Fuel your cells with this antioxidant-rich alkalising green smoothie – one of my personal favourites that I easily have 4-5 x a week. Within this recipe, I have provided notes for those that are looking for phytonutrients but want to lose weight versus those that are looking for weight gain/muscle gain and are interested in getting enough clean calories.
Ingredients
- 2 handfuls Fresh Spinach (or 3-4 frozen spinach cubes)
- 1/2 Frozen Banana 52
- 1 tbsp Chia Seeds 55
- 1 tbsp Hemp Seeds 55
- 1/2 Lemon (Juice)
- 1 tsp Spirulina
- 1 serve Vida Glow Pineapple & Mint Organic Greens (or other Greens Powder)
- 1 good size handful Frozen Blueberries
- 4 Mint Leaves
- 1 tsp Raw Cacao or Cacao Nibs
- 30 grams Cooked Oats (for those wanting more calories)
- 1 20g scoop Plant Protein (for those wanting more calories)
- 1 cup Water or Organic Soy Milk (unsweetened) (for those wanting more calories)
Instructions
- Throw everything into a Vitamix (or other blender) and blend until smooth. Usually the frozen banana takes the longest to completely break up. Without the Cooked Oats, Plant Protein and Organic Soy Milk this smoothie is 280 calories.
- If you want to up the calories add the Cooked Oats (110 Calories), Plant Protein (80-90 calories) and Organic Soy Milk (90 calories). This takes the smoothie to approximately 570 calories making it a very decent size serving for anyone looking to gain weight/muscle.
Why is this smoothie so good?
This smoothie is alkalising and a potent source of antioxidants and phytonutrients. Together these work to protect against cellular damage/ageing (neutralise free radicals), prevent disease & promote overall health and vitality.
Specifically, at a nutrient level, this smoothie is loaded with vitamin c, iron, magnesium, protein, omega 3s, dietary fibre & much more! Ditch the processed green juices/smoothies in the supermarkets & make this sort of smoothie with fresh ingredients minus any stabilisers, emulsifiers and artificial preservatives. Your body will thank you – for your change in health, vitality and physical performance is a direct result of what you choose to fuel your cells with (and what you choose to avoid).
Why lemon?
Lemon helps alkalise the body and also provides a potent source of Vitamin C to increase iron absorption from the spinach. Want to increase iron absorption more? Don’t have coffee or tea within an hour so either side of this smoothie – caffeine reduces iron absorption. For more about iron and improving absorption read this Plant Proof blog ‘Iron and a Plant Based Diet’.
Do fruits & vegetables need to be organic?
Short answer is no – if it’s the difference between you eating them or not, then non-organic are fine. If you can buy organic, try to get soft skin fruits & vegetables like berries as organic whereas plants like avocado & banana do not get as affected by pesticides due to their thick skin. You can also wash non-organic fruits before eating them to reduce pesticide levels. Read the Plant Proof blog on Organic Vs Conventional Produce for more information and tips.
Are frozen fruits ok?
Yes, they have been shown to contain almost the same nutrients as unfrozen & are often much cheaper. Great in smoothies – I personally buy frozen berries for smoothies, freeze my own bananas and use fresh fruit for eating with coconut yogurt or fresh fruit salad bowls, etc.
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