There is nothing more refreshing than an ice-cold smoothie after a hard workout and there's no faster method of re-fueling post-workout than by drinking a protein-packed, antioxidant-rich "Green & Lean" smoothie! I am often asked how I make my post-workout smoothies and many clients have asked me "what are the best ingredients to put into your smoothies to replenish the body's carbohydrate stores and provide sufficient protein for muscle tissue repair and growth?" These are great questions and today I am going to answer these questions and provide you all with my recipes for an Easy Green & Lean Smoothie!
Now doesn't that Green Smoothie look beautiful! This delicious smoothie was made at Village Health Market in South Tampa and, while it was packed with antioxidants, lean protein, and did not contain any added sugars, it cost me more than $6!! Now I don't know about you, but I can't justify paying a lot of money for something that I could easily make at home for less than half the price... so I decided to use this smoothie as inspiration for my homemade versions.
The main ingredients in this particular Green Smoothie are:
- Unsweetened Almond Milk
- Banana
- Spinach
- Vegan vanilla bean protein powder
- Matcha Green Tea powder
- 1 Stevia packet
- Ice cubes
See how simple it would be to buy these ingredients and make several smoothies at home! The important ingredients to include are a liquid of choice (water, unsweetened non-dairy milk or low-fat milk, and even leftover coffee or cold brew coffee), fruit (banana, berries, pineapple, peaches, mango...), super green leafy vegetables (spinach or kale), lean protein source (whey protein powder, vegan protein powder, Greek yogurt, or egg white protein), extra antioxidant boost (Match powder, Maca powder, raw cocoa powder...), a natural sweetener of choice (Stevia / Truvia, maple syrup, agave, or honey), and ice cubes to blend to desired consistency. You can add in or remove any ingredients that you'd like and you can mix match until you find your favorite blends! It really can be fun to experiment with your homemade smoothies!
Here are a few of my favorite concoctions to give you some ideas :-)
PB and Banana Mocha Smoothie:
- 1 cup chilled black coffee with 1/4th cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 small banana
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1/2 cup liquid egg whites (10g protein)
- 2 tbsp PB2
- 1 tsp Matcha Green Tea powder
- 1 packet Stevia
- 5 ice cubes
Spinach and Banana Smoothie:
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1/2 banana
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 scoop 100% whey protein powder (vanilla) (22g protein)
- 1 tsp Matcha Green Tea powder
- 2 packets Truvia
- 5 ice cubes
Greek PB and Banana Smoothie:
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1/2 banana
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 single-serve Oikos plain Greek yogurt (15g protein)
- 2 tbsp PB2
- 1 packet Stevia
- 5 ice cubes
Mix all ingredients together in a blender and voila - you have the perfect post-workout smoothie that will replenish and rejuvenate :-) Have fun mixing and matching the ingredients and coming up with your own favorite smoothies!
Stay tuned for more great Smoothie recipes every Thursday!