The Ultimate Whole 30 Smoothie

I created this smoothie tonight out of desperation because my roasted squash and zucchini dinner majorly flopped. Going into Whole 30, I anticipated that I would make a smoothie almost daily, but you know what? I’m well into Week 2, and this was my first one. Now, I know that smoothies are discouraged in the Whole 30 program. Their reasons don’t really apply to everyone, however. I’ve often used smoothies as a whole meal. I don’t equate “smoothie” with “milkshake,” and I make them filling enough so that although I’m drinking my calories, I’m not tricked into thinking that I’m still hungry.

All of that to say this: I had a smoothie for dinner tonight. Now, I know that it’s a tall order to say it’s “The Ultimate Whole 30 Smoothie,” but if I do say so myself, it was pretty damn good. Of course, smoothies are so customizable. You can take this recipe and add or subtract ingredients to make it YOUR ultimate smoothie.

A couple of caveats: 1. I almost always put bananas in my smoothies. But we were out of bananas! That was a happy accident, because this smoothie came out very creamy with no banana taste. Not that banana taste is bad. It’s just nice to have another set of flavors for a change. 2. The juice I used as a base has ginger in it, so the smoothie has a decidedly ginger undertone. I liked the zing, but if you hate ginger, use another liquid in your smoothie. Okay, here we go!

(All ingredient quantities are approximated; see printable recipe below.)

1 cup packed frozen spinach (I buy it fresh in bulk, then freeze most of it in individual sandwich bags, ready to pop into the blender.)
2 cups Suja Organic Mighty Dozen Juice. I buy this at Costco, but you can also check it out here at the manufacturer’s website and order directly from them. It’s packed full of greens and good stuff.
1/2 cup almond milk (check your labels if you are doing Whole 30!)
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 avocado
2 T almond butter
1/4 cup crushed pineapple (again, check labels! Make sure it is only packed in juice with no added sweetener.)
Optional: feel free to bump up the protein factor by adding in some chia seeds or flax seed.

Blend well and serve with a smile!

As I’m listing these ingredients, they are looking like a strange combination. Maybe it’s the sugar detox talking, but I thought it was pretty amazing. You decide!

(Another plus to smoothies– they are a great way to get hidden veggies into the small ones, although this one was a little too “exotic” for the 3-year-old. The baby devoured it.)

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