Green Smoothie
Nothing makes me feel better during the day than starting it with a big green smoothie. I know the sound of that can be off-putting, especially if you don’t like greens. This smoothie is nutrient dense, filling, and actually tastes good! I choose to skip protein powders because they tend to have extra ingredients and fillers I don’t need or want. You can switch up the fruit and even the greens you use, but the key to this recipe is the seeds and powders I add to the smoothie to give you the most benefits. I see the fruit and juice (if I use it) as a treat and a way to sweeten the drink. Here are the staple smoothie ingredients I use and some benefits to each one. I get all my frozen fruit at TJ’s because they have the best prices on all my favorites. Click the links on each highlighted word to sites I like that breakdown all the benefits of each one.
Hemp seeds: Just two tablespoons have two grams of fiber, five grams of protein, 300 mg of potassium, 15 percent of your vitamin-A requirement and 25 percent of your daily iron needs. Hemp has a special type of fatty-acid that has not only omega-3 and -6, but it also has SDA and GLA acids. These fight inflammation and protect your heart and immune system. I use these for everything I want a crunch added. Salads, avocado toast, smoothies, baked potato, or just eating them from the bag are some of my favorite ways to use them. Before the pandemic I would use the bulk section for all my nuts and seeds, but now I use Trader Joe’s for those. I pray for a day we can go back to the way it was.
Chia seeds: One ounce of chia seeds contains 138 calories, 10 grams of fiber, 9 grams of fat and 5 grams of protein, as well as 17 percent of your daily calcium needs, 12 percent of your iron and 23 percent of your magnesium. Unlike hemp seeds, chia seeds aren’t the best tasting raw. You also want to soak them in water before you add them to recipes to help bring out the soluble fiber. Soluble fiber feeds the gut good bacteria and helps slow digestion, keeping you full. They are also great for osteoporosis because of its high calcium, phosphorus, and manganese content. I get these at TJ’s.
Flaxseed meal: Flaxseed is considered to be a super food and has many great health properties but here are a couple. There is evidence that flaxseed can reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. It also has other omega-3 essential fatty acids we all need and has both the soluble and insoluble fiber. Flaxseed meal makes in incredible egg replacement for meals especially baked goods. I always feel better when I make a baked good and flaxseed was used instead of egg (aka chicken period). I get these at TJ’s.
Hawaiian Spirulina: I do a full breakdown of all the benefits of Hawaiian spirulina on my Vitamins and Supplements post linked here, but a couple of benefits include the following. It has more protein than beef, chicken, and soybeans, vitamin B-12, chlorophyll, an array of amino acids, and beta-carotene. The major thing you need to look for spirulina is sourced from Hawaii. Anything sourced somewhere else can make you extremely sick. There are lots of cheap knockoffs online, especially Amazon and I don’t want you to get suckered into something that makes you ill. My go-to brand is Nutrex. It is a little pricy for the big bottle it lasts forever and the benefits out way the cost. This and the Barley Grass Juice Powder must be refrigerated to keep from spoiling. You don’t want to waste all this goodness.
Barley Grass Juice Powder: With this and the Hawaiian spirulina, you don’t need a protein powder to get additional nutrients. This also has chlorophyll, potassium, protein, alkaline properties, and amino acids. I did more of a breakdown in the Vitamin and Supplements post I mentioned above, and I only use the brand Pure Synergy.
The recipe below is my main smoothie recipe. I will sometimes sub out the liquid for cashew or almond milk using JOI bases and add TJ’s peanut powder for a creamier smoothie. Makes for a great travel meal like on days I wait until the last minute to make lunch before I head to work. It keeps me full, yet not bloated and I am able to make it to my break at work.
Green Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 TBSP Pure Synergy Barley Grass Juice Powder
- 2 TSP Nutrex Pure Hawaiian Spirulina
- 2 TBSP Trader Joe’s organic hemp seeds
- 2 TBSP Trader Joe’s organic chia seeds
- 2 TBSP Trader Joe’s organic flaxseed meal
- 1 C organic kale
- 1 C organic spinach
- 1 C fresh or frozen banana (1 medium-large fresh banana works)
- 1 C frozen peaches
- 1 ½ C frozen mango
- 2 C juice/coconut water/water (I switch it up depending on my mood and what I have on hand)
Instructions
- I like to get a cup and add the chia seeds, hemp seeds, flaxseed meal, spirulina, and barley juice powder with about a cup or so of water. Mix well and let still while you put all the other ingredients in the blender. Stir a couple of times while prepping the smoothie to help get the lumps out. Add all the other solid ingredients then pour the seed mixture into the blender. I start with about a cup of whatever liquid I use and start the blender to see if I need more to thin it out. I try not to add too much liquid because I like my smoothies a little thicker. Blend and serve. I find I can put the leftover smoothie (if there is any) in the fridge in a mason jar and it lasts a couple of days.
Notes:
Invest in a good blender if you plan on making smoothies often. It makes all the difference for daily usage.
Feel free to sub out non-dairy milk for the liquid and adding TJ's peanut powder adds a creamy kick to this smoothie.
