Tag: smoothie

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Blueberry banana smoothie with chia seeds

This simple and creamy blueberry banana smoothie is packed with antioxidants, protein, fiber and healthy fats.  It is an excellent substitution for your afternoon cookie or candy bar. It is also a good mid-morning treat.

The blueberry banana smoothie recipe is great because it’s easy to keep all of the ingredients on hand. We buy buckets of Artisana raw organic coconut butter which last for 15-18 months from the date of manufacturing. Additionally, blueberries and bananas can be stored in your freezer, frozen blueberries are good for 6-8 months and bananas for 2-3 months. Dried chia seeds have a shelf life of 2-4 years.

I am featuring chia seeds in this recipe, but I actually use them almost daily in my green smoothies. We buy Nutiva organic chia seeds (120z) bags at Costco (several at a time), but you can also get very affordable ones on amazon. Mostly, I add them for extra fiber and protein. It’s ideal to soak the chia seeds in water for at least 10 minutes before blending. Soaking them helps to sprout the chia seed adding in their digestion making the nutrients more bioavailable.

Two tablespoons (or 1 ounce) of chia seeds has about 130 calories, 8 grams of fat, 11 grams of fiber (about 50% of daily recommended value for women), 5.5 grams of protein and no sugar. It also provides 18% of daily calcium, 27% of phosphorous, 30% manganese, and some potassium and copper.  Chia seeds have lots omega-3 fatty acids which help to increase HDL, the good cholesterol. The aid in weight-loss, with diabetes, digestion and detox.

Recipe for blueberry banana smoothie with chia seeds

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
  • 1 medium-large banana
  • 2 tablespoons coconut butter – we buy this in bulk and use it to replace milk in all dairy and non dairy recipes – Artisana Organic Raw Coconut Butter, 17 Pound
  • 2 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 4+ cubes of ice
  • 1 and 1/2 cups water

Mix all ingredients in blender on high for two, 30 second intervals until very creamy and seeds are well incorporated. This smoothie has the best texture when consumed fresh but it will store for up to 2 days in the fridge.

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Chocolate Banana Blueberry Smoothie

Yum. This healthy chocolate banana blueberry smoothie recipe is kinda like dessert in a glass, but it has amazing SUPERFOODS in it so you can’t really feel like you’re making a bad choice here. All of the ingredients here would be best organic : ) Play around making some substitutions if you don’t have all the ingredients.

Recipe for healthy chocolate banana blueberry smoothie

Yield: About 4 cups

Ingredients:

  • 4 medium frozen or fresh bananas
  • 1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries (frozen is better because you can add less ice)
  • 2 heaping tablespoons coconut butter
  • ¼ cup or less flax seed
  • ¼ cup or less raw cacao powder
  • 1 cup filtered water
  • 6-10 ice cubes

Blend on high in good blender, the finer the better (especially for the flax). Don’t let the smoothie warm up in the blender, blend in increments and add a few ice cubes at a time. Share and enjoy!

 

healthy chocolate banana blueberry smoothie

 

If you like this smoothie recipe check out my other smoothies:

guava passionfruit green smoothie recipe

blueberry banana smoothie with chia seeds

chocolate banana flax smoothie

green smoothie love

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Chocolate-Banana Flax Smoothie

This chocolate flax smoothie recipe is wonderful when you are craving something sweet. Good for an afternoon snack or even dessert, this recipe is so simple and flexible. You can add more super foods if you want like chia seeds, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, gogi berries, maca powder etc.

This recipe highlights flax seed. Flax seed not only has high fiber content, but it also has high omega-3 fatty acid content. It contains lignans, which have antioxidant properties, and their mucilage content (it’s gummy when ground and mixed with liquid) helps them remain in the stomach longer to absorb nutrients. Flax may also help regulate the female menstrual cycle and hormones (1). Flax is best consumed when it is ground fresh. Whole flax seeds are hard to chew and may pass through the digestive system completely. Raw cocoa powder also has many antioxidants and natural caffeine, so you can feel good about this smoothie, for breakfast, lunch or a quick snack.

Especially for blending small seeds like flax, chia etc., I highly recommend using a blender with a high horsepower. We use the Blendtech brand, which is similar to Vitamix but more afforable. There are several models. I would guess they are all similar in quality but differ in the amount of presets and speeds they have. Another note… these blenders last forever! My husband has had one for 15 years and ours is going on year #7 with no fails.

Try getting organic whole flax seed in bulk and keep in your refrigerator like these from Amazon: Terrasoul Superfoods Organic Brown Flax Seeds, 2 Pound. I have a sweet tooth but don’t always want the calories. In these cases I add a few stevia drops to my smoothies. Try this NuNaturals brand from Amazon they’re the best I’ve had.

Banana flax smoothie with chocolate

Yield: about 12 oz

Equipment: Blender, high speed recommended.

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium bananas
  • 2 tablespoons whole flax seed (to make the smoothie less thick, reduce this amount)
  • 2 tablespoons raw unsweetened chocolate powder
  • 6 ice cubes
  • 1/2 cup water, almond milk, coconut milk or other substitute ( you can also use coconut butter and water)
  • Optional sweetener like honey, maple syrup or stevia to taste

Steps:

  • Blend everything together on high in intervals of 30 seconds until smooth.
  • Add sweetener if desired.
  • Chill if not cool enough.

(1) Phipps, W. R., Martini, M. C., Lampe, J. W., Slavin, J. L., & Kurzer, M. S. (1993). Effect of flax seed ingestion on the menstrual cycle. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 77(5), 1215-1219. doi: 10.1210/jcem.77.5.8077314

If you are looking for other great smoothie recipes try:

Blueberry banana smoothie with chia seeds

or other recipes with bananas…

Chocolate Banana Muffins with Fresh Coconut

Banana Brownies