Warm weather is coming which means smoothie season is here!! All the fresh produce makes smoothies that much more appealing this time of year. I do, however, make smoothies all year round and generally use frozen fruit. If smoothies aren’t done right, they can cause your blood sugar to spike and your energy to crash- not what we want. This is a formula I use for making smoothies. You can add quite a bit of variation using this formula. As you think through various options, just remember, you want more than just carbs in your smoothie!! So add protein and/or fat to make those carbs last longer!!

Smoothie Formula (makes 2-3 smoothies)

• 1 cup vegetable (beets, cucumber, zucchini, carrots)

• 1 banana

• 2 cups other fruit (citrus, berries, mango, etc)

• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt

• 2 cups spinach (or other green)

• 1 cup almond milk or other liquid

• 1/2 cup dry oats (you won’t even notice them)

• 1 scoop protein powder (I like to use unflavored)

Beet Orange Smoothie:

• 1 cup beets (steamed)

• 1 orange

• 1 cup berries

• 1 banana

• 2 cups spinach

• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt

• 1 cup almond milk

• 1/2 cup oats

• 1 scoop protein powder

Carrot Ginger Sunshine Smoothie

• 3-4 large carrots

• 1 orange

• 2 cups spinach

• 1 cup berries

• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt

• 1 banana

• 1 scoop protein powder

• 1 TBSP grated fresh ginger

• 1 tsp turmeric

Cucumber Berry Spice Smoothie

• 1 cup cucumber

• 1 cup berries

• 1 banana

• 2 cups spinach

• 1/2 cup oats

• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt

• 2 tsp fresh grated ginger

• 2 TBSP unsweetened coconut

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp cardamom

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

• 1 scoop protein powder

*Note- I generally serve my smoothies with granola on top, which adds some extra fat. If you will not be topping with fat of any source, consider throwing in nuts, seeds, nut butters, or avocado. Here is a link to an awesome granola recipe.