My Favorite Smoothie Recipes

Since I started clean eating in January, smoothies have become a staple in my weekly meals. Mostly for breakfast, but sometimes I pull them out for lunches and dinners too. They're relatively easy, fast, and super portable. And, if you do them right, they can be just about the healthiest option there is for breakfast. How else am I going to get veggies into my weekday breakfast? (And please don't suggest I make an omelet. That's so not happening on a Wednesday morning.)

I've tried A LOT of smoothie recipes over the past ten months, but overtime I've found that I've settled on a few that I make over and over again. So, I thought I'd share them with you.

Note: For all of these recipes, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend for 1 minute, or until smooth.

Oatmeal Cookie Smoothie (my most recent obsession...totally tastes like an oatmeal cookie!)
1 tbsp raw cacao
1 tbsp raw honey
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
1/3 c. raw oats
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp chia seeds
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 banana
1/4 c. spinach (I just throw a good handful in)
1 1/2 c. unsweetened almond milk
handful ice

Energy Boosting Smoothie (I had this one this morning...mmmmm)
1 tbsp raw cacao
1 tbsp organic peanut butter
1 banana
1/2 c. plain greek yogurt (or kefir...or coconut milk yogurt for dairy-free folks like me)
1/4 c. spinach (handful)
1/4 c. unsweetened almond milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of cayenne pepper
handful ice

Berry Milkshake Smoothie
1/2 c. unsweetened almond milk
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. plain greek yogurt (or kefir or coconut milk yogurt)
1/4 c. blueberries (I use frozen, organic)
1/2 banana
 1/4 c. spinach (handful)
handful ice

Chocolate Delight Smoothie
1/4 c. spinach (handful)
1 tbsp raw cacao
1/2 avocado
1/2 banana
1/2 c. plain greek yogurt (or kefir or coconut milk yogurt)
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. raw oats
handful ice

You'll notice that all of these smoothie recipes have a few things in common: they all have fruit; they all have veggies; and they all have protein. All of these leave me feeling full. I do find the addition of oats in two of them does keep me full longer. If I want something lighter and more refreshing, I go for the Berry Milkshake, but I often will have a small snack (like a larabar: I like their strawberry and spinach fruit and greens bar and their chocolate chip cookie dough bar) later in the morning if I do. I sometimes can't even finish the oatmeal cookie smoothie because it's so filling. The Chocolate Delight smoothie is not sweet. If you feel like you really need more sweetness, you can add some raw honey or 100% maple syrup.

The biggest thing to note here is that I think all of these taste delicious. I'm not really one for sucking down something that tastes terrible just because it's healthy. That's why none of these have protein powder in them-- I'm just not a fan of the flavor protein powders add. If you like them, you can use a scoop of your favorite protein powder in place of the yogurt in any of these. Just make sure the ingredient statement is good-- no added sugars, additives, chemicals, etc.

A few other notes on ingredients:
- I use organic ingredients anywhere I can. (It's better for you and for the environment!)
- Raw cacao is not the same as cocoa. You can find it in the organic/natural section of your grocery store. I order mine from Amazon (It's this one: https://www.amazon.com/Viva-Naturals-Organic-Non-GMO-Powder) I also order my chia seeds there (these: https://www.amazon.com/Viva-Naturals-Finest-Organic-Seeds).
- I'm a big fan of Bob's Red Mill Brand. I use their gluten free raw oats and ground flaxseed (amongst other things).

All of these smoothie recipes are adaptations of Danette May recipes. If you have a favorite smoothie recipe, please share it in the comments-- I'm always looking for new ones to add to the mix. And let me know what you think if you give one of these recipes a try.

Until next time, happy smoothie-ing my dear friends!