Looking for a refreshing summer drink? Get your greens with this delicious Green Monster Smoothie, it’s easy to make and grain free
I have a confession: I don’t remember the last time I had a green smoothie (!!), and I don’t drink them enough. For those of you in the health and fitness blogosphere, that may seem somewhat sacrilegious to say since everywhere you turn you run into a green smoothie.
Even though I don’t drink them enough, green smoothies are an awesome way to get more veggies and greens in your diet if you can have them (people with certain health conditions shouldn’t eat too much kale).
I used to buy bottled green smoothies at the store and I always felt icky after drinking them. I couldn’t figure out why I felt like crap after drinking something “healthy” until I figured out all that my body didn’t like all of that sugar. Some of the bottled smoothies I used to drink had 30+ grams of sugar, ick.
Plus, many of those green drinks are cooked down and mixed with preservatives and who knows what else. No wonder I felt sick after drinking them!
If you can, definitely make your own green drinks! You will save the calories, excess sugar, and chances are you will feel better for it. And it doesn’t have to take a ton of time. I used frozen chopped kale in this recipe and it took maybe 5 minutes to whip this up. Frozen chopped kale is pure awesome. Seriously.
I found some bags of chopped kale in the frozen foods section and this has been a life saver! I really don’t like washing and chopping greens – I’m lazy that way. The chopped kale in a bag is a huge time saver and since it’s frozen nothing goes to waste, unlike most of the greens I buy that go bad in my fridge waiting for a bath.
The bag I bought is just kale – nothing more added to it (no preservatives or fruit). You can also get bags of chopped raw spinach as well (not the cooked stuff in the little boxes FYI). You can also buy the chopped kale in a bag unfrozen in the produce section, but the frozen kale lasts much longer. Greens ready to eat and no waste = win win!
My Green Monster Smoothie also has something new in it: mesquite powder. I had tried a bit of mesquite powder in a protein mix before so I bought some to add to smoothies and shakes. If you’re not familiar with it, mesquite powder is made from the pods of mesquite trees.
Mesquite powder has been a staple item in Central America for years, but is now being used in America as a superfood. Mesquite powder is chock full of minerals and vitamins, fiber, and more.
I don’t like too much sugar or sweetness in my green smoothies, hence there is no fruit in this one and no added sweetener (besides what is in the almond milk). If you want even less sugar in your smoothie, then opt for the Almond Breeze Almondmilk Unsweetened.
Green Monster Smoothie (Grain Free and Vegan)
Vegan, Gluten-Free, grain-free; Free of: eggs, dairy, soy, peanuts, coconut
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Almond Breeze Almondmilk Original
- 1 ½ cups frozen chopped kale
- 1 teaspoon mesquite powder optional
- 1 teaspoon barley grass juice powder
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients in a blender or Nutri-Bullet until very smooth.
- Enjoy immediately!
Nutrition
Sarah Jane Parker is the founder, recipe creator, and photographer behind The Fit Cookie. She’s a food allergy mom and allergy friendly food blogger of 12 years based in Wyoming. Sarah is also an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer, ACE Certified Health Coach, Revolution Running certified running coach, and an ACE Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist
almond breeze is aaaaaaamazing though vanilla is my favorite! 🙂
I love Vanilla too! Makes everything taste better 🙂
I love Almond Breeze! :D! I’ll definitely have to be on the lookout for mequite powder (I’ve never heard of it/tried it either) so I can make this!
It’s pretty awesome! You can make this without mesquite powder if you want to, or use lucuma powder or sweet potato powder as a sub as well
Looks delicious and so simple! What is mesquite powder? I’ve never heard of that!
Mesquite powder is the pods from the mesqite trees that are ground up. Mesquite trees are where they get mesquite wood for smoking food (and mesquite smoke flavors), and the pods from the tree are used for mesquite powder 🙂 Here’s a link to some info about the trees: http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/st-plains/nature/images/mesquite.html
I have to make this! I have never had mesquite but i meet to find it!
It’s really good! A great addition to smoothies. I need to do some other things with it, like adding it to bites 🙂
woohoo mesquite! love that powder. it’s nutty and kinda salty! will have to try this smoothie next
It’s definitely a fun ingredient, I need to make your cookies soon!