Rejuvenating Spring Smoothies
After a rejuvenating Spring Break filled with family, friends, adventures, and of course good food, I am craving smoothies to maintain this wonderful and energetic self I had lost the past two months. With Spring in full bloom, and even sunny warm days to tempt us into wearing light sweaters and digging for the long forgotten shades, vibrant smoothies seem to fill the sense of health and purity.
Give me fresh, give me color, and give me flavor! These two smoothies are just that.
Spring Green Smoothie
Both pineapple and kiwi are vitamin C storehouses, with one serving of this smoothie containing 313% of your daily vitamin C needs. Vitamin C is not only a powerful antioxidant but it also helps you better absorb non-heme iron found in dark leafy greens and legumes. Therefore the combination of these tropical fruits with the handful of spinach helps increase your absorption. This is very important, especially for those individuals who are following a vegetarian or vegan diet.
Spring Green
Serves 1
INGREDIENTS
1 cup pineapple, diced
1 kiwi
1 generous handful spinach
1 tsp chia seeds
1/2 cup coconut water
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or any milk of your choice)
Squeeze of lemon
DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients into blender. Blend until smooth.
Nutrition Information (Per Serving): Calories 200 cal; Total fat 2.9g; Total carbohydrates 41.5g; Total Dietary Fiber 7.4g; Protein 4.3g
Sunshine Mango Smoothie
Turmeric and ginger make their name in this sunshine colored smoothie. Turmeric is gaining a lot of recognition for its impressive anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. The bioactive compound curcumin is responsible for the benefits of turmeric by stabilizing free radicals. In recent animal studies they have also seen the ability of curcumin to increase basal metabolic rate resulting in significant weight loss. Curcumin is also used in cancer and Alzheimer's prevention.
Ginger is known for its potent anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties and is also commonly used to reduce nausea and vomiting.
Sunshine Mango
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
1 mango, peeled and diced
1/2 cup great northern beans
Juice of 1 medium orange
1/2 cup coconut water
Juice of 1/2 lemon/lime
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp ginger
2 Tbsp Coconut Milk (full fat)
Handful of ice
1 tsp of honey (optional)
Note: I think the smoothie is sweet enough without the honey, but some just like it a bit sweeter. I would taste test before adding in the honey and then decide. Also, the coconut milk I like best is full fat without any added guar gum. Natural Value is one of the good options out there.
DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients into blender. Blend till smooth.
Nutrition Information (Per Serving): Calories: 190 cal; Total Fat 3.1g; Total Carbs 42.1g; Dietary Fiber 6.5g; Protein 4.7g
If you want some more smoothie ideas check out Zing Bars. I created five smoothie recipes utilizing their nutrition bars as a base for some timeless classics.
Spring Green
Serves 1
INGREDIENTS
1 cup pineapple, diced
1 kiwi
1 generous handful spinach
1 tsp chia seeds
1/2 cup coconut water
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or any milk of your choice)
Squeeze of lemon
DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients into blender. Blend until smooth.
Nutrition Information (Per Serving): Calories 200 cal; Total fat 2.9g; Total carbohydrates 41.5g; Total Dietary Fiber 7.4g; Protein 4.3g
Sunshine Mango Smoothie
Turmeric and ginger make their name in this sunshine colored smoothie. Turmeric is gaining a lot of recognition for its impressive anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. The bioactive compound curcumin is responsible for the benefits of turmeric by stabilizing free radicals. In recent animal studies they have also seen the ability of curcumin to increase basal metabolic rate resulting in significant weight loss. Curcumin is also used in cancer and Alzheimer's prevention.
Ginger is known for its potent anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties and is also commonly used to reduce nausea and vomiting.
Sunshine Mango
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
1 mango, peeled and diced
1/2 cup great northern beans
Juice of 1 medium orange
1/2 cup coconut water
Juice of 1/2 lemon/lime
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp ginger
2 Tbsp Coconut Milk (full fat)
Handful of ice
1 tsp of honey (optional)
Note: I think the smoothie is sweet enough without the honey, but some just like it a bit sweeter. I would taste test before adding in the honey and then decide. Also, the coconut milk I like best is full fat without any added guar gum. Natural Value is one of the good options out there.
DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients into blender. Blend till smooth.
Nutrition Information (Per Serving): Calories: 190 cal; Total Fat 3.1g; Total Carbs 42.1g; Dietary Fiber 6.5g; Protein 4.7g
If you want some more smoothie ideas check out Zing Bars. I created five smoothie recipes utilizing their nutrition bars as a base for some timeless classics.
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