This delicious Orange Spinach Green Smoothie is packed with vitamins and nutrients to keep you feeling good all day long and provides a caffeine-free boost to your morning!
For me January has always been the month in which I refocus my health goals for the year. Not only does it immediately follow two months of holidays (and trust me that’s reason enough to question all of my health goals), it is also the height of cold and flu season. The kids come home from school almost every day with a stomach ache, a cough or a runny nose that won’t go away until spring. So for me January also means countless nights curled up in bed with a toddler who keeps coughing in my face, or cuddling with a child who’s upset stomach kept him curled up on the couch long after the school bus pulled away.
I can’t afford to get sick. You know that feeling – work, kids, chores, dinners, laundry – I have to get the kids to school, to practice, to clubs and tutoring… since my husband is out of the house at the crack of dawn and often arrives home after their bedtime things like feeding the kids, helping with homework and shuffling to their various activities falls squarely on me and that makes me very nervous to be out for the count. Part of the reason why the flu is so common this time of year is that we don’t take care of ourselves as well. We don’t hydrate as we do in the summer, we spend more time stuck indoors and less time out in the fresh air and sun, we don’t eat as well (looking at you Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and every dinner party in between) and sometimes we even sacrifice sleep as we keep up with the relentless pace set by holidays and sick children.
This is my favorite time of year for healthy green smoothies because they allow me to pack all sorts of great vitamins and nutrients into my day. Whilst many people choose to take some vitamin c immune support during these times, this Orange Spinach Green Smoothie is one of my very favorites. It is packed with important vitamins for a healthy body, and plenty of protein to keep you going all morning. Plus, it tastes delicious! Oranges give you some much-needed vitamin c, and a caffeine-free morning boost. Spinach is rich in choline, vitamins A & K, iron, vitamins B12 & B6 and high in dietary fiber. Bananas have vitamin B6 and vitamin C as well as potassium. The Greek yogurt adds a protein boost that will keep you full all morning, while flax and chia seed provide omega-3, calcium, iron, amino acids, and added protein. Just imagine the jump start you are giving your body while drinking this! And it tastes refreshing and citrusy, which makes it perfect to take for breakfast. Sometimes I even make it a light lunch or enjoy this smoothie mid-day when I need a pick me up. For some reason, the orange really perks me up!
So on to that recipe…
In your blender add:
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup water
1 orange, peeled
1 packed cup of spinach
3 Ttbs ground flax seed
1 Tbs chia seed
Blend (or use the smoothie button on your Blendtec) and enjoy! I love the simplicity of it as well – if you peel your orange and wash the spinach the night before you can put it into a Ziploc bag in the fridge and have this together in under five minutes in the morning! This Orange Spinach Green Smoothie makes cold, dark mornings a little more bearable for me, and hopefully for you too! Now, who’s ready to start the countdown to summer?
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