by Joanna | Smoothie Recipes
With all the leaves changing colors I get inspired into creating recipes that match my surroundings. This means that pumpkins and squashes are on the menu regularly. Soups and stews are two types of recipes that come to mind, but what about a pumpkin or squash smoothie?
Have you ever tried a pumpkin or a squash smoothie?
They are quite delicious and perfect for this time of year.
What’s interesting to know is that all winter squashes and pumpkins are actually fruits and can be eaten raw. They can be a bit tough, though, we eat them roasted, puréed, mashed into soups or used as stuffing for bread and cakes.
Besides the pulpy flesh, the seeds and skin are also edible. The seeds can be eaten directly raw, or they can be roasted, ground into paste or pressed for vegetable oil.
Spiced Pumpkin Smoothie Recipe
This delightful pumpkin smoothie recipe is like chilled pumpkin pie in a glass, but without the unhealthy fats and excess calories.
This thick and creamy smoothie makes a delicious and filling liquid breakfast, snack or dessert. It will get you ready for the fall and holiday season!
Use very ripe bananas (with brown spots), preferably frozen to give this pumpkin smoothie a thick texture, and sweeten it according to your preference.
Spiced Pumpkin Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (you can use canned, but fresh is better)
- 2 ripe bananas, fresh or frozen
- 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
- 2-3 dried dates, presoaked (or a handful of raisins)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-
Optional Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely minced
- 1/2 cup ice cubes (if you like a cold smoothie and not using frozen banana)
Instructions
- Add all of your ingredients to the blender. Puree until very smooth and creamy.
- If your pumpkin and/or almond milk isn’t cold, you could add a handful of ice. I decided not to, so it would stay as creamy as possible. You can also add a splash of water or additional almond milk if your smoothie is too thick. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon and/or nutmeg.
Notes
Squash puree will also work for this recipe, for example, kabocha or butternut.
3.1
https://greenreset.com/pumpkin-smoothie-recipe/
By the way, cooked squash also works great for this recipe!
Variations
This recipe works beautifully with a squash puree too. I tried acorn and kabocha and they were both delicious. Raw squash or pumpkin can be used, too. You can play around with the flavors easily by adding some vanilla extract or pumpkin or apple pie spice instead of just cinnamon.
- add 1 cup of mild greens, such as spinach (if you are not going for a bright orange wow-factor)
- add 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds
- add more water/non-dairy milk, or to desired consistency
- add 1/4 cup of raisins instead of dates
If using dry ingredients, blend them with liquid first until smooth. Then add the rest of ingredients and blend on high until smooth and creamy. (High speed blenders may need 2 minutes, less powerful blenders may need a lot more, sometimes 5-10 minutes).
This recipe is Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy free, Egg free, Refined sugar free, Wheat free, Soy free (if not using soy milk), Nut free, Gluten free, and Sodium free. Please use only non dairy milk in your smoothies! Even this doctor and doctors at PCRM.org will tell you so!
There are many non-dairy, cruelty-free sources of calcium – check them out here.
For all my blending recipes I use Vitamix. If you don’t already own a VitaMix, I strongly encourage you to check out what this machine is capable of! For more information about VitaMix you can go directly to the VitaMix website. You may also want to read my post about the Best Blender.
I LOVE my VitaMix and highly recommend investing in one if you are ready to make serious changes to your diet. I have had mine for almost 5 years and use it daily!
If you decide to purchase Vitamix – be sure to use Promotional Code 06-004554 to get free shipping.
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie: In my Vitamix
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
If you have a favorite recipe, why not submit it here in the comment section of this smoothie recipes blog for others to enjoy too!
I also welcome any comments, questions and suggestions. Thanks!
by Joanna | Smoothie Recipes
We all crave sunshine at this time of the year. This recipe provides lots of sunshine in a glass. This spicy-sweet smoothie recipe is layered with dynamic flavors, a blend of tastes bordering between a Pina Colada and a turmeric-ginger juice.
The star ingredient of this smoothie, pineapple, is one of the top fruits used in many juice cleanses for its detox benefits. That’s because it contains the enzyme bromelain, which helps in digestion and reduces inflammation. (Bromelain is also a great skin-care exfoliant, and has even been researched as an anti-cancer agent.) I recently published some variations on the green Pina Colada theme, but this recipe is different.
Turmeric has become a trendy ingredient, and not just in your curry. More than 20 current studies on its anti-inflammatory benefits make it worth sipping. (It might lend you a helping hand with allergy symptoms, skin issues like psoriasis, and even shedding a few pounds, since excess weight is also inflammation.)
Ginger adds a delightful tanginess to this smoothie. Quite surprisingly (for me), ginger has become one of my favorite ingredients in smoothies lately. (If you asked me last year, I never used ginger in any of my recipes, and I would even tell you that I didn’t care for it.) It really makes this smoothie different from anything you ever tried and provides a super-dose of anti-inflammatory properties and a circulation-boosting buzz just when you need it. Coconut water adds electrolytes for an extra punch of hydration and a hint of sweetness.
The Early Spring Sunshine Booster Smoothie
1 cup frozen pineapple
1 cup coconut water
1 inch fresh ginger
1/4 tsp turmeric
Top with a squeeze of lime
Blend all ingredients in your blender, sip, and smile!
(recipe via Wellnesswire)
by Joanna | Smoothie Recipes
This mango lassi inspired drink is absolutely delightful – smooth, creamy, sweet, with a hint of tartness. Guaranteed to make you happy.
Silky, ripe mangoes and a combination of creamy milk (please use vegan milk) are the keys to getting the decadent texture of this drink just right. You can use any non-dairy milk in this recipe, or you can use raw cashews to make it into a delicious vegan mango lassi sensation.
Mango is actually a good substitute for bananas in smoothies. It’s just as sweet and creamy and many people actually much prefer the taste of it to bananas.
Both these mango drink recipes are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, vegetarian, soy-free, using five ingredients or less.
Ingredients
Instructions
- If using cashews, start by blending them with water until smooth.
- Add all ingredients to your blender, and blend until creamy.
- You may need to add a bit more water or milk, depending on how thick you want your lassi to be.
- Pour into a glass, sip, and smile!
3.1
https://greenreset.com/mango-lassi/
Enjoy!
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
If you have a favorite recipe, why not submit it here in the comment section of this smoothie recipes blog for others to enjoy too!
I also welcome any comments, questions and suggestions. Thanks!
by Joanna | Green Smoothies, Smoothie Recipes
Cherries have some amazing health properties and taste great in smoothies. Since they are not available year-round, I often buy them frozen and use in different variations of this cherry smoothie recipe.
By many, they are considered a “super-fruit”, packed with antioxidants called anthocyanins which aid in the reduction of heart disease and cancer. They are rich in vitamins C, E, potassium, magnesium, iron, folate and fiber, and an excellent source of beta carotene (vitamin A). In fact they contain 19 times more beta carotene than blueberries and strawberries.
You may not know that (I didn’t), but cherries are one of the few food sources that contain melatonin, an antioxidant that helps regulate heart rhythms and the body’s sleep cycles. They are also often referred to as “brain food”, aiding in brain health and in the prevention of memory loss.
Because of their powerful anti-inflammatory benefits, cherries are said to reduce pain and joint soreness for runners and athletes after workouts.
Pomegranates add a delicious flavor and a big dose of antioxidants to smoothies.
Both pomegranates and cherries contain powerful cancer fighting antioxidants. Anthocyanins are the antioxidant that give them their red color. It is this antioxidant that studies have shown to have anti-inflammatory properties and may help with symptoms of arthritis.
I didn’t add any greens to the smoothie initially, because I just came back from a trip and didn’t have any fresh greens on hand. After I tried it (and took the picture), I added 2 cups kale to make it into a green smoothie. The cherry and pomegranate flavors blended with banana were sufficient enough to mask the greens, but you may have it without the greens, for a change, too.
Pomegranate & Cherry Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate juice or 1/2 fresh pomegranate
- 2 cups frozen cherries
- 2 ripe bananas
- 3 cups chard or other leafy green (optional)
- 1 cup water (optional if needed) (you may substitute all or part of the water with some almond milk for more creamy texture)
Instructions
- Start by adding the liquid to your blender (I use a Vitamix), followed by the soft fruit. Blend on high for 30 seconds or until the smoothie is creamy.
- You may juice the pomegranate, by emptying the seeds in a strainer and smashing them with a spoon. Pomegranate juice stains, so be careful!
- If you have a high powered blender, you don’t need to juice the pomegranate. Just cut it in half and scoop the seeds into the blender.
3.1
https://greenreset.com/cherry-smoothie-recipe/
Beautiful photo of cherries. I didn’t take it – I used frozen cherries that look very photogenic…
Cherry Pomegranate Smoothie – all gone!
For all my blending recipes I use Vitamix. If you don’t already own a VitaMix, I strongly encourage you to check out what this machine is capable of! For more information about VitaMix you can go directly to the VitaMix website. You may also want to read my post about the Best Blender.
I LOVE my VitaMix and highly recommend investing in one if you are ready to make serious changes to your diet. I have had mine for almost 5 years and use it daily!
If you decide to purchase Vitamix – be sure to use Promotional Code 06-004554 to get free shipping.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
If you have a favorite recipe, why not submit it here in the comment section of this smoothie recipes blog for others to enjoy too!
I also welcome any comments, questions and suggestions. Thanks!
by Joanna | Health, Smoothie Recipes
Ah, cinnamon… I remember years ago on my trip to Morocco, I went to a restaurant where, for dessert, we were served neatly cut orange circles sprinkled with cinnamon powder. It was a truly elegant and delicious dessert! Plus, it’s a testimonial that simple things are often better…
Anyway, cinnamon can be a great addition to your smoothie. It is not expensive, has no unpleasant side effects, and provides lots of proven health benefits.
Although you can certainly buy cinnamon capsules, a much better way to enjoy the health benefits of cinnamon nutrition, is to add cinnamon to your smoothies and other dishes. While in the US, we use cinnamon mostly as a spice to be used in pies and other sweet-tasting baking recipes, in many parts of the world it is used in savory dishes as well.
What Are the Kinds of Cinnamon?
Cinnamon is the bark of one of a group of trees belonging to the same family. Many related species are marketed as cinnamon.
The two varieties mostly used are: Ceylon cinnamon (also called “true cinnamon”)and cassia cinnamon (or “Chinese cinnamon” is what you’ll typically find in your grocery store’s spice aisle) . Cassia cinnamon is the kind most often used for baking and cooking. It’s also the variety most researchers have used when they’ve studied cinnamon and diabetes.
The two kinds of cinnamon come from different plants. Cinnamomum Cassia, used in curry powder and in Chinese and Korean dishes, is dark brown. The other variety of cinnamon, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum, is a lighter brown or tan.
Cinnamon “sticks” or “quills” are rolls of dried bark, and can be grated into a powder or soaked in liquid. Most people buy cinnamon pre-ground.
Cinnamon Nutrition
Would you believe that a mere teaspoon of cinnamon provides 28 mg of calcium, almost one mg of iron, over a gram of fiber, and quite a lot of vitamins C, K, and manganese? Yep. It also contains about half a gram of “usable” (non-fiber) carbohydrate.
What are the Health Benefits of Cinnamon?
In traditional medicine, cinnamon has been used for digestive ailments such as indigestion, gas and bloating, stomach upset, and diarrhea. It has a mild anti-inflammatory effect, slows down the spoiling of food, and has anti-fungal properties as well.
Health benefits of cinnamon include:
• Supporting digestive function
• Relieving congestion
• Relieving pain and stiffness of muscles and joints
• Reducing inflammation and symptoms of arthritis
• Helping to prevent urinary tract infections, tooth decay and gum disease
• Relieving menstrual discomfort
• Stimulating circulation with blood-thinning compounds
Cinnamon May Help Improve Type 2 Diabetes and Insulin Resistance
The majority of the research seems to be pointing in the direction of cinnamon being beneficial for people with diabetes. Along with the improvement in blood sugar, studies have documented improvements in triglycerides, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol.
Several studies have shown improved insulin sensitivity and blood glucose control by taking as little as ½ teaspoon of cinnamon per day.
A study published in the December 2003 issue of the journal Diabetes Care, tested daily consumption of 1, 3, or 6 grams (1 gram = 1,000 mg) of cinnamon or a placebo every day for 40 days. The researchers found that among diabetics who used cinnamon:
- Fasting glucose was lowered 18 to 29 per cent.
- LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol fell by 7 to 27 per cent.
- Total cholesterol fell 12 to 26 per cent without any loss of the protective HDL cholesterol.
- Fasting triglycerides fell 23 to 30 per cent.
The benefits of using cinnamon continued even after supplementation was stopped. That means, if you used cinnamon regularly, you do not necessarily need cinnamon every day to receive the full benefits for blood sugar regulation and lowered levels of LDL, cholesterol, and triglycerides. In the interest of full disclosure, however, it is important to note that one recent study did not find the benefits of cinnamon to accrue in just 14 days. It is apparently necessary to use cinnamon in food for at least 40 days before you can “take a day off” and still get the protective benefits. (Source: Natural News)
Clearly, adding ample amounts of cinnamon to your diet is incredibly beneficial. Just remember, unless you are adding it to a proper diet — high in vegetables and especially leafy greens — it is unlikely you will experience any noticeable benefits.
Cinnamon in Smoothies
Cinnamon adds a wonderful flavor to green smoothies. It goes especially well with smoothies using apples, pears, citrus (oranges, tangerines), and bananas. Cinnamon can be used on its own or with other spices like nutmeg, clove, ginger and all spice.
Cinnamon combines best used with mild, less-bitter greens like romaine, leaf lettuce, baby spinach, and celery tops. I would caution against using it with bitter greens like kale and dandelion, or with flavorful berries.
The optimum dose is between 1-3 grams a day. 1 gram is around 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, about the amount you would use in a single-serving smoothie.
Most smoothie recipes suggest adding cinnamon “to taste,” but a good place to start is with 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon for every 2 cups of smoothie. Adding cinnamon before blending maximizes aroma and flavor. But you can always sprinkle more on top as a garnish.
If you are interested in saving money, I recommend that you buy your cinnamon in bulk amounts. Make sure to store your extra cinnamon in a closed container for optimum freshness.
Note: More cinnamon is not necessarily better. Cinnamon contains a compound called coumarin, a substance that can be toxic to the liver in large amounts. People with liver damage should be careful not to overdo it, however, because large amounts of cinnamon may increase liver problems.
Cinnamon-Apple-Celery Smoothie
Celery Apple Cinnamon Smoothie: A Tasty Way to Stabilize Blood Sugars
Ingredients
- 4 stalks of green celery with or without the leaves
- 1 medium size apple (a green tart apple or a red fuji apple), leave the skin on if organic
- 1 cup baby spinach leaves or other mild leafy greens (optional)
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups of water
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour into a glass and drink immediately.
3.1
https://greenreset.com/cinnamon-smoothies/
Orange Cinnamon Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium orange, peeled and deseeded
- 1 medium very ripe mango, peeled and pitted; or 1 cup frozen mango
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 ounces of filtered water
Instructions
- Start by adding the liquid to your blender (I use a Vitamix), followed by the remaining ingredients. Blend on high until the smoothie is creamy.
- Note: If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you’ll want to grind the oats in a coffee grinder before adding them to your blender.
3.1
https://greenreset.com/cinnamon-smoothies/
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
If you have a favorite recipe, why not submit it here in the comment section of this smoothie recipes blog for others to enjoy too!
I also welcome any comments, questions and suggestions. Thanks!
by Joanna | Green Smoothies, Smoothie Recipes
I’m definitely in the mood for more adventurous smoothie recipes recently.
I got a bit tired of using banana in all my smoothies, plus, I want to use more local ingredients, and bananas are nowhere to be found in New Jersey (I mean on the trees, they do sell them in stores ;-)), so I’m experimenting with ingredients that I haven’t used before, such as oats, pumpkin, squash and… beets.
And, just as I love to come up with fun ways to make you eat your kale, it’s now my mission to warm you all up to beets, one recipe at a time.
The color of beets is so beautiful and brilliant, so if you want to go for the wow factor more than nutrition, I suggest you skip the greens. You will still get lots of good stuff, since beets are so-good-for-you, rich in vitamin A, B, C, E, K and lots of potassium, folate, manganese, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphor, selenium, zinc, sodium, copper, iodine and who knows what else. Plus, unlike beet juice, it contains lots of healthy fiber. You can call it “whole beet juice recipe” if you like. You can also make it into a delicious beet soup.
The sweetness of the beets in this beet smoothie blends perfectly with tartness of lime juice, plus the gingers gives it the “zing” that really brings it all together in one deliciously beety smoothie.
Beet Plum Ginger Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 medium beet, washed well and quartered
- 2 cups spinach, or other leafy greens
- 6 plums (I used Italian plums)
- 1 ripe banana, fresh or frozen
- 1/2 inch ginger
- 1 lime juice
- 1 cup water/ice or more to reach desired consistency
Optional Ingredients
- 1/4 avocado (or use 1/2 avocado if skipping banana)
- 2 tbsp. agave, a few figs or other dried fruits/sweetener
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients until very smooth. Pour into a beautiful glass and serve immediately keep refrigerated for up to 24 hours.
Notes
If you want to go for the wow factor, skip the greens. The color will be amazing.
3.1
https://greenreset.com/beet-plum-ginger-smoothie-recipe/
Beet Smoothie: Sprinkled with cinnamon
Beet Plum Smoothie: Planning the ingredients
So, I decided to add ginger…
Beet Plum Smoothie Recipe: Ingredients
And finally … the beet smoothie!
Beet Plum Smoothie Recipe: Ingredients
This really turned out surprisingly tasty, so keep checking back for more recipes with beets…!
For all my blending recipes I use Vitamix. If you don’t already own a VitaMix, I strongly encourage you to check out what this machine is capable of! For more information about VitaMix you can go directly to the VitaMix website. You may also want to read my post about the Best Blender.
I LOVE my VitaMix and highly recommend investing in one if you are ready to make serious changes to your diet. I have had mine for almost 5 years and use it daily!
If you decide to purchase Vitamix – be sure to use Promotional Code 06-004554 to get free shipping.
The Making of Beet Smoothie: Inside of my Vitamix
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
If you have a favorite recipe, why not submit it here in the comment section of this smoothie recipes blog for others to enjoy too!
I also welcome any comments, questions and suggestions. Thanks!
