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Classic Green Smarter Smoothie {Keto, Paleo, Vegan-option} + Video
My Classic Green Smarter Smoothie is a blood sugar balancing meal replacement shake that gives you enough protein, fat and fiber to keep you full for hours on end and it’s loaded with so much goodness.
In case you missed it over on Instagram, I am calling this week Smoothtember Week and it’s a full week all about the Smarter Smoothies. In addition to sharing the brand new video for my Smarter Smoothies formula, this week I will be sharing three of my personal, MOST favorite Smarter Smoothie recipes. These are my classic go-to smarter smoothies!
First up, I am sharing my Classic Green Smarter Smoothie. This is my go-to when I want a vibrant green smoothie, loaded with all the good stuff!
I often notice that folks’ (and especially smoothie and juice shops) their Green Smoothies have so much sugary fruit that while they taste so freakin’ amazing, if you take a look at what’s in there, you are consuming an incredible amount of sugar in one sitting. Oh and newsflash, it’s liquified, so there’s no chewing, there’s no slowing things down, it’s just a straight mainlined shot of sugar (fructose) to the liver.
Yes, I know that sugar from fruit isn’t exactly the same as sugar, it’s not refined. It’s not manmade.
And let me just stop you… absolutely I am 100% aware that fruit has tons of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and loads of benefits – totally! Great, yes, it’s better than a candy bar in that way. But, when we are strictly talking about blood sugar, blood sugar hormones, hunger hormones and all that other stuff going on inside out body, sugar is sugar is sugar. Sorry, but that’s the truth. Want some frui? Eat one single whole piece of in-season fruit, with the fiber in tact. Chew it. Enjoy it. But, it’s best to keep the fruits in your smoothie, to a minimum.
The main reason I care so much when it comes to meal replacement smoothies , is when you craft that Green Smoothie with a ton of sugar, and you aren’t cognizant of the protein or fat that you include, this is why you are hungry in about an hour, reaching for more stuff to give you a quick hit of energy and next thing you know, before lunch you’ve blasted through a ton of calories, sugar and you’re still tired and not satiated.Read more here about the importance of building your meals smarter for a day of lasting energy, so you can avoid that afternoon crash.
This is where my Smarter Smoothies formula comes in super handy. If every meal-replacement smoothie that you create has adequate protein, fat and fiber, if you make sure you are getting loads of nutrients from leafy greens, veggies and herbs and you add those crunchies on top, so your digestion is working at it’s full potential – you will always be getting everything you need! The fruit and those bonuses/boosts we talk about in the Smarter Smoothies post, those are extras – have fun with those, but don’t make the fruit the shining star!
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The Perfect Green Smoothie Formula
In an effort to simplify and demystify the ever-popular Green Smoothie, today I am sharing my simple formula to The Perfect Green Smoothie! This simple approach works every time. I promise. The nice thing about this formula is the long list of possible flavor combinations and the ability to completely customize your green smoothie to what you have on hand and what you like best.
I like to think of my green smoothies as a chance to add some extra nourishing goodies into my day. Nutrients, vitamins and minerals, fiber, healthy fats or protein – the Green Smoothie is a great vehicle. The wonderful thing about any smoothie is, depending on the ingredients you choose, you can create a quick and simple on-the-go snack or if you choose to add more protein and healthy fats, you can create a more complete meal.
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Orange Matcha Smoothie
As someone who rarely drinks coffee, I do love the occasional morning pick-me-up. Enter matcha! Matcha is finely ground green tea, that comes in the form of a powder. Matcha’s benefits far outweigh your typical mug of steamy green tea, as you are ingesting the whole leaf, not just water brewed from it. When it comes to nutritional value and antioxidants, I have read that just one serving of matcha is equivalent to 10 servings of regular green tea! Matcha boasts a very long list of benefits, including increased energy levels, boosting memory, it’s also been known to help to burn calories and detoxify the body. Additionally, matcha has also been shown to improve cholesterol and fortify the immune system, with a long list of vitamins and antioxidants show to have antibiotic properties know to promote overall health.
Not only do I enjoy matcha as I do any traditional hot teas, simply with boiled water poured over (whisked to make a frothy hot beverage), I especially enjoy it in a latte, with steamy coconut and/or almond milk. However, adding matcha to my morning green smoothies has quickly become my favorite ways to find a boost of energy for the day!
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Energizing Green Smoothie – Gluten-free and Vegan
I am not one for coffee much anymore, now-a-days I only have it when I am craving it, when we have an insanely early morning of travel or when I am somewhere with an exceptional brew – but generally that’s only about once or twice a month, at most. I used to drink it regularly, an every morning ritual type of thing. It was more of a habit than anything. Though, I really didn’t like feeling like a slave to my habit, getting a headache if I just wasn’t in the mood to drink it. These days, I prefer to start my days with a mug of warm lemon water, usually followed by a hot tea with my breakfast, after my morning yoga.
Last month during my yoga teacher training, by around the second week – the 3 hours of driving to and from Venice Beach during rush hours and the 12+ hour days of being gone, then getting home to cook dinner, study, and get my work done – started really taking their toll on me. It was wildly different than my usual days of working from home, staying in my PJs until 2pm, if I chose. I was trying to take hot tea with me on the drives in the morning, but I realized we didn’t have any good travel mugs and I find drinking scalding hot liquid from glass jars while driving in heavy traffic to be insanely stressful. Since I was also making a smoothie every day for breakfast and drinking that on my drives, I decided to combine everything into one. An energizing green smoothie to help get my day started right. A little boost of caffeine before our daily 3 hour morning yoga practice and our 6 hours of lectures, was just what I needed.
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Sweet Green Smoothie (Banana Broccoli) – Gluten-free and Vegan
I seriously cannot get enough green stuff right now. I am just craving it. This smoothie is something I threw together with what I had on hand, after we got home from our weekend in Big Bear.
It is creamy, green and healthy plus it tastes super good, too. Please don’t let the broccoli throw you off, it brings a really nice texture and a unique taste. Though broccoli can be bitter at times, the sweetness from the banana and the honey offset and mask that, so it’s a great way to sneak your greens into a smoothie. (you can always pre-steam your broccoli too, but I don’t find it necessary) If you practice rotating your leafy greens, which is important, broccoli is a nice change of pace from kale or spinach in your green smoothies. Read the rest of this entry »
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Green Smoothie
I have to say, I am having fun experimenting with different things for breakfast. I am actually excited to get up in the morning and cook or prepare something. So many mornings I tend to feel stressed about what to have for breakfast and I get frustrated. This smoothie may be a turn off to some of you due to its color, though I think it is quite beautiful. Don’t be fooled, it is so much tastier and sweeter than you could ever imagine and such satisfying breakfast. Such a nice way to start your day, with that beautiful green color and a healthy drink. Again, you could really change this around so many different ways, it probably doesn’t need the peaches but I thought rather than ice cubes a few frozen peaches would be nice for another layer of flavor. The parsley gave it such a bright and fresh taste, certainly this can be left out too if you don’t have parsley or don’t care for it.
Green Smoothie
(serves 1)1 cup loosely packed organic baby spinach
3/4 cup organic white grape juice (no sugar added)
1 small organic granny smith apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 small handful frozen organic peaches (about 5 or 6 wedges)
1 handful fresh parsley
(add water if necessary to thin)Add all ingredients to your blender, process until smooth. Add more ice or water as needed to get desired thickness.
