7 Fruit-Free Smoothies

I dream of smoothies in yoga class.

The room is 105F degrees with 60% humidity and pools of sweats are making an island out of my yoga mat. I love every minute of the intensity. And after working that hard I want a reward.

On the really tough days, visualizing myself sipping down a cool, refreshing smoothie is the only thing that gets me through class. I also wouldn’t hate one poured right over my head.

There is an issue with smoothies though. Loads of sugar from the fruit. It is naturally occurring sugar but I still have to watch it. I can down 24 ounces in under five minutes. In real food that can equal one whole banana, ten strawberries, half a mango and a cup of coconut milk. That’s almost 400 calories and 37 grams of sugar. I wrote an article on the pros and cons of smoothies here.

So how about fruit-free smoothies! Less natural sugar, a focus on vegetables and more micronutrients. The first two recipes are ones I created and then I rounded up another five from incredibly talented recipe creators I admire.

Enjoy!

 

 SWEET POTATO GINGER SMOOTHIE by Sparkle Kitchen

Sweet Potato Ginger Smoothie

Sweet Potato Ginger Smoothie
Serves 1
No sugar, sweet potato pie smoothie with a kick of fresh ginger.
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Cook Time
2 min
Total Time
2 min
Cook Time
2 min
Total Time
2 min
Ingredients
  1. ½ cup cooked sweet potato, cold
  2. ¼ cup full-fat canned coconut milk
  3. 2 tbsp water
  4. 3 tsp fresh ginger - grated
  5. ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
  6. ¼ tsp vanilla
  7. ¼ tsp lemon
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into a blender. Blend on high for 2 minutes until well incorporated.
  2. Serve immediately or store in the fridge up to 3 days.
Sparkle Kitchen https://sparklekitchen.com/

 GREEN SUPER SMOOTHIE by Sparkle Kitchen

Fruit-Free Smoothies

CHOCOLATE AVOCADO “GREEN” SMOOTHIE by The Artisan Life

Fruit-Free Smoothies

FRUIT-FREE GREEN SMOOTHIE by In Sonnet’s Kitchen

Fruit-Free Smoothies

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SMOOTHIE by Whole Heartedly Healthy

Fruit-Free Smoothies

PUMPKIN SPICE SMOOTHIE by Elana’s Pantry

Fruit-Free Smoothies

HOLIDAY SPICE VEGGIE SMOOTHIE by Dig Primal

Fruit-Free Smoothies

 

Green Super Smoothie

Green Super Smoothie

Happy New Year! Here’s to another year of happiness and continuing the health journey! I have an abundance of goals and ambitions for 2015 and the top of my list is focusing on my health. This means more greens and less sugar. Even those sneaky sugars in fruit and my ultimate weakness, raisins. Dried fruit is candy in disguise. Don’t let it fool you.

An easy way to get in more greens is by adding a handful of spinach to a smoothie. I choose smoothies over juice. Juicing removes all the good stuff and you miss out on the whole food benefits. Why waste all the pulpy goodness? I like to keep my smoothies simple with just a few ingredients. This version is a true green smoothie with no filler fruit. You can play around with different combinations using coconut milk, avocado and lime as a base. This smoothie is best partnered with Hiya’s plant protein snack bars.

Think of smoothies as a side dish, not a complete meal. It’s important to eat protein at each meal to keep you satiated enough throughout the day. So eat an egg, some sardines or liver to make this a breakfast. Spinach is full of calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and folate. Although, our bodies can only absorb about 5% of the calcium in spinach. It has a high oxalate content and this binds to calcium making it unavailable for our bodies to use. Include a source of protein rich in vitamin D to help synthesize the calcium.

Green Super Smoothie
Green Super Smoothie
Makes 1 serving.

½ cup coconut milk
½ avocado
½ cup water
1 ½ tbsp fresh lime juice
1 cup raw spinach – packed down tightly

►Add all ingredients to your blender except the spinach. Blend until fully incorporated.
►When measuring the spinach, really pack it down to maximize the amount. Add into blender and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Green Super Smoothie

Resources:

Calcium and Vitamin D: Important at Every Age, http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Bone_Health/Nutrition/

What are the health benefits of spinach?, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/270609.php