Oh spring, how I love thee. I spent the whole last weekend outside, planting my garden. It was divine.
Spring brings a natural tendency to want to eat simpler and lighter, don’t you think? Who has time to go inside to cook a meal when you just want to stay outside in the sun?
With that in mind, I came up with two flavorful, nutrient packed smoothies you can make. These are quick blends loaded with superfoods to keep you going, even after the sun goes down.
What Makes A Great Smoothie?
Look on the internet and you can immediately spot plenty of calorie dense smoothies with unnecessary ingredients that are, truthfully a waste of your time. Fruit juice, coconut water, vanilla yogurt, are a few of the add-ins that contribute a lot of sugar and unnecessary calories.
I like my smoothies to have a purpose – meaning lower calories, higher nutrients, and to be filling.
There are two types of smoothies – snack smoothies and meal smoothies. When I make my snack smoothies, I typically use water as the liquid and vegetables and fruit as the base. If it is a meal, I might use plain yogurt or almond milk as the liquid, and some almond butter or other nuts for added protein and good fats.
Any smoothie you make is an opportunity to add in the “superfoods.”
What Exactly Is A Superfood?
The internet will give you all sorts of definitions for what a superfood is, so let’s get clear. To me, a superfood is a nutrient dense food that is shown to be especially beneficial to your health. In my world, I want to know that they can aid in easing menopause symptoms, help with weight loss, up your energy, help with heart disease and ease inflammation.
Here is where we need clarity: Superfoods should really be everyday foods, not just eaten every once in a while. I sprinkle nuts, seeds and spices on my oatmeal, herbs make it into my salad dressings and whole grains. I am also a daily green tea drinker. This is a daily practice. It’s food as medicine, in action.
Introducing “The Superfoods”
For a bit of culinary nutrition education, let’s break down the superfoods that are in my two smoothies so you can really see the benefits:
Hemp Seeds. A nutty flavored seed with 30 percent of its calories from healthy fats that are also a great source of protein. Hemp seeds have been linked to reductions in menopause symptoms, heart disease and help with digestion. You can add them into smoothies, in salads, in whole grains like oatmeal.
Ginger. Ginger has a reputation as aiding stomach ailments (think ginger ale, which really has no beneficial ginger FYI) but ginger has so many other benefits. Besides adding some zing to your food, ginger is very anti-inflammatory and can help with arthritis pain, heart disease and lowering cholesterol.
Turmeric. Turmeric seems to be all the rage these days (there always seems to be a spice of the moment) and for good reason. Turmeric is another spice high in anti-inflammatory properties (are you seeing a pattern here with spices?) and anti-cancer benefits. Turmeric helps improve brain function, arthritis and even depression.
Matcha. I wrote about the benefits of Matcha tea and created a recipe around it. Read all about the benefits and grab the recipe here.
Chia Seeds. I always joke that chia seeds will turn anything in their path to a brick, but it actually might be true. Chia is a true wonder – high in healthy fats, high in protein and very high in fiber. Stir some into your overnight oats, make a chia pudding or thicken up your smoothie. Ok, maybe not a brick, but thick and delicious. Chia has very similar properties as hemp.
Let’s Blend!
Here is a rule of thumb for all smoothies. If you want your green smoothie to stay vibrantly green, stick with green veggies and orange/yellow fruits. If you don’t mind mud colored smoothies, use red fruits, like strawberries. Here I am using a one base smoothie and simply mixing it up a bit.
Enjoy your smoothies, knowing you are getting so many good for you nutrients in a glass! For a more filling smoothie, add a tablespoon of almond or cashew butter along with some plain yogurt instead of the water.
Superfood Smoothie #1
Makes 1 smoothie
Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
1/2 cup frozen peaches
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 cup water
Directions:
Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until very smooth.
Superfood Smoothie #2
Makes 1 smoothie
Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
1/2 cup frozen peaches
1 cup baby spinach
1 teaspoon match green tea powder
1 teaspoon chia seeds
1 cup water
Directions:
Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until very smooth.
Let me know in the comments below if you try either and how you like them!
Interested in learning more about transforming your cooking skills to make healthy eating an attainable goal?
