I LOVE smoothies! I have been on a smoothie kick since I went to an event last year (wait, j/k, that event was in February...feels like forever ago. thx, COVID) featuring Kelly Leveque and her cookbook, Body Love Every Day. After that, I started looking at some of her recipes and thinking about ways to keep my blood sugar balanced throughout the day, instead of the ups and downs that come with sugary snacks and carb-heavy meals! Kelly's Fab4 smoothie recipes have been something that I've incorporated into my daily life, and I love them! The Fab4 are: protein, fat, fiber, and greens...and I try to include them in every smoothie!
Now I have adapted some of her recipes and made a few adjustments that work for my life, and I have a few basic smoothies that I stick to, and then can add in extras from there! I use smoothies as a vehicle to add in a few supplements and extra nutrition to keep my diet balanced. Enter: NOW®! I was introduced to them at the beginning of the year and now won’t make a smoothie without these extras! I add these NOW® products into every smoothie I make, and below I'm going to break things down and share three smoothie recipes that you can build from.
I stick to the Fab4 method and use protein, fat, fiber, and greens in all of my smoothies...that could look like avocado, fiber powder, chia seeds, spinach (I hate kale!), almond butter...and a few other ingredients that I wouldn't eat in my daily life but work so well in a smoothie. None of my recipes use extra sweeteners, but I do use fruit for natural sweetness...just make sure you're not accidentally making a sugary fruit slush; as you're starting out, always measure your fruit serving so you're not going overboard on sugar.
The extra ingredients and supplements from NOW® that I add into my smoothie are: Protein Powder (pea protein is my fave protein source), Acacia Fiber powder and Greens Powder. I have been getting these products from NOW® and have been so pleased with the quality, the value, and their commitment to clean and organic ingredients. I keep things pretty simple with my ingredients, but if you want to mix things up, they have plenty of different flavors, types of protein sources, supplements, and other natural foods that I would recommend.
Let's start with my OG green smoothie- the one that started it all!
There is something so satisfying about drinking a green smoothie. Not sure what it is, but I like it, and I plan to continue. ;) This green smoothie recipe is a great base recipe for adding a fruit, a flavored powder, or a seasonal twist, so you can’t go wrong. I like to garnish with a little fruit and organic granola to feel fancy.
“OG GREENS”
¼ avocado
handful of spinach
1 tbsp chia seeds
½ c almond milk (adjust for consistency and blender type)
ice, optional (choose your desired consistency)
1 scoop Vanilla protein powder (I use NOW® Sports Organic Pea Protein)
1 tbsp greens powder
1 tbsp fiber powder
1 tbsp almond butter
Next up, my summer go-to! Blueberry! Actually, I love all the berries, but blueberries make smoothies so pretty! I’m sticking to my Fab4 guide and adding in my protein, fiber, and greens powder to make this smoothie - I love it! This is another one that could be used as the base of an acai bowl, then top with goodies. Toppings make it a little less healthy, but still better than some other snacks, in my opinion!
“BLUEB SMOOTH”
¼ c frozen blueberries (fresh also work, but frozen gives you more color!)
½ frozen banana (I like to freeze mine in chunks!)
1 tbsp almond butter
handful of spinach
1 tbsp greens powder
1 tbsp fiber powder
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
¼ c almond milk
ice, optional (choose your desired consistency
chia seed for garnish, or you can add into smoothie
Up next, my fall favorite! Pumpkin Spice Lattes are a fun treat, but there’s a way to be festive AND stick to your health goals with this pumpkin spice smoothie! I love the NOW® Acacia Fiber powder because it doesn’t add any taste to my smoothies! If it’s your first time to add in extra fiber, start small, then build up to the full serving.
“PUMPKIN SPICE & EVERYTHING NICE”
½ frozen banana
¼ c pumpkin puree
½ c almond milk
1 tbsp almond butter
½ tsp ground cinnamon
pinch/garnish of pumpkin spice seasoning
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp fiber powder
garnish with granola & cinnamon (and a cute fall outfit!)
