{Recipe} My Favorite Green Smoothie

I'm sure by now you've heard the benefits of green smoothies preached over and over.  But, I'm here to tell you that it really is the truth!  They are nutritious, hydrating, filling and best of all, they really help me take a healthier approach to curbing my sweet tooth.  Which automatically kicks in immediately after eating anything.  It's one of those habits I'm trying to kick.

Anyway, I've tried a lot of different green smoothie recipes in the past, but there is one that I keep coming back to time and time again.  Because it just tastes so good!  So, today, I'm going to share with you my go-to green smoothie recipe as well as what each ingredient does for the body.  Try this out as part of a breakfast, a dessert, or even a post-gym snack.


Tropical Green Smoothie

Ingredients:

100% Pure Coconut Water {no sugar added - this is delicious + incredibly hydrating}

Greek yogurt {for some creaminess + added protein - the one I use is honey flavored from Yoplait}

Frozen banana slices
Frozen mango chunks
Frozen pineapple chunks 
{feel free to add or subtract any fruit you like or dislike - I sometimes use peaches as well.  Just remember that any red or blue fruit will definitely change the pretty green color of this smoothie to a less appetizing one}

Frozen chopped spinach {rich in Vitamin K, Vitamin A, Folate + Iron, among others}

Vanilla protein powder {especially when I want to feel full to start off my work day or directly following a muscle-building workout}

Honey {for a little added natural sweetness}

Chia seeds {rich in omega-3 + fiber}



Disclaimer: I don't measure anything for my smoothies.  I just eye-ball it, and I suggest you do the same.  You really can't mess it up!

I generally like to start out any smoothie by blending the wet ingredients, and then slowly adding in the dry ingredients.  I just find that this prevents my blender from getting stuck.  For this recipe, blend coconut water and a spoon-full of greek yogurt to start.  Slowly add in the frozen fruit, blending until smooth.

Add in the chopped frozen spinach, honey and protein powder, and blend until all pieces of the spinach are pretty much gone or very tiny.  {The smoothie should look like a solid light green, with very few chunks of spinach visible}.  Add in more coconut water as necessary to achieve your desired thickness.

You can choose to blend the chia seeds into your smoothie as well, but I tend to pour the smoothie into my glass {or favorite mason jar} and then stir them in after the fact.  Chia seeds expand and become gel-like when they get wet, and I have found that they stick very badly to the inside of my blender.  Which takes me forever to clean out.  Which is not how I like to spend my time.  So, my solution is to mix them directly into the smoothie - crisis averted.  Enjoy!