It is no secret, the world has gone smoothie crazy. You can easily go to any convenience store, fast food joint, or pop-up juice stand and be seconds away from smooth, fruity goodness. Friends-please beware! I feel that smoothies are one of those foods that we just expect to be healthy. And many are. But, there are imposters among us, laden with artificial syrups and coloring. Lions, tigers, and bears-oh my!
I love to make my own smoothies, and through trial and error, I have come up with a “template” recipe, if you will, that is free from anything artificial or overprocessed. By template, I mean that I use the same ratio of yogurt, seeds/nuts, greens, sweetener, fruit and liquid each time, but I often play with the types of each ingredient.
I almost always use plain, nonfat Greek yogurt, coconut oil, chia seeds, pure maple syrup, and spinach. I feel that spinach blends incredibly well, and the “green” flavor is easily masked. This is why the post is titled Semi-Green Smoothie; I always use spinach, but with the additional fruit and seeds I add, the color is not always a bright, Kelly green. You’ll find that I use quite a bit of Greek yogurt (for my morning protein). That being said, I generally use water as a liquid to thin out the mixture.
The recipe I’ll feature today is my favorite standby-Strawberry Banana. I don’t love overly sweet smoothies; I like to let the flavor of the fruit speak for itself. The maple syrup is used to enhance the natural flavor and to add a touch of sweetness.
I like to add the yogurt, coconut oil, chia seeds, spinach, and maple syrup the night before to my personal blender cup. In the morning, I add the frozen fruit and water, blend and go!
xoxx,
Miss AK
PrintThe Day Greeter-Strawberry Banana Semi Green Smoothie
{gluten free, grain free, refined sugar free} – Makes 1 Smoothie
- Category: Smoothie
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup of plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup of spinach, packed
- 1/2 tsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp of chia seeds
- 1 tsp of pure maple syrup
- 1/3 of a medium/large, frozen banana (about 1/3 cup)
- 1/3 cup of frozen strawberries
- 1/3 cup of cold water
Instructions
- Spoon Greek yogurt, spinach, coconut oil, chia seeds and syrup into a personal blender cup or blender.
- Refrigerate overnight.
- Add fruit and water.
- Blend.
Dani @ Dani California Cooks says
Hi Allie!! I’m so glad I stumbled upon your blog today. My boyfriend LOVES putting chia seeds in his smoothies – he says it makes them thicker. I’ll have to give him the tip of adding maple syrup too 🙂
allmcd3 says
I’m so glad you did, too!!! Can’t wait to check you out!!! And aren’t they the best in smoothies!!! He has good taste!