My Green Protein Weight Loss Smoothie

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MY GREEN PROTEIN WEIGHT LOSS SMOOTHIE

This is probably my all time favorite everyday smoothie

I love this green smoothie recipe! It is currently my favorite everyday smoothie (and has been for the past few months) because while it looks green and has all the benefits of a green smoothie, it doesn’t taste like vegetable juice. So whether you’re on a relatively new health kick, or you’re super into smoothies, I’m sure you’ll love this one like I do.

This recipe is dairy-free, refined sugar-free, gluten-free and full of nutrients. It’s filling and provides long lasting energy – so I feel it’s ideal for weight loss or health diets.

(If you follow my recipe, you’ll be getting about 289 calories – which is quite low for a smoothie. This recipe is therefore ideal to have as part of a breakfast, or as a snack.)

FREE 3 DAY EATING PLAN

To give you an example of what a balanced weight-loss diet can look like, I’m currently giving my 3 day eating plan away for FREE – But won’t always be. Make sure you grab a copy!

A little smoothie history

Health benefits and a little history recap

Smoothies have been “a thing’ in the United States since the invention of the blender in the 1930’s. They were initially served as a refreshing drink to beach-goers looking for something to cool them down and quench their thirst. But smoothies only really became popular in the 1960’s and 1970’s when the Hippie and Flower Power movements started gaining momentum and people started paying closer attention to health – many adopting healthier, vegan diets.

Health specialists began to pick up on the nutritional benefits of blending fruits and vegetables, and our friend the smoothie became recognized as a healthy weight-loss meal replacement and a healthier alternative to milkshakes.

In the 2000’s smoothies made a comeback, and today people enjoy it as a meal replacement, a meal supplement, a power drink, or even a dessert. So whether your health goals lead you to supplementing your diet with some additional nutrients, or your goal is to lose weight and use smoothies as a meal replacement for lunch every second day, the health benefits of drinking these babies are worth it.

When vegetables and leafy greens like spinach are blended into a smoothie or ingested in drink form, the body is able to absorb more of the nutrients because all the goodness goes straight into the bloodstream. This may help to increase energy levels, boost your immune system and improve digestion.

What’s in this smoothie and why?

What ingredients did I use to make my perfect smoothie, and why?

In this particular smoothie, I’ve used a powerful blend of avocado, spinach, and blueberries which means it’s incredibly high in various essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and healthy fat.

Most people think avocado is just good for healthy fat, but it’s actually packed with nutrients and vitamins, including potassium. In fact, avocados have more potassium in them than bananas. Potassium is a mineral that most people don’t get enough of and plays an important role in helping your body to maintain electrical gradients in your body’s cells, and may help reduce blood pressure among other things.

Blueberries have the highest antioxidant capacity of all the fruits and vegetables, which protect your body against free radicals. Blueberries are also really low in calories, but dense in nutrients and pretty high up there for taste satisfaction. Who doesn’t love the taste of a good blueberry?

Like blueberries and avocado, spinach is also full of amazing nutrients including iron, which is usually found in red meats. It’s super important to make sure you are getting enough iron in your diet, especially if you don’t eat red meat. Insufficient iron can lead to anemia because iron helps the body to produce oxygen carrying blood cells. (It is especially important to consume iron during that time of the month.)

Along with this trio of super foods, I’ve thrown in vegan protein powder to help assist with muscle tone, regulate blood sugar, and get some much needed protein. In addition to this, I’ve included a scoop of green powder (you can also use spirulina powder) which adds even more vitamins and minerals.

While this seems like a lot of ‘green’ I assure you it doesn’t taste like a bunch of blended vegetables in a smoothie cup. The avocado creates a really creamy texture (almost milkshake like), while the blueberries give it it’s delicious flavor and sweetness. You can use vanilla protein powder for additional flavor and sweetness (that’s what I do, and that’s what I recommend), I use the vanilla About Time vegan protein powder.

GREEN PROTEIN SMOOTHIE

Ingredients:

-1/2 small or medium avocado

-1 cup frozen blueberries

-Handful of baby spinach

-1 teaspoon green powder (or spirulina)

-1/2 scoop vanilla vegan protein powder (or protein powder of your choice)

-Pinch of cinnamon

-1 cup of water (or as needed)

-Ice (as needed)

(serves one)

Method:

-Blend all of the ingredients together in a blender until smooth

-Serve chilled and enjoy!

MADE WITH LOVE BY LIEZL JAYNE XO

FREE 3 DAY EATING PLAN

To give you an example of what a balanced weight-loss diet can look like, I’m currently giving my 3 day eating plan away for FREE – But won’t always be. Make sure you grab a copy!

Photos and recipe by Liezl Jayne Strydom – for liezljayne.com