What better way to celebrate St. Patty's Day then with something green! Instead of green beer, a green smoothie is far better for you. Fresh baby spinach is full of fiber and iron. Bananas provide a rich source of fiber and potassium. Pineapple is a great source of Vitamin C, which enhances our absorption of iron. How? Iron needs an acidic environment to be absorbed into our bodies. Vitamin C is an acid called ascorbic acid. This is your nutrition lesson for today!
I love my Vitamix. I have to admit the first drinks I made in my Vitamix when I received it last Christmas were the alcoholic type. Though now I mostly make the fruit and veggie type of drinks. The Vitamix is a really powerful machine. It can liquify just about anything.
About a year ago I would not be caught drinking a green smoothie. The idea of drinking spinach or other green vegetables grossed me out. Then I was turned on to them when I participated in Danielle Omar's 21 Day Clean Eating Detox. Danielle is a Virginia based dietitian who shares wonderful plant based recipes and run a clean eating detox program a few times each year.
As part of the Clean Eating Detox program Danielle shares a number of smoothie recipes. During the detox we were to avoid added sugars, so the coconut milk used needed be unsweetened. I like the original So Delicious Coconut Milk, which has 7 gm of sugar per 1 cup better than the unsweetened.
Coconut milk has no protein, so if you wish to add protein to a smoothie you can use cow's milk or soy milk. Some almond milk's have protein added, however I have only found about 4 gm of protein per serving. That's not even the same amount of protein as 1 egg, so not worth it in my mind. You could add protein powder. I tried this, but I didn't like it. I complained the whole time I was drinking it and didn't finish it!
I add a serving of walnuts for some protein and healthy fat. You don't notice the taste of the almonds at all. The Vitamix grinds them so well they almost disappear.
Recipe

Green Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup low fat coconut milk I use So Delicious Original
- 1 cup baby spinach washed and dried
- 1 ripe banana fresh or frozen
- ½ cup pineapple I use frozen
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- In a blender pour in coconut milk.
- Add in this order: spinach, banana, pineapple, and walnuts.
- Blend on high speed until all ingredients are liquified.
Notes
Nutrition
So this St. Patty's Day get your green on with this healthy smoothie!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Simple easy smoothie combos are the best!