Cherry Almond Green Smoothie

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

This cherry green smoothie is packed with fruit flavor, and you can't taste the spinach at all.

4.5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Drinks, Snacks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Easy Recipes, Gluten Free, Quick Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian recipes

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Servings: 1 Serving

Calories: 296kcal

Author: Meghan McMorrow | Fox and Briar

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

The amount of almond milk really depends on your preference for thickness. You will need enough to allow your blender to blend the ingredients - if you don't have enough it will not be able to. I find that 3/4 cup makes my smoothies a little more liquid than I like, so I usually start with less and then add more if I need to.

Nutrition

Calories: 296kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 210mg | Potassium: 792mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 2815IU | Vitamin C: 25.6mg | Calcium: 300mg | Iron: 1.8mg

Nutritional information is an estimate for your convenience. If you have strict nutritional needs, please do your due diligence to make sure this recipe fits your needs.

Did you like this recipe?Please comment, rate and share! And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @foxandbriar AND #foxandbriar so I can see what you made!

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?