Sludge, pond scum, slime . . . the looks of the green smoothie may not be so appealing, but the taste and health benefits definitely are!
I know offering up a recipe for a green smoothie this time this of year makes me an incredible cliche, but hear me out. I, in fact, am not a huge fan of smoothies. I know, shocking! The healthy eating freak that I am, I do not drink green juices all day long. I'm the girl who loves texture when it comes to food, so I will be the one over on the couch loudly crunching my celery while you are trying to watch a movie in peace. Now my husband, he is the smoothie lover. He hates taking the time to eat a salad. He says it's too much chewing. That doesn't even register with me. If I'm being honest, which I make a point of doing, these recipes are not totally mine. They are, in fact, my husband's. I always talk about food with him (and the boys) since they are the guinea pigs for my culinary creations. I figure that's fair, right?
I had a desperate moment one day where I had to work late at an event and needed something easy to "eat" while in front of people. I get hungry (at scheduled times like a two year old) and working through a meal time does not go over well when you have to be pleasant. I happened to have not planned well and called my amazing husband for some help. He was happy to jump on this task since he had tried for some time to get me to try his green smoothies. I did have parameters, though, and that was slightly worrisome for him. I told him that it had to have protein and it needed to be something that would stick to my ribs, but not heavy on the fat (meaning I didn't want a bunch of nut butters in there to make it too high calorie, as a lot of smoothies can be). He got a little scared, but then he got excited to create for me . . . something that he had really been enjoying and I always shied away from.
This smoothie is nothing short of amazing! It actually tastes like an oatmeal cookie! The texture from the oats makes it thick and hearty like your drinking a milkshake. I wanted to lick the bottom of the container when I was done. It was that good! I highly recommend drinking this from a straw so you can get all the goodness from the bottom of the container and you won't be left with green stuff in your teeth.
What I really love about this is that it's so incredibly good for you. Even my boys love it! If you are like my better half and can't seem to find the time to eat all the fruits and veggies you need in a day, definitely start giving the green smoothies a try. You can't taste the spinach at all and the health benefits, vitamins, and nutrition are so incredible amazing for you! Vitamins, minerals, protein, omegas, and fiber all in a delicious, easy-to-drink, on-the-go smoothie!
Before we get into the smoothie recipe, let's talk about the muesli mix we put together. This is another one of my husband's tasty creations. We keep this on hand to either eat as a cold soaked cereal, a warm winter breakfast, or to throw into our smoothies. It's nice to have it all mixed together to just scoop and not have to measure ingredients every time.
This is a two part recipe so let's start with step one . . . the muesli mixture.
Protein Muesli Mix
- 10 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Muesli
- 2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Quick Oats
- 1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Brown Sugar, Coconut Sugar or Date Sugar
- 1/3 cup Bob's Red Mill Chia Seeds or Flaxseed Meal
- 1 cup Bob's Red Mill Almond Protein Powder
Combine all the ingredients and store in an airtight container. This is perfect soaked overnight in the fridge with your favorite milk (we love vanilla almond milk) or it also works well to heat with milk and serve warm with a drizzle of honey.
Green Oatmeal Cookie Smoothie
- 1 Large Apple
- 130 grams Spinach, or 2 large handfuls
- 1 cup Protein Muesli Mix
- 1–1 1/2 cups Vanilla Almond Milk
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
Combine all the ingredients in a high powered blender and blend according to your manufacturer's specifications. Enjoy!
Note: Eating raw oats is generally safe, but may cause digestive issues or increase the risk of foodborne illness.
Sarena Shasteen has been an avid health food and fitness enthusiast from an early age. She holds a degree in Culinary Arts from The Art Institute of Atlanta, a certification in Fitness Nutrition, and is a certified Fitness Trainer from International Sport Science Association (ISSA). Becoming a Personal Trainer and Specialist in Fitness Nutrition has been a lifelong goal of hers. Sarena enjoys helping others reach their health goals by teaching them that health and fitness are not only achieved in the gym, but also through fun everyday activities. Now a food writer, recipe developer, personal chef, Personal Trainer, and Specialist in Fitness Nutrition, she enjoys sharing with others that healthy living can be fun and delicious. Keep up with her at The Non-Dairy Queen and on Facebook and Twitter.
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