Last weekend I did something totally crazy – I bought a blender. I know, living on the edge over here, right? But anyone with a small NYC kitchen and (extremely) limited counter and storage space will understand that aside from being generally frugal, I just didn’t know where I’d put the darn thing. I’ve never really had the need for a blender, but lately spring/summer smoothie recipes have been very appealing to me and always sound so delicious after a long run or an afternoon pick-me-up. Luckily, the spring cleaning bug also got the best of me and I found the perfect amount of space for my new little Magic Bullet.
Then, with smoothie recipe ideas flooding my brain, I went to Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s and splurged on a ton of delicious ingredients. My first try was a play on something I had a few weeks ago at Juice Generation – I’m not in the habit of spending $8 on a smoothie (!!), but it was really good and pretty easy to replicate with a few tweaks to give it even more of a nutritional punch.
Green Power Smoothie
with mango, banana, kale, spinach, almond milk, Greek yogurt and chia seeds
350 calories, 16g protein
1 cup raw spinach
3/4 cup raw kale (torn into small pieces)
1/3 cup frozen mango
1/2 frozen banana, sliced
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 tbsp chia seeds
Instructions
Add ingredients (up to Greek yogurt) into blender pitcher or Magic Bullet cup (liquids should go first next to the blade for best mixing/blending) and blend until smooth and desired texture is achieved. If it’s too thick, add a little water and keep blending. When finished, pour into glass (or drink it out of the pitcher, I don’t judge) and sprinkle with chia seeds. Enjoy!
I’ve always said that I like “eating my food” and drinking smoothies just isn’t the same, but they can definitely have their place in the diet and are more filling than I thought. The Green Power smoothie was refreshing and easy to sip on after Sunday’s race as my stomach was a little unsettled and I didn’t really feel like eating a meal. It also sounds just about perfect after a hot long run in the summer heat (oh boy, can’t wait for those!).