to share.

*Note- after enjoying a batch of these for breakfast this morning, my first grader said that I should serve these on St. Patrick’s Day morning because they are green ☺. Kid tested mother approved!

Tropical Green Smoothie I

By Nicole Prep: 5 minsTotal: 5 mins Servings: 2 Packed full of antioxidants, vitamins, fiber, iron, and potassium, this is one smoothie that will take your body from drab to fab in no time! It is quick, easy, gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan friendly.

Equipment

• High-speed blender

Ingredients 

• 1 cup vanilla soy milk
• 1-2 tablespoons ground flaxseed, optional
• 3 ounces about 2 packed cups fresh baby leaf spinach, washed and rinsed
• 1 cup chopped frozen pineapple
• 1 cup sliced frozen banana, about 1 medium banana

Instructions 

1. In a blender, blend the soy milk, flaxseed, and spinach until smooth. Add the frozen fruit and blend until thick and creamy. Pour into serving glasses. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 190kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 0.5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 95mg, Potassium: 791mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 20g, Vitamin A: 4547IU, Vitamin C: 66mg, Calcium: 231mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.