Some Yummy and Healthy Smoothie Recipes to Help Supporting Your Immune System!

Hey there, people! It’s been a while since I last time created a post here! So many things have been happening, and let’s be honest, we all are tired of this whole COVID-19 pandemic madness. But I somehow manage to stay relatively sane and I hope you guys do too wherever you are!

I am the kind of person who can go quickly from talking about fun trivial stuff to deep and complicated subjects in just mere seconds, but for this first post after a while, let’s make it light. Let’s talk about simple stuff that is also yummy.

Some of you that have in-person or virtual contact with me every day know that I (sort of) ditched my big city life in Jakarta and moved to a more laidback tropical island of Bali. Moving during the pandemic is not easy and I struggled on the first few months of adjusting to my new life here. Doing daily tasks as simple as preparing a meal while moving hotels to find a good place to stay and staying on top of my work felt draining at that time. During that time, I developed a habit to “blend some of my meals to go” while still keeping it healthy.

Smoothies are great because they fill you up, save your time when you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to sit down and chew your meals, get you to experiment with a bunch of healthy ingredients to your liking, and more importantly, help to support your immune system, especially during this ongoing pandemic. In this post, I want to share some of the yummy and healthy go-to smoothie recipes to power you up throughout your busy day.

Pineapple Green Smoothie

Some tips:

• Use ripe banana for extra boost of natural sweetness
• Use creamy Greek yogurt without added processed sugar
• I like to add chia seeds for healthy omega-3 fats, fiber, and a little protein

Ingredients:

½ cup low fat milk or unsweetened almond milk

⅓ cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt

1 cup baby spinach

1 medium banana, slice and freeze

½ cup frozen pineapple chunks

1-2 teaspoons honey or other natural sweeteners

Directions:

Add milk and yogurt to a blender, then add spinach, banana, pineapple, chia, and sweetener (if you like); blend until smooth.

Mango Ginger Smoothie

Some tips:

• Adding red lentils gives this smoothie recipe an extra source of protein
• Tips to cook red lentils: Cook in boiling water until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool. (1 cup dry = 2 1/2 cups cooked.) Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Or freeze in 1/2-cup portions for up to 3 months (thaw before using).

Ingredients:

½ cup cooked red lentils, let it cool

1 cup frozen mango chunks

¾ cup carrot juice (I use bottled cold-pressed carrot juice from supermarket)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger

1 teaspoon honey

3 ice cubes

Directions:

Place lentils, mango, carrot juice, ginger, honey, and ice cubes in a blender. Blend on high until very smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with cardamom, if desired.

Kale & Spinach Smoothie

Some tips:

• Kiwifruit and dates add natural sweetness without overpowering the fresh green taste
• Add almond butter and almond milk to make this smoothie more filling as a substitute of a full meal

Ingredients:

1 cup baby kale

1 cup baby spinach

5 pitted dates, roughly chopped

1 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons creamy almond butter

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

Directions:

Add kale, spinach, dates, kiwi, almond butter and almond milk to a blender. Blend on medium-low speed, using the tamper as necessary, until well combined.

Increase speed to medium-high and blend until very smooth.

Berry-Kefir Smoothie

Some tips:

• Add kefir as a probiotic boost to this healthy smoothie recipe
• Use mix berries for a blend of sweet and enjoyable tangy flavor and nut butter to add some heavenly creaminess

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup frozen mix berries

1 cup plain kefir (I sometimes use a strawberry one to create a more fun flavor)

½ medium banana

2 teaspoons almond or peanut butter

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Combine berries, kefir, banana, almond butter and vanilla in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Strawberry-Almond-Bean Curd Smoothie

Some tips:

• Don’t get ‘intimidated’ by using bean curd as an ingredient for this smoothie. It mixes well and gives a satisfying feeling to this smoothie

Ingredients:

10 frozen whole strawberries

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

½ cup bean curd powder

1 tablespoons coconut sugar

Directions:

Combine strawberries, almond milk, bean curd powder and sugar in a blender. Blend until frothy and smooth, about 1 minute. Pour into tall glasses and serve.

Spinach-Avocado Smoothie

Some tips:

• Make this smoothie creamier with frozen banana and avocado. Prepare them up to 1 day before and store it in the freezer until they’re ready to use

Ingredients:

1 cup non-fat plain yogurt

1 cup fresh spinach

1 frozen banana

¼ avocado

2 tablespoons water (I also love to use coconut water)

1 teaspoon honey

Directions:

Combine yogurt, spinach, banana, avocado, water and honey in a blender. Puree until smooth.

Strawberry-Chocolate Smoothie

Some tips:

• Make this smoothie as a healthier option when you’re having chocolate cravings. This smoothie also tastes very good as a dessert
• This smoothie is best consumed immediately after being made

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups frozen strawberries

1 cup chilled unsweetened chocolate almond milk, add more for a stronger creamy chocolate-y taste

1 tablespoon almond butter

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon honey

Directions:

Combine strawberries, almond milk, almond butter, cocoa and honey in a blender. Process until smooth, adding more almond milk, if needed, for desired consistency. Serve immediately.

Spinach, Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothie

Some tips:

• Adding kefir gives this smoothie recipe a good probiotic boost and tangy yummy-ness without overpowering the other ingredients

Ingredients:

1 cup plain kefir

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 cup spinach

1 frozen banana

1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup (Optional)

Directions:

Add kefir, peanut butter, spinach, banana and honey or agave syrup (if using) to a blender. Blend until smooth.

Berry-Banana Cauliflower Smoothie

Some tips:

• This is a good smoothie recipe to sneak in your daily intake of veggies
• Cauliflower adds extra thickness and creaminess that blends well with the banana

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen cauliflower

½ cup frozen mixed berries

1 cup sliced frozen banana

2 cups unsweetened plain almond milk

2 teaspoons maple syrup

Directions:

Place cauliflower, berries, banana, almond milk and maple syrup in a blender; blend until smooth, 3 to 4 minutes.

Good Green Tea Smoothie

Some tips:

• This is one hell of a ‘super-smoothie’ recipe. Add a little bit of honey for extra natural sweetness.

Ingredients:

3 cups frozen white grapes

2 cups baby spinach

1 ½ cups strong brewed pure green tea, cooled

1 medium ripe avocado

2 teaspoons honey

Directions:

Combine grapes, spinach, green tea, avocado and honey in a blender; blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

The best thing about all the smoothie recipes above is that they’re adjustable – so experiment a little, enjoy the process of mixing and blending the ingredients, grasp on all the good (and yummy) nutrition your body needs, and let me know which one is your most favorite!