Whether you are rushing off to class in the morning and need a quick breakfast solution or you ate too much at lunch and want a light dinner, smoothies are a quick and easy way to fuel your body and fill your stomach. They are also low in calories and are great to help cool down on a hot day. Valley is here with five easy smoothie recipes that will add to your healthy diet!
Green Smoothie
2 ripe bananas
1 ripe apple, chopped
2 cups chopped kale leaves
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup cold water
12 ice cubes
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
Blend the ingredients until desired consistency. Buy organic apples and kale, to avoid large amount of pesticides that may be present on regular fruits and vegetables. Also, remember to store the flaxseed in the refrigerator after opening!
Green Tea & Fruit Smoothie
2 cups frozen unsweetened mixed fruit, preferably peaches and pineapple
1 cup cold, unsweetened green tea
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Blend the ingredients. You can purchase frozen mixed fruit at the supermarket (a “tropical blend” is recommended for this smoothie). Also, you can substitute regular honey for raw honey, which is a little bit sweeter and can actually help with seasonal allergies! Make sure you purchase local raw honey.
Orange Creamsicle Breakfast Smoothie
1 cup cold coconut water
1 cup nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt
1 cup frozen mango chunks
3 tablespoons frozen orange juice
2 cups ice
Blend the ingredients together. Make sure the coconut water is unsweetened. You won’t need the extra sugar for this sweet treat! If you’re not a dairy person, you can substitute the dairy yogurt with yogurt made with almond milk, or you can use sweetened vanilla almond milk.
Chocolate Avocado Smoothie
1 ripe avocado
1 1/2 cups vanilla almond milk
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
12 ice cubes
Blend all ingredients together until desired thickness. You can also substitute the cocoa powder with chocolate whey protein to up your protein intake and to stay fuller for longer!
Tropical Smoothie
3/4 cup frozen mango
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon chia seeds.
Blend the mango and the coconut milk together. Then add the chia seeds and blend again to distribute evenly. You can add vanilla whey protein powder and shredded coconut to make it more filling and make it a bit more tropical!
After this guide, you are sure to become the blending queen. Don’t be afraid to add or take out some of the ingredients in each recipe to create your own masterpiece, then share it on Instagram with our tag @ValleyMag! Also, look out for some of these ingredients at the local farmer’s market.
