It's Smoothie Time! Gluten Free Dairy Free Whole Food Smoothies

I'm so glad to pack up my winter soups and bust out my summer smoothies. We eat fruit and vegetable smoothies daily when the weather is warm, and the weather is finally ready to cooperate. A smoothie is a great way to make sure you are getting a variety of fruits and vegetables every day.  In addition, this vehicle is a fantastic place to sneak in super nutrients as needed!
One of our family favorite smoothies is a mix of frozen mango, fresh spinach, fresh lemon juice, bananas, and oranges.  For super boost we add Spirulina seaweed powder.
Today I am enjoying a mixture of orange, strawberry, mango, lemon, coconut water, honey, and carrots.
Super Boosters For Your Smoothies
Note - these work great in high powdered blenders such as VitaMix

• Seaweed powder - spirulina start with 1 tsp and work up to 1 tbspn
• greens - cut the "green" flavor of kale and spinach by adding fresh lemon juice and stevia
• flaxseed or chia seed- fiber and omega 3! Start with 1/2 Tbspn and work up to 1 or 1.5 Tbspn
• cooked vegetables - hide them in the fruit mix. 
• stevia and a bit of honey in place of sugars
• Coconut water for electrolyte and potassium instead of overly sweet juices

So there is a nice starting point for super foods.  Of course there are many more you can play with, but I like to incorporate some of these into each and every smoothie. Protein powders can be added if you are using your fruit and vegetable smoothie to replace a meal.  If that is your plan, look for a healthy organic protein powder without additives. There are good choices of Whey as well as Hemp and Rice based protein powders in health markets.

  

When you make a smoothie, try adding some fresh vegetable and fruits to the bottom 1/3 of the blender, then fill 1/3 with frozen fruits and top with 1/3 fresh greens. Use lemon juice, stevia, and 1 Tbspn of honey to create the right sweetness for your taste buds. Add boosters of your choice and enjoy! Have more than you can finish? Try saving some in ice cube trays, freezing, then adding to the next days smoothie.