Simple Green Smoothie

I’m back with some more smoothie goodness! This time we have a new color coming up to Maple Alps - green! Yes, I’m here with a green smoothie.

The first time I had a green smoothie, I was in high school. When they became more popular, I counted it as old news. ;-)

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Some tips for green smoothies:

1. Blend the greens in the milk before adding in the rest of your ingredients. This will help avoid bits of leafy greens you’ll end up chewing in your smoothie.

2. If you don’t use your greens fast enough, you can freeze them so they don’t go bad! I actually like to make packets with all the smoothie ingredients for quick mornings some seasons.

3. Spinach and kale are both great to use - kale has a stronger taste though, so you decide what you prefer!

This recipe will make enough to share with your favorite friend - or you could just enjoy it on your own, I suppose. I’ve been know to add flax/or chia seeds (chia seeds pictured below) to my smoothies for some fiber too. I know someone who even puts spinach in this smoothie! It’s optional for you, however. Just know that you can’t actually taste it if you choose to add it (chia seeds you will be able to feel the texture).

By the way, we do not add any ice to our smoothies, because we find that it takes away from the creaminess of them (that, and we never have ice on hand!). Instead, we use frozen fruit to achieve a similar effect. Feel free to use a few blocks of ice if you prefer, however.

Simple Vegan Green Smoothie

what you need:

• 2 cups non-dairy beverage (I use soy milk)

• 1 large banana (use a frozen banana for a thicker smoothie)

• 1 cup fresh spinach or kale

• 1/2 cup cubed mango (use frozen for a thicker smoothie)

• 1/2 cup cubed peach (use frozen for a thicker smoothie)

• 1 tsp ground flax seed (optional)

• 1 tsp chia seeds (optional)

• 1/2 inch fresh ginger (optional)

what to do:

1) Add all ingredients to a blender and process until everything is well mixed.

2) Serve immediately and enjoy!

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Do you enjoy a good smoothie? What is your go-to? Let me know in the comments!

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Delight Smoothie (vegan)

Have you ever just craved something sweet but didn’t want all of the calories? Well, I have a treat for you today! Seriously!

You didn’t think I was going to start sharing smoothies and skip out on my favorite dessert ingredient, did you?

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We love having popcorn and smoothies and Saturday nights, and this is our usual go-to for it. It’s sweet, creamy, tasty, and hits all the right spots. Plus, it isn’t one we usually have in the mornings, so it feels like an extra special treat.

This recipe will make enough to share with your favorite friend - or you could just enjoy it on your own. I’ve been know to add flax/or chia seeds to my smoothies for some fiber too. I know someone who even puts spinach in this smoothie! It’s optional for you, however. Just know that you can’t actually taste it if you choose to add it (chia seeds you will be able to feel the texture).

By the way, we never add any ice to our smoothies, because we find that it takes away from the creaminess of them (that, and we never used to have ice on hand!). Instead, we use frozen fruit to achieve a thicker smoothie. Feel free to use a few blocks of ice if you prefer, however.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Delight Smoothie

what you need:

• 2 cups non-dairy beverage (I use soy milk)

• 1 large banana (use a frozen banana for a thicker smoothie)

• 1 TBSP cocoa powder

• 1 TBSP peanut butter

• 2 tsp ground flax seed (optional)

what to do:

1) Add all ingredients to a blender and process until everything is well mixed.

2) Serve immediately and enjoy!

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Do you enjoy a good smoothie? What is your go-to? Let me know in the comments!

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Classic Strawberry Banana Smoothie (vegan)

Did I tell you about the time my husband won a year’s worth of free smoothies? The first 50 customers at an opening smoothie shop was offering free smoothies (one a week for a year). He went out at 5am as kind of a joke to see if it would even work out, and ended up being #48 or something like that. Crazy, right? The sad ending of this story was that he was greatly disappointed in the quality of the smoothies and we ended up moving away anyway.

Why did I share this story? I don’t know. But…

One thing that is sure in our home is that the blender will be whipping up a smoothie every day. It’s part of the reason we had to upgrade our blender early on (that, and I kinda of made our old one die…). We love experimenting with different combinations of flavors and textures, but there are smoothies involved. Smoothies are a great way to get some nutrients in and even stay somewhat hydrated. They are also easy to customize to your own specific needs. ALSO, they taste way better than any of the ones we’ve bought from stores and they don’t cost $6/smoothie. Yikes.

This summer, I’ll be sharing some of our favorite smoothie recipes with you, starting with a classic.

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Strawberry banana was probably one of the first smoothies I ever made on my own way back when. It has remained an easy favorite.

It was kind of weird to measure out exactly what we put into this smoothie, but I think it was worth it to be able to share it with you. Honestly, eyeball the heck out of this smoothie, because it will still taste great! This is a great smoothie to start out your day with or to end it - I won’t judge.

This recipe will make enough to share with your favorite friend - or you could just enjoy it on your own, I suppose. I love adding flax/or chia seeds to my smoothies for some fiber too. It’s optional for you, however. Just know that you can’t actually taste it if you choose to add it.

By the way, we never add any ice to our smoothies, because we find that it takes away from the creaminess of them (that, and we never have ice on hand!). Instead, we use frozen fruit to achieve a similar effect. Feel free to use a few blocks of ice if you prefer, however.

Strawberry Cream Smoothie

what you need:

• 2 cups non-dairy milk (I use soy)

• 1 large banana (use a frozen banana for a thicker smoothie)

• 1 cup strawberries (use frozen strawberries for a thicker smoothie)

• 1 tsp ground flax seed (optional)

what to do:

1) Add all ingredients to a blender and process until everything is well mixed.

2) Serve immediately and enjoy!

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Do you enjoy a good smoothie? What is your go-to? Let me know in the comments!

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3 Healthy & Energizing Smoothie Recipes

Smoothies are a quick and easy way to get a tasty fruit fix, and I make them as often as possible. I love to start my day with one, and when I have friends over they’re the perfect alternative to coffee on a sunny day. My family loves them too, and I find that smoothies are one of the best ways to get kids the vitamins and antioxidants that they need.

I’m always looking for new recipes that are vegan-friendly, healthy and delicious, and the three recipes in this post tick all those boxes. They’re also great energy-boosters, thanks to the matcha green tea powder.

If you haven’t already heard about matcha tea, let me tell you why I love it. It’s known to increase energy levels and improve concentration, so it’s great for getting me through a busy day. It’s also full of antioxidants which help to boost the immune system and protect against diseases. It can even give your metabolism a boost which helps with weight loss too.

Matcha is the perfect smoothie ingredient and I love the long-lasting boost that it gives me - especially when I have a busy day ahead. Make sure you get high-quality matcha though as this ensures it's got the maximum health benefits and non-bitter taste. I recommend Evergreen Matcha, as they source their premium grade matcha from sustainable farms in Japan so it's packed with the maximum goodness.

For the following recipes, simply add all the ingredients to your blender, whizz up, and enjoy.

Energy-boosting strawberry, banana, and matcha smoothie

This smoothie is perfect for breakfast at the start of a busy day. The fruits not only taste delicious but are also packed with mood-improving vitamins and nutrients, and the matcha tea will give you all the energy you need to take on anything.

What you need:

●      2 cups strawberries (fresh or frozen, but if frozen thaw them first)

●      1 banana

●      1 kiwi, peeled

●      2 scoops vanilla protein powder

●      ½ cup plain low-fat yogurt or ½ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

●      2 tsp matcha

Boost Your Immune System with this Ginger Matcha Smoothie

This smoothie is packed full of tasty goodness. The matcha is an incredible source of antioxidants, and the ginger and fresh orange gives your body some vitamins and a kick to help fight off any this drink a lovely warming finish which helps boost your immune system.

What you need:

●      1 tsp matcha

●      1 lime, juiced

●      1 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed

●      1 tbsp chia seeds

●      2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

Note: if you don’t like the spiciness of the ginger, simply leave it out!

Antioxidant-rich cacao and matcha smoothie

Did you know that raw, organic cacao is full of antioxidants? It’s a true superfood, and it has all of the calcium, iron, and magnesium that your body needs. It also has over 40x the antioxidants found in blueberries, so cacao and matcha are a health-boosting dream team.

This smoothie is delicious as an afternoon pick-me-up and is perfect if you need an energy boost. And, drinking this smoothie regularly can promote weight loss and will help protect against diseases.

What you need:

●      1 ½ cups almond milk

●      1 tbsp cacao powder

●      ½ tbsp matcha

●      2 tsp maca powder

Note: if you want to increase the iron content of this smoothie you can add a handful of spinach. Or, if you want to even out the strong cacao taste with some extra sweetness, blend in ½ tablespoon of maple syrup.

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Erin Young is a health writer, tea expert and owner of two tea brands: Evergreen Matcha in the USA and Zen Green Tea Matcha in Australia. She partners with sustainable tea farms based in Kyoto (Japan) to ensure the best possible quality matcha green tea powder.

Zen Green Tea: Facebook & Instagram

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