A Healthy Smoothie Recipe

It’s time to kick the summer off with this simple, easy, and healthy strawberry banana smoothie recipe! This is the perfect smoothie for any occasion! Whether for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a midnight snack, I drink one of these delicious and pink smoothies with a handful of organic walnuts almost every day. I call it the Strawberry Banana Bettered because of the addition of the avocado in the recipe, along with the other extra optional ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 cup of organic frozen strawberries

1 frozen banana

1 ½ cups almond milk

½ an avocado

½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt

If you are feeling extra adventurous, try some of these fun and healthy optional additions:

1 scoop of vanilla whey protein

1 tablespoon of chia, flax, or hemp seeds

½ a cup of oats

Adding an avocado to your strawberry banana smoothie will make it creamier and more nutritional, and the taste of the avocado is latent. “ Avocados are a great source of vitamins C, E, K, and B-6, as well as riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and potassium. They also provide lutein, beta-carotene, and omega-3 fatty acids.”

Whey protein is high-quality and highly nutritional, and compared to other proteins, it’s extremely digestible. I choose the flavor vanilla because I think it tastes great with strawberry banana, but you can use chocolate, peanut butter, cookies and cream, strawberry, or any other flavor of whey protein in your smoothie too!

The addition of chia, flax, or hemp seeds to your smoothie will increase the fiber and nutrient content. Plus, it’ll change the consistency of your smoothie! If you don’t prefer small solid pieces in your smoothies, then try using a straw.

Old fashioned or rolled oats are another great source of fiber, and putting them in your smoothie will help you feel full for longer. This is ideal for people who are dieting, or using smoothies as a complete meal replacement.

Upgrading your smoothie can better your health this summer, so try it out!

Emily is in the program Mass Communications: Journalism and Media Studies at the University of South Florida in Saint Petersburg. She is also a writer for the technology based blog, the Gadgeteer, and in her free time she contributes to her school's newspaper, the Crows Nest. On the weekends, you might find her at the Saturday Morning Market working under the Mother Kombucha tent or blissfully rollerblading in Vinoy Park. Emily is a self-proclaimed fitness guru, and is psyched to merge her love for healthy living and writing together. Follow Emily on Instagram or contact her at emilykate1998@gmail.com.

Main Photo Credit: natashamam/shutterstock.com; Second Photo Credit: BirdShutterB/shutterstock.com