I am still on a huge smoothie kick right now and I see no end in sight. For me, smoothies are the perfect after-yoga snack/breakfast that keeps me pleasantly full and satisfied until lunch. Plus I love having fun playing with different ingredients and flavors.

This satisfying and tasty drink was so smooth and creamy from the banana and coconut oil. The blueberries gave the smoothie a really nice bright and tart flavor and a really beautiful color. I really love the great texture from the shredded coconut flakes and ground flaxseeds, I have found that I like a little bit of texture in my smoothies, feel free to leave either or both of these out, if you wish.  Besides the texture, ground flaxseeds are great in smoothies because they work as a thickener and the bonus is all of the added benefits of flaxseeds, like the Omega-3 essential fatty acids. These “good” fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s. Plus of course, the wonderful fiber. The list of benefits goes on and on too, what more can you ask for in a little seed? I tend to find smoothies that I add flaxseeds to, also tend to keep me fuller and satisfied a bit longer.

I personally found this smoothie to be plenty sweet on it’s own with no sweetener, I just added 3 drops of liquid stevia to offset some of the tartness from the berries. If it isn’t sweet enough for you, feel free to add any sweetener of your choice like maple syrup, medjool dates, raw honey, etc. If you wish, you can top your smoothie with a small sprinkle of shredded coconut, I actually had meant to, but totally forgot. Definitely would have been nice in the photos, but by the time I remembered, I was halfway through the smoothie, oh well.

What are your favorite things to add to smoothies?

[print_this]Banana Blueberry Coconut Smoothie – Vegan + Gluten-free
serves 1

• 1 cup organic unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or any other non-dairy milk)
• 1 cup organic blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 organic banana
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, in liquid form
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, plus more for topping if you wish
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3-5 drops of vanilla stevia or any sweetener of your choice (optional)
• handful of ice if the blueberries aren’t frozen

Add all of the ingredients to the blender and puree until smooth and creamy, adding ice if desired.

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