Reach your fitness goals and burn more fat with this antioxidant rich green smoothie. Great for postpartum, post workout, and so much more.

Happy New Year everyone!

This green smoothie in particular is going to be my motivator, to reach my fitness goals in the new year. It’s super easy to make, delicious, and overall extremely nourishing. It gives my body what it craves before or after every workout.

For us, this holiday season involved a lot of indulging — scrumptious no-bake desserts and need I say, tons of chocolate! But all goodies aside, it’s time to focus on better health and fitness (what my New Year’s resolution almost always comprises) and I like to set realistic goals for myself so that they’re more likely to be reachable.

How to Make a Green Smoothie “Green”

First thing’s first. What makes a green smoothie green?

The key to nutrition — and the perfect green smoothie every single time — is the ratio of green leafy vegetables to the other ingredients.

Unlike my Energy Boosting Oatmeal Berry Breakfast Smoothie which is a beautiful purple because of the mixed berries, this smoothie recipe is based on the powerful greens.

Use two dense handfuls or baby spinach or kale, a cup of your favourite dairy free milk (I use unsweetened almond milk), a cup of frozen pineapple chunks (which doesn’t change the green colour), a dash of chia seeds, and some freshly grated ginger (the winner of the fat-burning process).

Health Benefits of Chia Seeds

Chia Seeds can be consumed raw or cooked, and soaked into a liquid like almond milk before eating.

Here are the many health benefits you’ll reap by simply adding a tablespoon of chia seeds to your smoothie:

Excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids which are essential for brain and heart performance, as well as lowering blood pressure and in turn, provides energy
Rich in antioxidants to fight aging and boost your immune system
Source of fibre, iron, calcium, and protein (a must if consuming a vegan diet)
Protects against heart attacks and strokes

Dairy Free Milk Options

Switching up smoothie ingredients is as easy as customizing a bowl of oatmeal to your liking.

The benefits of going with a plant-based milk include reducing lactose intolerance symptoms, reducing risk of heart disease, providing vitamins D, E, and Calcium, and no added sugar which helps to regulate blood sugar levels.

My favourite milk alternative is unsweetened vanilla almond milk because I personally love the flavour of vanilla.

Here are other gluten-free and vegan milk alternatives you can use:

Health Benefits of Ginger

A Green smoothie is meant to kickstart your metabolism into high gear, curb your appetite, fight off common colds and flus, and give you that high energy you need to start your day or your workout. Thank you antioxidants!

It also has the power to burn calories while you’re, well, not doing anything at all! And even relieves muscle aches and pains after a workout. That’s the ginger doing its job.

Here are the health benefits of raw ginger:

Helps with digestion, reducing nausea, and boosts immunity to fight off common colds and flus
Powerful medicinal properties as an anti-inflammatory and for fighting off infections
High in antioxidants to fight off diabetes, heart disease, and cancer
Reduces muscle pain and speeds up muscle recovery
Lowers cholesterol and blood sugar levels
Boosts brain function and improves memory
Known to suppress hunger by giving a feeling of fullness after consumption

Not only does it burn fat, this smoothie helps your hair and nails grow fast. It’s a great drink for postpartum moms who notice their hair shedding more that usual (a depletion of nutrients in the body after birth, breast feeding, etc).

Ground Ginger VS Grated Ginger

Ground ginger is a dried spice found in the pantry spices section of your local grocery store. Grated Ginger is from raw, fresh ginger, that you can find in the fruit and vegetable section of your local grocery store.

Amounts between the two differ, as dried is not as potent as fresh, which is peeled and then chopped or grated.

However, ground ginger is far more powerful in taste. This recipe calls for one teaspoon of fresh grated ginger, so if you decide to use dried, you should only use about 1/8 of a teaspoon.

Ground, dried ginger loses some of its gingerol content, which are anti-inflammatory phytonutrients. Therefore, your best bet for achieving the most immune boosting health benefits would be to use fresh ginger.

Pin for later:

For those avoiding coffee, try this energy boosting breakfast smoothie.

I’m throwing out the cake, the turtles, and all those goodies that we stuffed our faces with. It’s time to prepare for the warmer weather, better yet, vacation! The preparation starts now.