Happy Monday, guys. If you live in the northwest, it is quite a dreary Monday, right? After this sunny summer, seeing the clouds for more than one day is a little confusing. Could it be that Fall is really on the way? Keeping in the spirit, I’m wearing leggings and fuzzy socks.
Well, not being one to let a cloudy Monday get me down, I’ve got a bright and cheery smoothie to start your week off right. This is called a green smoothie because it has green stuff in it, but it usually turns out to be more purple because of the cherries and blueberries. If you went berry picking earlier this summer and have a stash of frozen cherries and blueberries in your freezer, this is the perfect use for them. Also, I’m jealous, I always want to be the kind of person who goes berry picking and then has a stash of frozen berries in my freezer all winter that I picked myself, but I never can get it together. Maybe next summer?
If you’re like me and didn’t go berry picking this summer, do what I do and buy your frozen fruit at Costco. Or Trader Joe’s. Like I mentioned in my Tropical Green Smoothie post, I always use frozen fruit in my smoothies. It creates the best texture and also keeps your smoothie nice and cold. A warm smoothie is really a bummer.
This smoothie is one of my favorites. The cherries give it such a sweet tart taste, and then the nuttiness of the almond butter and almond milk combine to make it taste really rich. The blueberries compliment the cherries nicely, and the banana is what keeps the texture of the smoothie nice and smooth. The spinach is really just there for the nutrients, and you won’t even know it’s there. I also add some Greek yogurt for extra protein and calcium. I don’t add sweeteners because I find that the fruit really adds enough sweetness. If it isn’t sweet enough for your tastes, try adding more fruit first – you might be surprised that you don’t need any more sweetness.
Cherry Almond Green Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1/2 banana
- Scant 1/2 cup frozen cherries
- Scant 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
- 1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Drink this sweet, fruity protein packed smoothie and give your dreary Monday a little jumpstart. How else do you deal with a case of the Mondays?
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E.A. says
Hey!! This sounds SO refreshing! I have to remind you that I learned (from you?) how to freeze berries on a sheet, individually, so they don’t stick together in a freezer bag…you don’t HAVE to pick them, I’ll often buy extra, while in season-
& freeze them. I totally agree with you, the frozen berries give that “just right” texture!
Meghan says
Yes that is another way to go!