Yesterday I felt like changing up my morning smoothie.  I wanted to incorporate some coconut oil into my smoothie and had some frozen pineapple in the freezer and thought it would be the perfect combination. I also added a bit of frozen mango, a frozen banana, a bit of orange juice concentrate, water and of course some greens.  This time it was a mixture of kale and spinach that were also in the freezer. It made the prettiest green color.  

It was the perfect tropical combination.  Just what I needed on an overcast March day.  I felt like I was on a tropical island…for a moment and then I snapped back to reality.  You can taste a slight coconutty flavor that lends itself perfectly to all the other flavors.  In fact I’m sipping another right now.  This made about 4 cups of smoothie. I drink most of that and then I pour the rest into little plastic “straw cups” we call them in our house that have lids.  They are great for kids.

You don’t need to have a special blender to get started on the green smoothie habit, I didn’t at first, you just have to use a bit more liquid to keep things moving. I would start with your liquid and greens and blend for a bit first and then add frozen fruit slowly.  Don’t try and “carefully” stick a plastic mixing spoon in there to get things going…I know from experience.  Shards of plastic all through a smoothie doesn’t create the most appetizing breakfast.  Just add more liquid and let it blend until the greens and frozen fruit are broken down.

One more note, my favorite way to drink my smoothie is in one of these.  I found this one at Walmart but a lot of stores carry them.  They are insulated which is great, they don’t sweat and get things wet, they fit in your car cup holder, the straw can’t be pulled all the way out the top, which is a plus with a 20 month old around, it’s the perfect 3 cup amount, it makes smoothies super portable, there’s minimal spilling if it does get tipped and smoothies are just easier to drink with a straw!  Really, this cup will help your green smoothie efforts, you need one!

Tropical Green Smoothie

2 handfuls of greens of your choice

1 T. coconut oil (read here to know how to pick a good one)

1 frozen banana

1 c. frozen pineapple

1/2 c. frozen mango

1 spoonful of frozen orange juice concentrate (optional)

Water

Blend and enjoy!

This post was linked to:

Wheat Free Wednesday

Thank Your Body Thursday

Little Owl Crunchy Mama