Why Smoothies?

Since I started eating super healthy over a year ago, smoothies have become an absolute staple in my kitchen, and there are a few different reasons for this:

1. They’re nutritionally superior meals. As you may or may not know, cooking a food diminishes its nutritional value. When you blend a smoothie, the ingredients are always kept fully raw, so you are getting the most nutrients possible out of each ingredient. And blending them allows you to eat more of each ingredient than if you had to cut it up and chew it all by itself.
2. They’re super quick to make in the morning. Is your morning time as important to you as it is to me? Yeah, I thought so. Why spend a ton of time making breakfast every morning when you can be using that time more wisely – like getting your makeup perfect! Lol. Jk, I meant sleeping. That’s what’s important to ME in the morning anyways.
3. They’re super portable. I have these Blender Ball cups that I use when I want to take my smoothie with me. They ROCK. The metal part inside the cup helps mix up the ingredients when you shake it so it won’t get all separated. And the lids are super tight. If I’m going to be out for a LONG time during the day, sometimes I even make two smoothies and put them in a cooler with ice packs. I never have the excuse that I was out all day so I had to get junk anymore…pros and cons…lol
4. They taste amazing. Seriously. They taste AMAZING. Start off with this recipe and see what you think. If you want more of any flavor, just add more. It’s that easy.  Me for instance, I hate the flavor of bananas but use them because of the bulk, creaminess and fiber. So I just add extra fruit always to mask the flavor – works every time! The best part is, you can always add greens to any smoothie without tasting it this way: easy to get extra nutrition!
5. They give you a quick burst of natural, food-based energy. I swear, I’m not making this up: when I drink these, sometimes I’ll just take a huge gulp…like HUGE…and 30 minutes later I’ll be bouncing off the walls like I just had a full caffeine cup of coffee or a Coke or something. It’s the craziest thing – healthy food rocks!!
6. They help you digest your food better. Smoothies are broken down by the blender so much more than we could break the ingredients down by chewing, so they are a great food for your body to take in. They are digested very easily, and give you the most nutrients as possible because they are so broken down going in.

It’s for all these reasons that I have a smoothie every single morning. No joke!

Do You Ever Get Sick of Smoothies?

Yeah, there are times when I get sick of smoothies. But I’ve noticed that this usually happens because I haven’t been getting enough variety in the ingredients.

But if I’m just feeling really fed-up with smoothies (sometimes this happens when the weather gets cooler too, and I want a hot meal), I’ll just have oatmeal for a day or two and get back on it later.

There are so many different flavors you can make that it’s really hard to get sick of them though. Mostly, the only time I find it hard to keep up with healthy eating is when I feel like I just don’t have choices.

But now that I’ve gotten so many different recipes under my belt, there’s really no excuse to eat well all the time!

This smoothie I’m showing you below is my absolute freaking favorite right now. It tastes amazing and has some crazy good-for-you ingredients. Give it a try – I KNOW you’ll LOVE it. And don’t worry, there’s lots more smoothie recipes coming up shortly!!

Up Your Smoothie Game

The secret to this smoothie is the orange extract. When I started putting extracts in, it upped my smoothie game instantly.

Now I could have different flavors to the basic smoothies that I make and it’s so easy to mix up! And the oranges in this smoothie make it easier for your body to digest the iron in the greens as well, so have at it, my friend!

And make sure to let me know what you think in the comments!

About the Ingredients in This Smoothie

Almond milk: Feel free to substitute any other type of milk you prefer.
Dates: My favorite way to sweeten smoothies and add fiber. WORLDS better than using sugar or syrups, because you get the whole fruit and all it’s nutrients instead of just sugar. Use any type of date you’d like.
Flaxseed: A great source of Omega-3’s (that good stuff you’re trying to get from fish). Should be bought whole and kept refrigerated until you grind it. Buying pre-ground is okay if you don’t have another way, but it’s best to grind it yourself before use. Don’t put the whole seeds in or they won’t get ground enough. I grind enough for a week’s smoothies and keep it in a tupperware container in my fridge.
Cocoa powder: I love making things chocolatey with cocoa powder and dates for sweetness. You can control the ingredients this way. My favorite trick!
Spinach: I find frozen spinach gives smoothies an off flavor. I only keep it in freezer for when I run out of fresh. It’ll do, but only in a pinch. Use any other green if you’d like, but spinach is the only one that has no flavor, no matter how much you use! See this post for a super cool fact about spinach.
Ice Cubes: Don’t underestimate this one! Blending more ice in your smoothie will take it from yummy liquid to DELICIOUS ICE CREAM!!!

Chocolate Orange Smoothie Recipe Video

Chocolate Orange Smoothie Recipe

 

Print

Prep time

4 mins

Total time

4 mins

 

Add more or less water to change the consistency. Don't underestimate the power of ice to take the smoothie to the next level: ice cold is yummy! You don't need to use frozen fruit, just add ice! Feel free to add more dates, cocoa or orange extract to modify the sweetness, chocolatey-ness and orangey-ness. :) I eat the whole thing myself for breakfast and lunch, but give half to someone you love if you want!

Author: cheri

Recipe type: Smoothie

Serves: 1-2

Ingredients

• ½ cup almond milk
• 3 medjool dates, pitted
• ¾ frozen banana
• 1 mandarin orange, peeled
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
• 1-1/2 cups frozen blueberries
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 3 ounces fresh spinach (1 large handful)
• ¼ teaspoon orange extract
• 1 cup water
• 5 ice cubes, if desired

Instructions

1. In a high powered blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Serve.

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