Photos by Rikki Snyder
Hi there everyone and Happy New Year! My name is McKel--some of you may know me from Nutrition Stripped, my plant-based, gluten-free food and nutrition blog. I'm a Registered Dietitian, Health & Wellness Coach and food blogger who absolutely loves green smoothies; in fact I drink my Stripped Green Smoothie daily without fail! Today I'm going to share some of my personal tips and tricks on how to build a perfect green smoothie--either as a snack or as a meal.
Green smoothies are getting a lot of hype for good reason! Here's my breakdown of why they're a great addition to your day:
- Green smoothies are easy to digest! Because the fruits and greens have been blended, the cell walls where nutrients are encased are broken, making the nutrients more readily available for use by the body. Think of it as being "pre-digested."
- They're packed full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, polyphenols, fiber, water, and oh did I mention fiber?
- They're perfect first thing in the morning before your usual breakfast, as a snack, OR increase the serving to take place of your breakfast (up to 32 ounces or until you're satisfied!).
- Green smoothies are quick and easy. If you're someone who is always on the go, this is a great way to ensure you're getting a substantial amount of greens into your diet (which are oh so important!).
- If you're someone who doesn't enjoy eating green leafy vegetables, this is a perfect way to sneak them into your diet.
- Not to mention, green smoothies are VERY kid friendly!
- Green smoothies are versatile. You can always add or remove ingredients to your liking. That's why they are so easy to incorporate into your lifestyle.
- They're filling.
- They're energizing.
- And of course, they're DELICIOUS!
If you want to enjoy a green smoothie as a snack, you'll want to use this formula: Greens + Carbohydrate + Protein. For a meal smoothie, the formula is: Greens + Healthy Fat + Carbohydrate + Protein. Add optional superfoods to any type of smoothie for a nutritional boost. Here are some of my favorite ingredients:
- Greens and Other Veggies - the king green kale, spinach, romaine, celery, swiss chard, mustard greens, dandelion greens, cucumber, wheatgrass, herbs such as mint, cilantro, parsley, and basil, etc.
- Fruit - bananas, apples, green apples, pears, kiwi, pineapple, peaches, mango, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, papaya, lemons, limes, grapefruit, orange, blood orange, figs, dates, plums, acai, etc.
- Proteins - plant-based protein powders (brown rice, pea, Sunwarrior, Vega, etc.), hemp seeds, chia seeds, nut butters, etc.
- Healthy Fats - chia seeds, avocados, coconut oil, hemp seeds, nuts/seeds
- Superfoods (Optional) - bee pollen, maca powder, lucuma, cocoa nibs, spirulina, chlorella, cinnamon, cayenne, young coconut meat, unsweetened shredded coconut, coconut water, avocado, chia seeds, hemp seeds, matcha tea powder, nut milks, sprouted buckwheat groats, raw gluten free oats, etc.
You'll find lots of healthy green smoothie recipes on my blog and today I'm going to share one of my favorites--a Chocolate Mint Green Smoothie. With healthy fats from avocado, protein powder, and spinach leaves, this smoothie definitely makes a filling meal!
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 heaping cups organic spinach
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, or your milk of choice
- 1 cup filtered water, more or less, for desired thickness
- ½ avocado, pit and skin removed
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder of choice, I used Vega Sport
- ¼ cup fresh mint or 1 drop of mint extract
- 1 tablespoon dark chocolate chips or cacao nibs
- Stevia to taste, for sweetness
- Ice, optional
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until thick and smooth.
Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health says
i love a morning smoothie as well..but havent tried this combination yet. thanks for sharing.
McKel Hill, MS, RD | Nutrition Stripped says
You're very welcome Dixya, I hope you enjoy it!
Julia Mueller says
It's so green and lovely!!! I love chocolate and mint together..this thing looks so tasty and healthful! People definitely tend to have an aversion to green smoothies when they're new to them, and don't realize just how tasty they can be. This guide is definitely helpful and is getting me excited about trying new ingredients and flavor combos in my smoothies! 🙂
McKel Hill, MS, RD | Nutrition Stripped says
Hey Julia! Yes, you're correct- they can be intimating at first or down right unappetizing, but this one is such a great green smoothie to start out with! It's like ice cream...only healthy 😉 Enjoy!
dishing up the dirt says
This smoothie is stunning! I love the addition of the avocado. Sounds fantastic.
McKel Hill, MS, RD | Nutrition Stripped says
Wonderful, I hope you enjoy it. The avocado is so creamy in it!
Emma says
This looks fantastic! Love that it's fruit-free (except the avocado) as I'm avoiding sweet fruits at the moment.
Great smoothie guide too.
McKel Hill, MS, RD | Nutrition Stripped says
Perfect timing! Avocados are great to use instead of bananas if you're watching your sugar/carbohydrate intake. Best to you!
Stephanie says
I just love this blog! Not only the content which is very inspiring, also the aesthetics! Oh, and with this smoothie I don't have any cravings for bad food! Whoohoo!
McKel Hill, MS, RD | Nutrition Stripped says
Thank you so much Stephanie! I'm glad you like Nutrition Stripped- hope to see more of you there as well 🙂
elle | nutritionella says
Love this post, and your blog McKel! Gorgeous photos. Glad to see you on OMV!
McKel Hill, MS, RD | Nutrition Stripped says
Hi Elle,
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the post 🙂
Joanne says
I definitely need this smoothie tutorial! And I'm super enamored with that green. Plus chocolate and mint are SO my thing!
McKel Hill, MS, RD | Nutrition Stripped says
Hi Joanna, I love the graphics here as well, it makes it super simple to understand! I also have a post called Green Smoothies 101 on my blog Nutrition Stripped as well as recipes I think you'll love 🙂
Carissa says
I've been drinking green smoothies for breakfast for about two years now and recently also branched out into orange and red smoothies (with sweet potato! and beets!). I put together a little booklet of original recipes with my own photography in my Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Pidoodle. All of the recipes are gluten free, dairy free, mostly vegan, mostly raw, no processed sugars and no ice. This chocolate mint one looks delicious! I'm not crazy about protein powders--do you have any suggested substitutes?
McKel Hill, MS, RD | Nutrition Stripped says
No biggie, if you're not a fan of protein powders simply use any other of the proteins in that category such as nuts, seeds, spirulina, etc. Enjoy!
Nicole @ Foodie Loves Fitness says
I absolutely love all of the graphics in this post -- beautiful! I too love green juices and smoothies, and I think I need to try this recipe out!
McKel Hill, MS, RD | Nutrition Stripped says
Hi Nicole, so glad you love the post! I have another post on my blog called Green Smoothie 101 which gives even more detail about the goodness of greens 😉
Marta @ What should I eat for breakfast today says
Oh I love Rikki's pictures. And this shake is on my list to do.
jodi says
Do you know of any recipes good for someone with Lyme Disease ?
McKel Hill, MS, RD | Nutrition Stripped says
Hi Jodi,
I sure do! I actually have one-on-one nutrition coaching services where I'd be more than happy to answer some of your questions specifically and design a meal plan for you. Email me at [email protected].
Samantha says
The one thing that I never put in my smoothie is a nut butter. I really need to start doing this!
McKel Hill, MS, RD | Nutrition Stripped says
Samantha, you won't regret it! It's super filling and delicious to try out 😉 Hope you love it! I have a tahini smoothie on my blog Nutrition Stripped that would be awesome to try out too.
Kare Troughton says
What a perfect excuse to have chocolate for breakfast! This looks so incredible. Loved this post; so informative and gave me so many new smoothie ideas.
McKel Hill, MS, RD | Nutrition Stripped says
Haha you figured me out Kara! That's what I'm always trying to do- sneak in more chocolate 😉 I have another post called Green Smoothies 101 on my blog where I share more health benefits.
Cailee @ http://hellohealthyeating.com says
What a lovely idea!! I love love LOVE green smoothies!! I hope that you have a great week! 🙂
McKel Hill, MS, RD | Nutrition Stripped says
I'm so glad you enjoyed the post! 🙂
vegeTARAian says
I must admit I'm a tad addicted to smoothies of late, this one sounds fab! Love the addition of avocado - something I'm still getting used to using in sweets.
McKel Hill, MS, RD | Nutrition Stripped says
I hope you enjoy this one- it's a great way to "ease" into green smoothies!
marfigs says
Thank you for this amazing post! I just tried my first smoothie today and it was *bliss* - I was full for hours afterwards. It's good to know the structure of a smoothie to ensure one gets the balance right - you've given me some great ideas 😀
McKel Hill, MS, RD | Nutrition Stripped says
Hi there! I'm so glad this post was helpful for you- sounds like you've found one you enjoy 🙂
Sean Huncherick says
I made this one today. Not bad at all. The chocolate flavour greatly varies based off what brand of chocolate protein powder. Mine was pretty weak. Next time I'll try adding half dark chocolate almond milk and half regular unsweetened. Creative idea and wonderful photos.
Kirstie says
I can't wait to try this! I actually have "chocolate mint" growing in the garden. I will swap dark chocolate for raw cacao powder. Thank you for the great recipe & info graphics. :o)
Randi Graves says
Could coconut oil be used in place of the avocado? I'm out of avocado but want to try this recipe!
Chris says
This is great. Tastes healthy but only in the best possible way. I used 1 small avacodo, 3 cups spinach, 1c unsweetened almond milk and about 3/4c dark chocolate almond milk, Orgain chocolate protein powder (plant), 1tbs cacao nibs, and a few ice cubes. I put in 1 drop of mint extract but couldn't really taste it and don't think it was necessary for good taste anyway. No Stevia needed and didn't add water. Thanks for the idea!
Laura says
Wow! I've never succeeded in making a chocolate peppermint green drink until now. Using what I had, this was awesome! I didn't think I had any avocado so I left it out at first. It was more of a green drink instead of smoothie. I found less than a half avocado in the fridge and added that with a little coconut oil and coconut butter to make up for the tiny avacado. It was good but I think I preferred the less smooth version. I love getting all that good fat though. Oh, and I used Wicked Dark (95%) chocolate by Taza, romaine lettuce, and coconut milk. So all of my ingredients were slightly different but the amounts were the same. Thank you so much for the inspiration! I think even my 77 yo mother will drink this!