This is one of my all-time favorite smoothies. The frozen banana makes it creamy and sweet enough to make this regular dessert in our house (and I'm not talking about while we're on this cleanse... This has been a dessert staple since long before we started retraining our taste buds). You don't have to make it with spinach, but if you do sneak some spinach in there, I promise you won't be able to taste it. And you're that much closer to reaching your daily dose of veggies!
This smoothie is comparable to a milkshake. But unlike a milkshake, nothing in this baby is bad for you. In fact, it's all really good for you. It's full of Vitamins B6, A, C, and K; iron; potassium; and important minerals such as calcium, folate, manganese, and magnesium. The insulin-like properties of both cinnamon and almonds help protect against "sugar crashes," too. Can your vanilla milkshake do that?
All together, this smoothie is a great mood- and energy-booster!
Banana Almond Spinach Smoothie
12 oz non-dairy milk (almond and coconut taste the best)
3 Tbsp chopped almonds (do not use whole almonds unless you have a high-powered blender)
2 frozen, cut up bananas, the riper, the better (if your bananas aren't frozen, add a small handful of ice)
1/4-1/2 tsp nutmeg, to taste
1/4-1/2 tsp nutmeg, to taste
1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon, to taste
1 small splash of vanilla extract (omit if your milk is vanilla flavored)
1-2 generous handfuls of spinach (optional)
1 squirt of honey (optional; I only do this if my bananas aren't sweet enough)
1-2 generous handfuls of spinach (optional)
1 squirt of honey (optional; I only do this if my bananas aren't sweet enough)
In blender, combine non-dairy milk, almonds, bananas, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and spinach. Blend on high until completely smooth. (Don't be afraid to let it run for a long time. I usually blend for at least two minutes because I like the spinach to be completely liquified.)
Viola! A healthy, delicious treat!
What is your favorite smoothie combination?
Have you tried adding a little cocoa powder to your bananas? "A chocolate milkshake!" It's yummy!
ReplyDeleteI have! But not in a long time. Now that you've reminded me, I'll have to try it today..
Deleteone of my fav's is: almond milk or water, 2-4 c. of spinach, 1/2-1
ReplyDeletefrozen banana, 1 1/2 - 2c. frozen mixed berries, 1T. raw cacao, 1/2-1 T coconut butter or oil, 1 squirt of English toffee Stevia. Reminds me of Marie Calender's Razzleberry pie with a chocolate flare.
Wow that sounds delicious! Josh and I have been talking about getting the English toffee stevia, so it's funny you mention that. This will have to be the first smoothie I try with it!
DeleteDude, I really wish I could try that, but I'm allergic to almonds!
ReplyDeleteAre you allergic to just almonds? You could use the coconut milk and a different nut, if your allergy is limited to almonds. I bet it would be really good with walnuts or pecans!
DeleteThat is unfortunate. But yeah, you could try Casandra's recommendation. I'm actually kind of curious about subbing pecans for the almonds!
DeleteYou could also omit the nuts completely, in favor of a coconut milk/banana flavor. With about 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and a bunch of ice, that could be a great milkshake.
So good! Thanks for sharing! I may have to do this again for breakfast!
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad you tried it and even more glad that you like it! :)
DeleteThis sounds absolutely delicious! Can't wait to try it out. Thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteLet me know what you think if you get a chance to try it!
DeleteI'm never really a fan of vanilla extract when I put it in recipes, so I tried this without it and it was so good! I don't like milkshakes but I really like fruit smoothies and I was excited to give this a try because of the spinach factor, (I'm kind of a health nut) It was really delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe! :)
ReplyDelete