Along with probably most every other health conscious food blogger out there, I have previously written about green smoothies. They are just a fantastic way to add a boost to your day, and make a convenient “to go” breakfast as well. 2Chili contends I am loco en la cabeza for these drinks, but I really do honestly like them.
To get you ready for the holiday feasting that is about to commence, I thought I’d share my current favorite green drink concoction, which utilizes pumpkin! You could also go with butternut squash puree if you so desire.
Ingredients
- 8 oz hemp or almond milk (or just plain old “milk” milk)
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree, from a can or from a pumpkin
- 1 small banana
- 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
- 1 scoop protein powder of your choice (I am using pumpkin seed powder these days)
- 2 handfuls spinach
- 1 cup of ice
Method
Add all the ingredients to your blender in the order listed and blend until smooth. If it comes out a little thick, add a splash or two of water until you get a consistency you like. Cheers!
Nutrition
With hemp milk and pumpkin seed protein powder. Your values will vary if you use other bases or powders. If you are watching fat, go with skim milk or almond milk, as hemp milk does have some fat in it. I highly recommend keeping the peanut butter, as it makes it delish!
View Comments (6)
Hi there, I’m considering upgrading my immersion blender for an upright one and the ninja is high on my list, but from pic above it seems your green smoothie looks like mine, I.e., the greens don’t fully “blend” into the liquid. Just wondering if that was your preference, or because you can’t get that smooth consistency without a highend vitamix/blendtec….
Hi Siliva,
I would say it is pretty hard to get the greens completely and fully blended due to the way the blades are spaced through the blender jar. The Ninja Pulse, though, with its “in cup” blending option can provide a bit better result, but of course, you’re limited by the size of the cup!
Personally, I don’t mind a little bit of chewing with my green smoothie, but if you’re looking for total and complete obliteration of the greens, the Ninja probably isn’t the best choice — though it does many things very well!
Angela
Thanks so much, that’s helpful!
I have the original Ninja, not the blender. Just made my first spinach smoothie. No spinach taste or chewiness whatsover, just green in color! Love my Ninja!
I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease a couple of years ago, while experiencing my first flare-up. I was told by my doctor to stop eating raw vegetables during that time as my body simply couldn’t digest them. It was a hard nine months on my body. Recently I started to experience another flare-up and swore that I was not going down that road again. So I bought my Ninja blender and have been experimenting with green smoothies, or any other means of breaking down my fruits/veggies into a form that my body could digest, and still maintain a high nutrition level. I can’t wait to try this one out! Thank you for sharing it, and keep them coming!
Hi Kelly,
I am happy to hear you are finding a solution to manage your Chron’s. My grandmother had Chron’s and I remember the tough time she had with it, though of course this was before we knew as much as we do now in terms of management and how to eat to prevent flare ups.
Good luck!
Angela