I love smoothies! They are delicious and make a great on the go breakfast. I started adding greens to mine back in high school when it became popular and it took some time to get used to it but now I really enjoy them that way. I took time to find recipes that complemented or masked the taste of the greens but now I have many go to recipes depending on whats on sale and what I’m in the mood for.

Cherry Lemonade is my current favorite smoothie recipe because the flavors are fresh and bright just like I feel this time of year is, even if it has been cold enough here to freeze my smoothie on my walk across campus.  I’m warning you now this smoothie falls into the tastes way better than it looks category.  The name has quotes around the green in the name because while it is full of greens it isn’t green in color. It actually ends up being a weird beige color with speaks of greens and cherries. And sometimes it changes colors when it freezes and thaws.  But I promise its good and good for you.

A great thing with smoothies is that you can use frozen fruits which are often cheaper especially in the off season.  They still have plenty of vitamins and minerals to fulfill nutritional needs.  When paired with greens it helps the smoothie to make an even more powerful micronutrient punch! I love to make my smoothies in bulk at the beginning of the week and freeze them until the day before when I move them to the fridge to thaw.  But the recipe can easily be cut or multiplied to meet your needs I find for me it makes 2 large smoothies ( this size I will use for on the go breakfasts) or 3 small ones( this size is good for a more of a snack).

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ cups Vanilla yogurt. I like to use Siggi’s non-fat because it has more protein and less sugar. But you can use whatever your favorite is!
• ~ 1 Tbsp. Lemon zest. Depending on the size it can take half to a whole lemon to get this
• 3 Tbsp. Lemon juice
• 1 ½ cups Frozen pitted cherries
• ½ tsp. Ground ginger
• 6 cups of mixed greens. I prefer a kale and spinach mix but you can used what you like best. Also you can adjust the amount of greens to your taste!
• 3 Tbsps. Chia seeds
• Almond milk to get your desired consistency, or whatever milk you prefer

PREPARATION

1. Add all ingredients except milk to the blender and start blending on low increase speed as needed.
2. Stop blender and scrap down any ingredients that may be stuck to the side of the blender and not mixing properly. If needed to you can add your milk of choice to adjust the thickness of the smoothie. I recommend only adding a little at a time because you can always add more but you can’t take it away!
3. Continue blending until everything is well incorporated
4. Pour into serving container and enjoy!

* Tip to make clean up easier once your done pouring out your smoothie add dish soap and warm water to the blender then put the lid back on and turn it on for a bit then wash.

Below I included a printable recipe. Let me know what you think if you try the recipe or what your favorite smoothie combos are! Enjoy and I hope you are having a great week!

Cherry Lemonade Green Smoothie