Dr. Katie’s Top 5 Summer Smoothie Recipes
Yes, the rumours are true. I have fallen in love…with my shiny new Vitamix! I recently made the leap and upgraded my single serving blender to the Vitamix 7500 and have no regrets. This recent addition to my kitchen has changed my smoothie creation life in such a good way, so I thought I’d share a few of my favourite smoothie recipes! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do 🙂
For all recipes below, I recommend:
- Adding liquid to the bottom of your blender first, then the rest of the ingredients. This prolongs the life of your blender and keeps the blender’s motor much happier.
- Although I am currently using a larger Vitamix blender, any blender will work for these recipes!
- I personally don’t consume cow’s dairy products, so most of the recipes below are non-dairy, but you can use regular milk, or any other milk that you prefer.
- You can always add more liquid or reduce / exclude the ice cubes, depending on how thick you like your smoothies.
- Medjool dates are easy to find in bulk or at a speciality food store – but if you want to replace them, you can always use pure maple syrup, organic agave, or honey. Dates provide some health benefits and a touch of added fibre, so I much prefer them. Be sure to to use pre-pitted dates, and/or to remove all pits from your dates before blending.
Green Smoothie
- 1 cup non-dairy milk (I use unsweetened coconut or cashew)
- 1 cup (or super large handful) kale or spinach (or use a mixture of both!)
- 1 banana
- 1/2 ripe avodcado
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
- 3 – 4 medjool dates, pitted (optional, to add extra sweetness)
- 2 – 3 ice cubes
- Optional for extra protein – add one of the following:
- 1/2 – 1 scoop vanilla protein (I recommend Iron Vegan, Vega, or Allmax Isoflex)
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup firm tofu
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup unsweetened, plain 0% fat Greek yogourt
- *Add an extra splash of liquid if adding a protein source
Chocolate Smoothie
- 1 cup non-dairy milk
- 1/2 ripe avocado
- 2 tbsp cacao powder
- 1/2 tsp espresso or instant coffee (optional)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla
- 3 – 4 medjool dates, pitted
- Pinch of himalayan pink salt
- Handful of ice cubes
- To make this into a chocolate-peanut butter smoothie:
- Replace avocado with 1 tbsp all-natural peanut butter, or other nut-butter of choice
- Optional for extra protein – add one of the following:
- 1/2 – 1 scoop vanilla protein (I recommend Iron Vegan, Vega, or Allmax Isoflex)
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup firm tofu
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup unsweetened, plain 0% fat Greek yogourt
- *Add an extra splash of liquid if adding a protein source
Mojito Green Smoothie
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut water, cold (or you can use regular filtered water)
- 1 sweet apple, cored (gala / pink lady / honey crisp work really well)
- 1/2 cup-isn watermelon (works best) or honeydew melon
- 1/2 ripe avocado
- Small bunch of mint leaves (~5-10 large leaves depending on how “minty” you like yours!)
- Juice of 1/4 – 1/2 fresh lime
- 2 – 3 pitted medjool dates (optional, but yummy)
- Handful of ice cubes
- Optional for extra protein – add one of the following:
- 1/2 – 1 scoop vanilla protein (I recommend Iron Vegan, Vega, or Allmax Isoflex)
- Tofu doesn’t work as well with this recipe
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup unsweetened, plain 0% fat Greek yogourt
- *Add an extra splash of liquid if adding a protein source
Red Fruit Smoothie
- 1 cup non-dairy milk (I use unsweetened coconut or cashew)
- 1 cup berries of choice (strawberries, pitted cherries, raspberries, blueberries are my favourite)
- 1/2 banana
- 1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil; or 1/2 ripe avodcado
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
- 3 – 4 medjool dates, pitted (optional, to add extra sweetness)
- 2 – 3 ice cubes
- Optional for extra protein – add one of the following:
- 1/2 – 1 scoop vanilla protein (I recommend Iron Vegan, Vega, or Allmax Isoflex)
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup firm tofu
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup unsweetened, plain 0% fat Greek yogourt
- *Add an extra splash of liquid if adding a protein source
Tropical Fruit Smoothie:
- 1 – 1.5 cups coconut water or non-dairy milk (if using fresh fruit, use 1 cup measure; if using all frozen fruit, use 1.5 cup measure)
- 1 small fresh mango, pitted; or 1 cup-isn frozen mango
- 1 cup or 1 large handful of leafy greens (kale or spinach)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil; or 1/2 ripe avodcado
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
- 3 – 4 medjool dates, pitted (optional, to add extra sweetness)
- 1/2 – 1 tsp grated ginger or turmeric (or a mixture of both!) for an extra health-benefit kick!
- Juice of 1/4 fresh lime
- 2 – 3 ice cubes
- Optional for extra protein – add one of the following:
- 1/2 – 1 scoop vanilla protein (I recommend Iron Vegan, Vega, or Allmax Isoflex)
- Tofu isn’t super awesome in this one
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup unsweetened, plain 0% fat Greek yogourt
- *Add an extra splash of liquid if adding a protein source
Author: Dr. Katie Au
B.Sc. Kin (Hons), D.C., D.Ac, CSCS, FCCRS©, ART®, GT®
Toronto Chiropractor | Acupuncture Practitioner | Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist