This is my favorite smoothie. I like this smoothie so much that I have it for breakfast nearly every day as part of my normal health routine. The smoothie is very satiating and tastes great too. The smoothie taste like a sweet milky creamy treat. The smoothie is higher in calories, contains readily available items, and many of my favorite add-ins. I have this smoothie as my first meal. To start here is the recipe.
The Smoothie Warrior Daily Smoothie
- 1 frozen banana
- 1.5 cups of chilled coconut milk
- 2 handfuls or cups of fresh spinach and kale mix
- 1 large handful of frozen mixed fruit (I like to use pineapple, strawberries, peaches, and mango)
- 1 tablespoon of almond butter
- 1 teaspoon of maca powder
- 1 teaspoon of raw chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon of goji berries
- 1 teaspoon of flax seeds
Nutritional Facts of the Smoothie Warrior Daily Smoothie
- Calories: 459
- Carbs: 65.2g 53%
- Fat: 20.9g 38%
- Protein: 10.6g 9%
How to make the Smoothie Warrior Daily Smoothie
This smoothie is very simple and easy to make. The only steps are to combine the ingredients and blend until smooth. To break down my process I start with a peeled frozen banana and break it into 4-5 pieces and place it into the blender.
Next, I add a handful of frozen mixed fruit. I like to use the big 64 oz bag of Great Value mixed fruit found at Walmart that contains pineapple, strawberries, peaches, and mango. Next in the blender is greens which I typically use two large handfuls of an organic spinach kale mix. I’ll then add a tablespoon of almond butter using one of the spinach leaves to clean the spoon. Then I’ll add 1.5 cups of chilled coconut milk from the fridge. Last into the blender goes the add-ins where I top it off with 1 teaspoon each of maca powder, chia seeds, goji berries, and flax seeds.
Once everything is in the blender I start the blender at a low speed to get a good mix up and increase the speed and blend for about a minute until the consistency is nice and creamy. At the time of this writing, I’m using a Vitamix ec320 which does a great job blending and meets the task easily. I’ve used a Nutribullet Pro in the past and it is capable of blending smooth but does take a bit longer. I like to drink my daily smoothie out of a large mason jar.
NutriBullet Pro Nutrient Extractor 900w Blender Long Term Review
How I incorporate the Smoothie Warrior Daily Smoothie into my regular day
I like to incorporate intermittent fasting as a part of my regular health regiment. I take a simple approach intermittent fasting by simply stopping eating after evening dinner and not having anything to eat until the next morning after a morning workout. My typical schedule is to have dinner at 6:00 pm, wake at 7:30 am, finish a work out around 10:00, and have the smoothie after as my first meal and post work out treat. This gives me a daily 16 hour intermittent fast that I strive for 5 days a week Monday-Friday with rest and earlier breakfast happening on the weekends. I’ve found that this regiment has been good for both weight loss and maintenance of goal weight depending on how the rest of the days eating goes. Having this routine has helped me keep on track with personal help. Most days it makes work out easy knowing that a satiating smoothie is awaiting me once it is complete.
The recipe above yields a large portion of a smoothie and I like it that way as it is my morning meal. The recipe can be cut in half if a smaller portion is needed.
How to Make Healthy Smoothies a Daily Habit
Why I like each ingredient in the Smoothie Warrior Daily smoothie recipe
Frozen Bananas: Bananas are the ultimate smoothie ingredient. The banana in the recipe gives sweetness to the smoothie and a creaminess that is unrivaled in other ingredients for smoothies. After it is blended up I don’t feel there is a strong banana taste to the smoothie, but more of its sweetness that shines through. Bananas are chock full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Bananas do have high sugar content, but it is balanced with fiber content. The fiber content in the banana will help meter sugar energy from the banana making it an excellent pre or post-workout food. I like to use bananas that have just started to get brown spots. When the spots just start, I take them off the counter, peel, and freeze for my smoothie warrior daily smoothies. A greener banana will be less sweet and a browner banana more sweetly. To learn more about bananas in smoothies check out my article:
Coconut milk: Coconut milk is my favorite milk to use regularly. There are many types of coconut milk and the one I use regularly is coconut milk beverage which is often just labeled as coconut milk in the store. I normally purchase my coconut milk from Costco in 6 pack boxes. The brand I use is SO Delicious Organic coconut milk. Coconut milk is very similar to dairy milk when used in smoothies and is a healthy alternative to dairy milk as it contains many vitamins and minerals. To learn more about coconut milk check out my article:
Is Coconut Milk Good for Smoothies and Which Type is Best?
Spinach and Kale Greens: This smoothie makes it easy to pack in health spinach and kale. After blending you really can’t taste the spinach or kale.
The spinach and kale in this recipe just turn the smoothie green while again adding in copious amounts of vitamins and minerals. Check out my in-depth article on spinach for smoothies here:
The Complete Guide to Using Spinach in Smoothies
Frozen mixed fruit: The frozen fruit in the recipe is really where the main taste and additional sweetness comes from. I feel that the frozen fruit balances out the banana taste making the smoothie overall more neutral in flavor. I use the 4-pound Great Value mixed bag from Walmart. You get a lot for a good price and it includes great fruits (pineapple, strawberries, peaches, and mango) for many different smoothie recipes.
Almond butter: The almond butter in the recipe adds fat and additional calories to the recipe that help make the Smoothie Warrior Daily Smoothie a good meal replacement. Almond butter also has a good amount of protein per serving. I like to use Costco’s Kirkland almond butter which is at a great price point if you have a membership to the store. The Kirkland brand also does a good job of keeping it simple with roasted almonds as the only listed ingredient, a rare find these days in packaged food. The almond butter is one of the ingredients that can be tasted in the smoothie. The almond butter gives the smoothie a nice hint of nuttiness in it.
Add-ins
I like to add many of my favorite add-ins to this smoothie. I keep it small with only a teaspoon of each. These products can be on the pricier side but are packed chock full of nutrition per serving. Since I have this smoothie daily, the teaspoons add up over the week.
Maca powder: Maca powder has been used by South American warriors for centuries. Maca plants are grown in high harsh environments and the food is purported to give the user increased energy, stamina, and athletic endurance performance. Nutritionally maca powder is considered a superfood being nutritionally dense full of vitamins and minerals. Maca powder is very neutral in taste and is unnoticeable taste-wise in the Smoothie Warrior Daily Smoothie. To learn more about maca powder check out my article:
Is Maca Powder Good for Smoothies?
Chia seeds: Another widely considered superfood, chia seeds are a great addition to this recipe. Chia seeds are packed with nutrition and even are a source of omega-3 oil. Chia means strength and it is thought to help with increased satiety, lower bad cholesterol, weight loss, and improve digestion. Chia seeds do not impact the taste or texture of this smoothie. To learn more about Chia seeds check out my article:
Are Chia Seeds Good for Smoothies?
Goji berry powder: Some claim Goji berries to be a super fruit with many health benefits. Some of the reported health benefits include improved quality of sleep, weight loss, and athletic performance. The fact is that goji berry powder includes lots of vitamins and minerals and a high amount of protein for its serving size. Goji berry powder has a tart flavor but is negligible in this smoothie recipe.
Flax seeds: Another superfood loaded with nutrients. Flaxseed provides high amounts of protein, fiber, Omega-3. Similar to the other add-ins there are many reported health benefits of flaxseed including lowering of blood pressure, improved cholesterol, improved digestions, and reduced cancer risk.
Alternative ingredients
If you are interested in the Smoothie Warrior Daily Smoothie I would recommend you try it out and then adjust the recipe as you see fit. You can substitute any of the ingredients with similar ingredients. Any milk can be used whether it is dairy, almond, or coconut milk. Fruits can be swapped out and add-ins can be you prefer.