Get Your Greens!
We featured the first smoothie listed below at our wellness table at Blue Cross Blue Shield in Quincy last week and received rave reviews! Many people asked for the recipe so we thought we’d re-post it. Try both of these great green smoothies, each with a different nutrient profile. The Kale-Pear smoothie is packed with vitamin C, folate and other B vitamins, lutein and zeanthin while the Avocado-Melon smoothie provides a good amount of mono-unsaturated fat, vitamin E, calcium and protein. Both smoothie offer the benefits of fiber and water.
Use these energy boosters as part of your breakfast or lunch or between meals instead of coffee. Loading up on greens is a great way to recharge without the caffeine!
Kale-Pear Smoothie (makes 3-4 servings)
1 banana
2 cups kale, cut, large rib removed
1 pear
1 cup grapes
1/2 orange
1 scoop veggie protein powder*
1 cup water (trade a 1/4 c for apple juice if you’d like)
1 cup ice
Mix in blender and enjoy! You’ve just had your day’s worth of folate, potassium, vitamin C and oodles of other vitamins and minerals. Plus it’s got fiber and a protein to help fill you up and balance blood sugar.
*Optional if you want some extra fiber
Avocado-Melon Smoothie
1 ripe, fresh avocado
1 cup honeydew melon chunks
juice from 1/2 lime
1 cup fat free milk
1 cup fat-free or lowfat yogurt
1/2 cup apple juice or white grape juice
1 TBSP honey
This sweet, creamy smoothie is a great alternative to ice cream adding the benefits of potassium, B-6 and folate along with the calcium.
