New Smoothie Recipe Time!
I was just talking to my friend, Craig Ballantyne (also known as the “Lazy Vegetarian”) and he’s been sticking to his vegetarian meal plan.
Unfortunately – in my opinion – he’s no longer vegan, but he’s doing great and he even went all the way to Europe without eating meat (but he did say he had a little bit of fish – but of course, that’s fine once in a while).
He also said he’s been drinking a lot of smoothies and sent me a few of his recipes. He sure likes to experiment, so I’ll just share the best ones with you.
Craig’s Absolute Best Vegan Smoothie Recipe
– Almond milk
– Raspberries
– 1 Banana (frozen, preferably)
– Blueberries
– Cacao nibs
– Walnuts
– Organic peanut butter
– Sesame seeds (good source of calcium)
He says this one is “safe” and not too adventurous. If it still scares you a bit, cut out the cacao nibs and walnuts. That will give you a smoother smoothie and one that even your kids would love.
However, he loves the cacao nibs and says they give him a boost of mental energy, plus they go really well with the peanut butter.
Craig’s Adventurous Green-Fruit Smoothie
– Almond milk
– Frozen strawberries
– 1 banana
– Sunflower seeds (handful)
– Flax meal (just 1 tablespoon)
– 1 handful of spinach (yes, spinach!)
– 3g of Spirulina powder
– raw almond butter
This one won’t look as good as the other one, but don’t worry, it tastes great (the banana is the key to making any smoothie taste great – provided you like banana of course!).
You won’t taste the spinach or spirulina at all, however they both make the smoothie dark green.
Let me know what you think of Craig’s smoothies. If you want more protein, add Sun Warrior protein (a great mix of vegan protein sources).
And now here’s one of my favorite smoothies from the Easy Veggie Meal Plans.
Low Glycemic Chocolate-Green Smoothie – 344 Calories
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
1 Tbsp of soaked brown flax seed
1 tsp of raw coconut butter
1 tbsp raw cacao powder
1/2 teaspoon of maca
1/8 cup of goji berries
½ small cucumber
1 tsp vanilla extract (no alcohol)
1 teaspoon of your favorite dried green supplement
Add ½ Cup Water and blend together
Optional: Dash Stevia, water, ice to taste only
Add stevia (Powder or Liquid form) to taste to keep it low Glycemic.
Let me know your favorite smoothie recipe in our comment’s area.
Helping you succeed with the Veggie Lifestyle,
Kardena Pauza
Author, Easy Veggie Meal Plans
Thank you for your ideas! 🙂
My version of a smoothie would be pineapple + spinach + coconat milk (with no additives…Can you find one in US?).
Hi Aile,
I love the pineapple coconut flavors together. yes we have fresh coconuts from Thailand and coconut butter and oil. We’ve come a long way! Kardena
oh man! this look like when I was in Mexico City growing up a real treat of nutrients that will leave you with a big smile and well fed body.
Hey Alfredo,
Funny how life comes back full circle and you come to appreciate the food you used to eat. Back to your roots. Kardena
Hello
I am called Philipe and I live in France, is that that in your régimes you hold account of the person’s type; éctomorph, endomorph, mésomorph?
And is what it is necessary to take into account the percentages between glucide, protein, lipid, for example 50%, 30% and 20%
Thank you if you can answer
Philippe
Hi Phillipe,
I do not take into account the different body types. You want to see what works for you. But I’ve done 50% carbs- having most of your carbohydrates (glucide) come from fruits and veggies, 25-30% lipid/fats and 20-25% protein. This has wokr well for me and my clients. Thank for the question, Kardena
Interesting smoothies – but I must say as a vegetarian for 23 years, I don’t think ‘a little bit of fish’ is ever ‘fine’. Fish are animals and vegetarians don’t eat animals.
Hello Gretel,
Thanks for your comment. I appreciate your commitment to being vegetarian for 23 years. That is wonderful! I feel that when people transition to vegetarian, they are going to do it at their pace and to the level that they are willing to do it. I train and coach hundreds of people and I don’t know too many people who take their diet to the level I do or you do. I will support them and encourage them to do and be as healthy as they are choosing to be. We need people like you to stand for “no messing around” lifestyle. Kardena
Bananas! Ugh I hate bananas (unless they’re in my homemade healthified banana-nut bread lol) and most smoothie recipes have them in it. Have you developed any smoothie recipes that don’t require them in it?
Hi Amanda,
I have a ton of recipes with no bananas in them. In the easy veggie meal plan I have a ton. You can use whatever fruit your heart desires. Right now peaches are in season so you can make a peach/nectarine smoothie with a little fresh ginger, vanilla protein powder, stevia, ice and unsweetened almond milk. wonderful treat! Thanks for asking Kardena
I love love love almond milk for smoothies! It’s a great low-sugar “base.” I will definitely try these. Thanks for posting.
Hi! Wow, these look scrumptious :>D
Right now however, I need to lose a lot of weight and get in shape so I do not use Almond milk, but I will use it occasionally once I am back in shape!
My son (he is 10) and I have a smoothie 6 days per week and often 7 days…Here is our basic simple quick and easy to get used to smoothie recipe 🙂
For ONE smoothie:
6 oz yogurt (your choice flavor/brand for that day)
1 C berries
1 TBS Flaxseed Meal
1 TBS Wheat Germ
1 C raw spinach (you can NOT taste the flavor, honest! But it is perfect for getting your veggie in and it thickens wonderfully!)
Vanilla Soy Milk to thin. About 1/2 C makes the texture and thickness we like. Adjust for personal taste.
(I use Soy Slender for now, but use milk of your choice of course)
I often make them with banana for my son, keeping everything else the same.
We love these! I use the small dixie cups and popsicle sticks and freeze them. My son and his friends love these for snacks instead of sugar laden popsicles LOL
Thanks for the wonderful recipes and guidance!
Sherri Landoni
Sherri, you are light years ahead and it’s so wonderful to hear you are investing in your sons health by making popsicles out of the smoothie recipes. What a wonderful idea! Thank you so much for sharing. Kardena btw- you can do unsweetened almond milk so there is no added sugar.
1/2 a cup Almond milk
1 tablespoon coconut butter
1 tablespoon almond butter
1/2 a cup wheatgrass juice
1/4 cup nonfat ricotta cheese
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 frozen banana
1/2 a cup fresh spinach
1 raw egg
1 tablespoon Barlean’s Omega Swirl (lemon)* this is my omega 3s fish oil its a sweetner. no sugar
1/2 a cup of ice
If I’m doing a 40 mile ride I had a tablespoon of honey for extra kick
Hey Ben,
wow, you have all your bases covered in this drink. I don’t do dairy but if it works for you then go with it. This is definitely a power shake.
Isn´t a bad thing to mix fat with fruits? Doesn´t ferment in your digestive system because of slower digestion due to the fat?
Hello Gudni,
From my research you may need to be careful of mixing dairy with fruit because the fruit can curdle dairy. As long as you are processing and eliminating food within 24 hours. Fermentation will not take place. thanks Gudni. Ultimately, listen to your body and what is best for it.
Instead of the spinach, I use greens+ wild berry burst and it is a great addition to any smoothie
Thanks debbie! sometimes if I have a craving for something sweet after dinner, I put my greens/berry powder in water, stir it up and drink that. It satisfies me for the rest of the evening. Kardena
my drink would be like this, almond milk , musk melon seeds, cucumber seeds, blackpepper, rose petals dreid, cardimum, ani seed,[try this drink its a great enery booster n helps in muscle growth]
Hi Sanjay,
I just found a similar recipe and I wanted to try it! thanks for the suggestion! Kardena
Dear Kardena,
Thank you very much for your receipe. They are great and very colorful.I will try it a.s.a.p. I can.
W.B.RGDS
Flora
Green Smoothies rock the house! They’re a staple in my household. Yum!
Cheers,
Kristen
Sweet!
I just made a smoothie this morning with organic whole milk(yes it was whole but I am experimenting with metabolic eating and organic whole milk seems to do well with me less sugar then lowfat or 2% or the fat offsets the sugar), green bannana, rice protein powder, blueberries and barley greens…it acutally tasted pretty good and gave me the energy I needed without crashing and was filling enough without that too full bloated feeling.
Hi Kym, Experimenting is great. Listen to your body is wonderful. This smoothie sounds tasty and I like the added barley greens! The greens give you sustained energy, trace minerals and iron, and the fat helps balance your blood sugar. Love it! Kardena
Amanda – you can use apples in place of bananas
A simple green smoothie I like consists of spinach or kale, apples, and fresh lemon juice.
To pump it up, I’ll add freshly ground flax seed, soy protein powder, and banana (I love bananas) and if I have them available, fresh blueberries.
Green smoothies do rock!!!
Shannon
Oh, I forgot to mention, the liquid I use is water in all my smoothies.
These sound great and I can’t wait to give them a try! My wife & I have been making our own smoothies for breakfast for a while using the following amounts to make 2 smoothies (1 each):
Extract juice from 1 apple, 1 orange, 1 pear, 2 carrots, pour into blender and blend with 3 bananas, milk and cinnamon.
Absolutely delicious and lasts us the whole morning no problem!
Wow, this sounds wonderful! You may want to try adding spinach or super food green powder. This gives you extra minerals and iron. Thanks for sharing! Kardena
It looks good but I don’t know some of ingredients. I’m not sure if I can buy almond milk or even raw almond butter. I live in UK.
Hi Valeria,
I’m not sure if you have almond milk or butter either. I would check your local health food store first. If not, you can make almond milk with 1 cup almonds to 4 cups water and blend in blender. A high powered blender works the best. Then strain out the fiber and it’s ready to use and refrigerate! To make almond butter, you need a slow grinder or a champion juicer that can grind nuts also. There are other nuts you can use like pumpkin seed butter, cashew, filberts, etc. Explore a bit.
I’m going to try some of these recipes – they sound delicious. One of my favorite smoothies is first to juice 2-3 apples. In the blender add 1-2 frozen bananas, 4-5 frozen strawberries and a big handful of raw spinach. Add the apple juice and blend. After blending add in 1 T. soaked salba (chia seed), 1 T. aloe vera juice, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1 tsp. spirulina.
With this you don’t have to worry about the detrimental effects of dairy or soy products.
Kardena,
Somewhere in your videos or writings you listed items to add to water that included Cayenne pepper. Could you please remind me what and how on this. Thank you.
Hi Sandra,
I posted an article called amp your metabolism with the cayeene and otehr ingredients . Check it out for the recipe and video to go with it!
Heres one that i drink
Kale, Tofu, Banana, Strawberries, almonds and soy milk
This sounds great!
Hi Sandra,
I may have been talking about ways to cleanse, detoxify, increase your metabolism, or structure the water for better absorption. Cayenne pepper (dash or as much as you can handle) and 1/2 lemon squeezed in a glass of water is cleansing, increases your metabolism and cuts excess mucous in the digestive system. You can also use lime. Drink first thing in the morning before breakfast. Enjoy! Kardena
I started adding some vegetables to my morning shakes based on your recommendations but I’ve been limiting the vegetables to those that are high in nutritional value and low in obvious taste so that the shake still tastes good. I love spinach, zucchini, squash of all types but I’m also glad their flavors don’t come through in the shake. Are there any other vegetables you can think of that have a neutral” flavor in a morning shake?
Hi Zo,
I have found interesting veggies that taste great! Try beets (1/4-1/2) in small doses since it’s pretty powerful and great for kidney health. Carrots are great with oranges and spinach. Kind of funny but i like parsley in my breakfast smoothies sometimes. Also try cucumbers with apple and beet, yummy!
Have fun! Kardena
What about the water? Filtered tap water, distilled, ionic? My neighbor swears by his ionic water, another friend swears by her distilled water. Does it matter what kind of water we are drinking? I am new to the vegetarian way of life and have learned a great deal from you, thank you.
Hi Jacqui,
I have a friend who is a chemist and from his research on water and filtered water, the only way to remove all impurities is by distilling. FYI- prescription drugs do not filter out of our water unless you distill it. Then i add mineral drops or lemon back in to my water.
Hi. I have been using the smoothie concept over the past week for breakfast and an evening snack and it surely seems to be showing its results.
My recipe:
1 Big Orange (Kinnu is what its called in India)
1 Apple
1 CUP Grapes
5 Almonds (Soaked or unsoaked)
1 cup White or Red Melon
1/2 Glass of water so it doesn’t get stuck in the Grinder
It really fills me up, and then it helps me cut down on the overdose of bread at breakfast. I’m a vegetarian otherwise as well so it seems nice. Any suggestions if I need to up the protein content on this Shake then how I should go about doing that?
Also, I use sprouts of all kinds, boiled and lightly sauted veggies of all types and colours and sizes to keep my day going well! Cutting out the carbs post 7PM seems to be helping me in maintaining my day alongwith Green Tea!
Cheers to you and the motivation you bring along! Craig’s support to you seems to be doing well for you!(I follow his blogs w.r.t. TT)
Anirudh
Hi Anirudh,
Your smoothie sounds so delicious. What about adding some sort of mild greens to your smoothie and maybe a little more almonds, peanuts or sesame seeds or sunflower seeds for more protein and essential fats. Maybe take a little fruit out and replace with greens maybe cucumber and seeds.
You could add cardamom or cinnamon for a added treat..
fyi- the greens may help with energy too.
Life is Good!
Sounds all very yummy but what is Cacao nibs and Maca? Thanks, Matzi
Matzi,
Cacao nibs is the name for raw cocoa pieces. They are kind of chunky so instead you can buy cacao powder (raw chocolate powder). Maca is an herb from south America and is great for hormonal balance along with many other benefits. You can find of ton of information on it on the net. MAca is optional in the smoothie, it will taste great without it. But the chocolate makes everything tastes better!
Enjoy! Kar
I like all healthy smoothies. Thanks.