(I PROMISE this tastes better than it looks!) I was on a shake/smoothie kick this weekend. I’ve basically been eating the same meals every day so shakes help satisfy my sweet tooth and they also switch things up a little bit for me. Most mornings I’ll have oats for breakfast, but I figured I’d throw my usual oatmeal ingredients into a shake and be done with it (and then I can just sip it on my way to work instead of having the cars next to me look at me like I’m crazy while I try to eat my oatmeal and drive at the same time).
What You Need
- 3 leaves of kale, stems removed
- handful of spinach leaves
- 1/2 avocado
- 4 – 5 mint leaves
- 1 cup coconut water
- 1 frozen banana
- tsp black chia seeds
- tbsp flaxseed meal
- tbsp ground cinnamon*
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- tbsp matcha
- 1/4 cup oats
- 1 tsp organic honey
- handful of ice
So, listen… really all you need for this green smoothie is the first five ingredients. The rest I added out of personal preference. These are all things I already had in my pantry and each of them has their own great health benefits so don’t sweat it if you don’t have some of this stuff because it’s really not necessary.
What Now?
- Throw everything in the blender, and blend!
*If you don’t absolutely love cinnamon, you might want to add just a tsp instead of a tbsp. I try to incorporate cinnamon into my diet where I can and here’s why:
Cinnamon has a regulatory effect on blood sugar levels and simultaneously increases insulin levels in the body. It imitates the biological activity of insulin and increases the metabolism of glucose. Since high blood sugar levels can lead to increased storage of fat by the body, cinnamon helps prevent this increased storage of fat and enables you to lose weight. In addition, it influences the manner in which sugar is metabolized by the body and prevents the transformation of the metabolized sugar into fat. Cinnamon also delays the passing of food from the stomach into the intestine. Hence, you feel satisfied for a longer time and eat less. This helps you lose weight. Cinnamon also helps the body to process carbohydrates more efficiently and this assists you in losing a few pounds. Studies show that abdominal fat is more sensitive to the effects of cinnamon than fat from other parts of the body. (FITDAY)
Nutrition facts below from MyFitnessPal. If you are looking at that big number next to potassium and kind of freaking out a little, here’s a link to a great article that will put your fears to rest 😉
She Lifts... & Cooks 