RECIPE | Carrot Ginger Date Smoothie

While we may think that smoothies are all about the fruit, adding veggies is also a great option! Leafy greens are a regular, but have you ever thought of adding a carrot? Carrots are full of vitamin A and fiber, and when mixed with ginger, date, and cinnamon, they have such a wonderfully sweet taste. Give this smoothie a try for something new!

Carrot Ginger Date Smoothie:

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 small-medium sized carrot, peeled and chopped
• 2 dates (pit removed)
• 1 chunk of fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup almond milk
• top with hemp heart

RECIPE | Watermelon Mint Smoothie

This is a summer fav!!! Watermelon and mint are a delicious and refreshing combo, perfect for a hot summer day! 

Since watermelon is 90% water, it's very hydrating, plus it also contains vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium and many other powerful antioxidants. Mint is refreshing and soothing for the digestive system, and the lime juice is great for cleansing. This smoothie is so sweet and refreshing, you won't even notice there isn't any added sugar ;)

Watermelon Mint Smoothie:

• ½ frozen banana
• 1 cup of fresh watermelon
• ¾ cup strawberries (fresh or frozen)
• 4-5 mint leaves
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla
• lime juice from ½ lime
• ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk (can also use coconut water. The watermelon will have lots of water in it, so you don’t need much!)

RECIPE | Blueberry Orange

This smoothie is simple to make, and jammed pack with antioxidants, making it the perfect immune booster smoothie! Blueberries are full of flavonoids, which gives them their dark colour, and flavonoids are amazing for heart health since they are a strong antioxidant. Adding a whole orange rather than just the juice, ups the nutritional content, and adds fiber. Spinach is of course an amazing superfood, full of essential nutrients, and ginger gives an extra boost to the immune system! Coconut water and the banana are full of potassium, which is an electrolyte, so this smoothie is also great as a recovery drink after exercise to replenish electrolytes. Enjoy!

Blueberry Orange Smoothie:

• 1 frozen banana
• ½ cup frozen or fresh blueberries
• ½ a peeled orange
• small chuck of fresh ginger
• coconut water to blend (about 1 cup)

RECIPE | Super Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Who doesn't love the sweet and simple combo of strawberries and bananas? As a kid, this was one of my favourite 'flavours'... you know, of ice cream, lip gloss... all the artificial stuff! My taste buds have evolved and now nothing beats the real deal.  

This smoothie was inspired by the sweet combo of strawberries and banana, and charged up with superfoods!

Super Strawberry Banana Smoothie:

• 1 frozen banana
• ½ cup strawberries (fresh or frozen)
• ¼ cup cherries (fresh or frozen, pitted)
• Small chuck of fresh ginger
• Juice from ½ lemon
• Small spoonful of honey (*raw unpasteurized local honey is ideal)
• 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon maca (optional)
• 1 teaspoon chia seeds
• 1 cup of unsweetened almond mil

RECIPE | Pineapple Mint Smoothie

There's something so wonderful about the combination of pineapple, mint, lime and ginger. It's so refreshing, sweet and tangy all at the same time. Plus, these ingredients support digestion and fight inflammation. Pineapple contains a powerful digestive enzyme, bromelain, which enhances digestion and reduces inflammation. Ginger is also great for addressing inflammation, and mint is so refreshing and soothes digestion. 

Here are two recipes you can use for a Pineapple Mint Smoothie. The second recipe charges up the smoothie with extra superfoods! These smoothies are great for summer time!

Pineapple Mint Smoothie:

• ½ banana (fresh or frozen)
• 1.5 cups of pineapple (fresh or frozen. If fresh just use less coconut water)
• Small chuck of ginger
• 4-5 mint leaves
• Juice from ½ lime
• Coconut water (to choice of consistency. I like to use about 1 cup) 

Super Pineapple Mint Smoothie:

• ½ banana (fresh or frozen)
• 1.5 cups of pineapple (fresh or frozen. If fresh just use less coconut water)
• Small chuck of ginger
• 4-5 mint leaves
• Juice from ½ lime
• Coconut water (to choice of consistency. I like to use about 1 cup. You can also use unsweetened almond milk for a creamier taste)
• 1 tablespoon of Philosophie green coconut dream coconut butter
• Handful of spinach
• 1 teaspoon of hemp heart

RECIPE | Smoothie Inspiration

Like many nutritionist we love smoothies! They are easy to make, healthy, nutritious and flavourful. Why do we love them? Well, besides being delicious they are easy to digest, a great way to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables (hello fiber!)and they often can incorporate superfoods. However, having the same smoothie day after day can get a little tiresome. So it’s great to vary your smoothie creations in order to add some pizzazz as well as a wider variety of nutrients to your diet. If you’re looking for some ideas or are feeling bored with your smoothies, here are some of our favorites for inspiration:

 The Classic
 ½ cup of blueberrie
 ½ cup of cranberries
Handful of strawberries
Orange (either just the juice, or throw in the orange slices for extra nutrition – skip the peel of course)
1 banana
Cup of spinach
Chunk of ginger
Juice from ½ of a lemon
Orange juice or coconut water

Fruity Green
Handful of kale
 Handful of romaine lettuce
1 banana 
1 pear (chopped and cored)
2-3 stalks of celery
 ¼ to 1/3 of a cucumber
Juice from ½ lemon
1 apple (chopped and cored)
Coconut water

Green Cleanser
Handful of kale
Handful of lettuce
2-3 stalks of celery
1/3 bunch of cilantro
1/3 bunch of parsley
1 banana
½ and orange (remove the peel!)
Chunk of ginger
Coconut water

Tropical Peach
1 peach (chopped and pit removed) or frozen peaches
1 banana
½ cup of frozen mango
A few pineapple chunks
Coconut oil
Slice of ginger
Teaspoon of turmeric (optional)
Almond milk

Raspberry Orange
1 banana
1 orange (remove the peel!)
½ cup of raspberries
Handful of strawberries
½ cup of spinach
½ lemon juice
Coconut water

Chocolate Raspberry
1 banana
½ cup of raspberries
¼ avocado
1.5 tablespoons of cacao
1 teaspoon of honey
Unsweetened almond milk
Cinnamon

Mint Chocolate
1 banana
2 dates (remove pit)
Scoop of almond butter
1.5 tablespoons of cacao
½ teaspoon of peppermint oil
A few fresh mint leaves
Unsweetened almond milk

*With all of these smoothies, you can supercharge them by adding:

Chia seeds
lax seeds
Hemp seeds
Greens powder
Protein powder
Coconut oil

Click here for our Green Smoothie recipe

Click here for our Chocolate Smoothie recipe

Click here for our Turmeric Coconut smoothie

RECIPE | Coconut Turmeric Smoothie

This nutrient rich smoothie is so refreshing and tropical in flavour that it just might make you feel like you’re on vacation. What’s more, it’s packed with power foods that reduce inflammation, stable blood sugar levels and provide energy!

Turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory spice. Since most disease and illness (and sugar!) cause inflammation in the body, adding strong anti-inflammatory foods is important. Tumeric has also been employed to battle heart disease and cancer; to prevent Alzheimer’s disease; support liver function; and it is used as a therapeutic food for people with inflammatory bowel diseases. Be a little careful handling the spice as it can stain your fingers orange!

While banana and mango, the tropical fruits in this smoothie, can raise blood sugar levels; the soluble fiber of chia seeds combined with the fat contained in the coconut milk and coconut oil will slow down the absorption of sugar to stabilize blood sugar levels. Plus, coconut oil has been shown to increase metabolism, provide energy and it is a natural antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral food. Besides adding a delicious kick to the smoothie, cinnamon is also effective at stabilizing blood sugar levels. We like to add maca to the recipe because, as an adaptogen it fights the effects of stress by soothing endocrine (hormone secreting) glands (*read more about maca and stress fighting foods here).

Give this smoothie a try – we promise you (and your body) love it as much as we do!

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 cups of coconut milk
• 1 cup frozen mango and pineapple chunks
• 1 banana (I prefer to use a frozen banana)
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 chunk ginger
• ½ teaspoon chia seeds
• ½ teaspoon maca

Blend all ingredients together and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Prevent Disease

RECIPE | CHOCOLATE SMOOTHIE

This chocolate smoothie is a winner! It’s satisfying, nourishing and it naturally sweet. I love it as an afternoon snack, especially for those days when my sweet tooth is calling.

As with most smoothies, it’s easy to modify the ingredients to serve your needs. Some days I find I need something more filling so I add a scoop of chocolate protein powder (I like to use hemp-based protein), and other times I crave the oh so beautiful combo of peanut butter and chocolate and opt for peanut butter instead of almond butter.

I also like to incorporate some therapeutic foods such as maca, which is an adaptogen to sooth the hormone secreting glands (such as adrenal glands in times of stress) and it provides energy. Recently, I bought a chi tonic from the I Love Health store, which enhances vitality while helping to buffer the effects of stress. I like to add these stress busting supplements when the school load becomes a bit much!

Here’s the recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 banana
• 2 dates (remove pit)
• 1 cup (more or less depending in how thick you want it) of almond milk (unsweetened) or milk of choice
  • I like the brand ‘Silk’ for almond milk (unsweetened) the best because it has the least amount of binders and fillers
• 1.5 tablespoons of cacao powder
• Small handful of cashews
• 1.5 tablespoon (or one big spoonful) of raw almond butter (or organic natural peanut butter.
  • Valencia peanut butter is better quality
• Dash of cinnamon
• 3 Brazil nuts (optional)
  • I just like to add these for extra nutrition! You could alternatively add a scoop of hemp seeds
• 1 scoop of (chocolate) hemp protein powder (optional)
  • Or add protein powder of your choice (read ingredients labels to ensure your protein powder isn’t full of binders, fillers and added sugars)
• 1 teaspoon of maca (optional)
  • I also add a teaspoon of chi tonic when I'm feeling extra stressed

Directions:

Blend everything in your blender (go Vitamix go!) until smooth. Store in the fridge to chill, until you’re ready to enjoy :)

RECIPE | Green Smoothie

Green smoothies are an awesome way to jam pack a whole lot of nutrition into one glass. Smoothies have been gaining popularity for quite some time, and with good reason. They are simple to make, you can add it plenty of fruits and vegetables (vegetables are key!), they are cleansing, full of fiber and are easy to digest.

Green smoothies are similar to other smoothies, but of course, favor adding more greens. Learn the benefits of eating your greens here. The greens you add can vary from green vegetables, such as celery, cucumber or zucchini, to green lettuces and other leafy produce such as romaine lettuce, kale, spinach, swiss chard. Why not super charge your smoothie with herbs such as basil, mint or cilantro and superfoods such as spirulina and chlorella. It’s totally up to you how you want to design and enhance your green smoothie! A trick to tasty green smoothies is to add flavourful fruit. I like to add a handful of blueberries and pineapple chunks.

Sometimes I like to really just go for it and add tons of stuff! My favorite green smoothie is:

• Banana
• ¼ to ½ avocado
• Handful of kale
• Handful of spinach
• Handful of romaine lettuce
• 1 stalk of celery
• Chunk of cucumber
• ½ zucchini
• Half a cup of blueberries
• Half a cup of pineapple chunks
• Chunk of ginger
• A few basil leaves
• Teaspoon of spirulina (this gives it a very dark green colour)
• Lemon juice from one lemon
• Coconut water
• Splash of apple juice

It’s all about experimenting with what you like!

If you’re just beginning to make green smoothies, try this one out to start:

• Banana
• Half cup blueberries
• Handful of spinach
• Handful of kale
• Chunk of cucumber
• Few chunks of pineapple
• Lemon juice
• Coconut water
• Splash of apple or orange juice

For more ideas on green smoothies, check out www.simplegreensmoothies.com. I also really like this glowing green smoothie from Kimberly Snyder, which is more of a detox smoothie as she adds cilantro and parsley. It’s definitely flavorful!