Berry Banana Mango Smoothie

When I first started eating a plant-based diet, I ate smoothies almost daily. I don't eat them as often now because I've found other ways to make sure I'm getting a wide variety of healthy, nutrient dense foods in my daily diet. I used Dr. Gregor's Daily Dozen as a guide for making sure I eat all the nutrients I need each day. The Daily Dozen app (available free for both iphone and android devices) is great for helping to track eating habits. A smoothie is a great way to knock off several items on the list quickly and easily; however, the there are pros and cons to eating smoothies. (I would recommend watching the whole 5-part series starting with the one linked.) 

We almost always eat a smoothie at least one morning of the weekend. It's a nice change of pace from the oats we eat many other days. Also, smoothies are great for those days when getting in all the nutrient dense food isn't quite working out. We've been known to do a smoothie for dinner on days when we notice we're quite deficient in meeting our nutrition goals. 

Berry Banana Mango Smoothie

¼ cup walnuts

1 tablespoon sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds

1 teaspoon hemp seeds

2 tablespoons goji berries

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 pinch ground cloves

½ teaspoon matcha (green tea powder)

1 teaspoon cacao nibs

1 orange, peeled and broken apart

1 apple, peeled, cored, and cut into large pieces

2 bananas

2 cups greens (spinach, kale, or chard – or a combination)

4 small broccoli florets

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 cup frozen cherries

1 cup frozen mango

Place walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, goji berries, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, matcha, and cacao nibs in high powered blender. 

Blend until resembles a powder. Scrape away from sides.

Add broccoli and blend for about 30 seconds until shredded.

Add greens and orange. Blend until well blended and has a pudding-like texture.

Add banana and apple. Blend until well incorporated.

Add frozen mango, cherries, and blueberries.

Blend until smooth. If too thick, add a little cranberry juice or water to thin to desired consistency.

Pour into a large glass or two smaller glasses.* 

Serve.**

*This recipe will make either one very large smoothie or two smaller smoothies.

** I like to drink mine in a beer mug from one of my husband's trips to Germany because it hold a lot and has a handle. I use a glass straw to drink my smoothie.

Note: I use organic ingredients whenever possible.