I love using delicious, healthy seasonal veggies and fruits in my meals - so what better day than National Smoothie Day to make a healthy Green Smoothie recipe! This recipe is from my
Whole Body Plan eating plan (which is included in DeniseAustin.com membership) - chock full of healthy, delicious, easy to make recipes that can help you lose weight and get your nutrients! Start your free trial and check out all the great
healthy recipes and choices it offers up!
Green drinks can be a quick and easy way to add multiple sources of delicious nutrients into your day. Juice and smoothies can help to jumpstart your morning to give you energy or give you a boost later in the day, for a quick afternoon pick-me-up. A green smoothie in the morning is one of my favorite ways begin my day for a good burst of energy.
I love my Green Smoothie recipe because it’s packed with nutrients. You're getting four fruits and veggies and lots of good protein to help get you going. It has:
- Kale, which is a superfood
- Dates, which have potassium and fiber to help us lose weight
- Pineapple for some natural sweetness (it is also an anti-inflammatory!)
- Cucumbers, which offer up multiple B-vitamins, along with magnesium and potassium
Plus three excellent sources of protein: yogurt, almonds and almond milk. When you put all of these together, you’re getting an impressive list of health benefits all in one glass! And by keeping it raw and putting it into the blender, you’re not losing any of the food value that sometimes gets cooked away when food is prepared. Just remember that this healthy Green Smoothie recipe does have calories, but they are good calories - make sure to balance it out with the rest of your daily caloric intake.
Of course, I always recommend healthy, balanced meals during the course of the day, but sometimes a smoothie can be a quick, easy and nutritious pick-me-up. And it can also be a great replacement in the morning for coffee, too!
Green Smoothie Timesaver Tip:
And here’s a timesaver tip for when I make smoothies, for fast and easy clean-up: After I mix my smoothie in the blender, I add hot water right away and mix it up again to clean out the canister! It’s so easy and gets all the sticky juice out of it, which saves me so much time and scrubbing later, especially if you do it right away.
Here's my favorite healthy Green Smoothie recipe featured in my upcoming Eat Like Denise Plan. It's packed with iron, protein and vitamins and is sooo yummy!
Denise's Lean Green Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 cup kale (or spinach)1 tbsp chopped almonds (or any other preferred nut)
¼ cup sliced cucumber ( I like the English kind!)
¼ cup pineapple (2-3 chunks)
2 dates, pitted
½ cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk (or milk or coconut milk)
½ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt (or silken tofu)
Directions:
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.
For more yummy recipes and nutrition tips, plus full access to all my workouts and Challenges, start your free trial at DeniseAustin.com today!
Cheers everyone!
Let’s get fitter, together - inside and out,
Denise
