After four days of feasting and indulging, we, here at gather & be, are doing a little de-tox before we re-tox. We’ll see how long it lasts as the holiday season is coming into full swing, but a girl can try, right? So this week we’ll be sharing some healthier recipes just to help our jeans feel a little friendlier.
This green smoothie is on a regular rotation in the gather & be kitchens. A smoothie is really an ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ kind of thing so treat this as a guideline, letting your inner chef and fridge contents determine the rest.
You don’t need a high-powered blender, although it is worth the investment if smoothies are your thing. Any blender will do just fine, if you pulse and blend it helps to give your concoction a smoother finish. An immersion blender will work too, just make sure any frozen bits go in the cup first so they have a minute to soften in the liquid.
And lastly, if you’re like us and you like a pretty smoothie, sprinkle a few pomegranate seeds on top to feast your eyes!
Ingredients:
makes 1-16oz. serving
1 cup of baby spinach
1/2 a frozen banana, roughly chopped
1/2 a pear, roughly chopped
1 stick of celery, roughly chopped
1/2 cup frozen pineapple bits or frozen mango chunks (available in most grocery stores)
1 tbsp hemp hearts and/or 1 tbsp ground flax (optional but great for an extra healthy boost!)
1 cup coconut water or plain water
ice if you like it extra cold
1 tsp honey if you have a sweet tooth
1 tbsp of pomegranates seeds (optional)
Add all the ingredients to your blender or immersion cup, and blend away! Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds if you like.
This can easily be doubled or tripled, to share or enjoy throughout the day. It keeps well in the fridge, and should be consumed on the same day, to ensure you get the highest nutritional benefit out of all the goodness you put in. Just stir before you pour!
*Note:
Frozen bananas (or avocados) are great to have on hand as they give any smoothie a lovely, creamy texture. If you have over-ripe bananas knocking around, just peel, chop and freeze them, then you can pop them into your blender as needed.