TROPICAL ZINGER GREEN SMOOTHIE

Wow, according to my FOOD section I’d really like to be someplace hot right now! It’s the dead of winter here in Calgary — and this time I have my sights set on the tropics, with my Tropical Zinger Green Smoothie! Although there are tons of green smoothie recipes floating around the internet in January, you guys voted for this recipe back in December via Insta Stories when I rediscovered it one day post workout. It’s about 3 and a half years old — in fact, if I scroll way back in my Instagram feed, I can still find the original post. This is long before I started blogging and would simply share my smoothie recipes on my feed with friends and family. Last month we had a pineapple ripening on the counter and a big bag of spinach to use up — I was sweaty, hungry and thirsty after my at-home HIIT workout (oh, the glamour!) and I remembered this recipe. I actually whipped out my phone and searched for it here on the blog — but to my surprise, I’d never published it! We always have the rest of the ingredients stocked at this time of year, so I decided to revive this old favourite and have enjoyed it countless times since. Yes, this is another green smoothie recipe — but I guarantee it’s one of the best green smoothies you’ll ever taste!

My Tropical Zinger Green Smoothie combines all the island flavours I’ve been craving lately — creamy banana, sweet pineapple, zingy satsuma, hearty pear, bright lime, healing ginger and hydrating coconut water — plus a mega dose of nutritious spinach and omega rich chia seeds (I promise you can’t taste the spinach at all!). This tropical elixir is packed full of vitamins, potassium, iron and protein — I often make it for lunch or breakfast to help with post workout recovery and give me an energy boost to power through the rest of my day. It’s also a great way to persuade your littles to eat their fruits and vegetables! Whip up a Tropical Zinger Green Smoothie anytime you’re craving a taste of the tropics — it’s refreshing, revitalizing and reminiscent of a super charged pinã colada (no white sandy beach required!).

TROPICAL ZINGER GREEN SMOOTHIE

It feels fantastic to share this recipe with you today! This is the first post I’ve published in 2018 that I actually photographed this year and I’m feeling so inspired. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it — and revitalizing this old recipe!

You know I’m all about eating as seasonally as possible and pineapple isn’t exactly seasonal (peak season is actually from March through July — but in Canada, since pineapple grows very far away from us, it doesn’t really matter anyway!). January is citrus and pears season in Canada however, so the majority of ingredients for my Tropical Zinger Green Smoothie are bountiful. Pineapple was also on sale last week at my local grocers, so I purchased a few, chopped them up and froze them. I do that often, to ensure we have out of season ingredients stocked whenever I have a specific smoothie craving (we’re still working though the wild saskatoons I foraged in the summer!).

I truly believe you can nourish yourself and treat yourself at the same time — I’ve never been one to take supplements, even as a very plant based eater, simply because I eat my vitamins! My Tropical Zinger Green Smoothie is a complete meal brimming with nutrients, vitamins and minerals that encourage a healthy body and mind. Wellness and balance is always something I strive for and I’m thrilled to continue to bring you loads of fresh, healthy, plant based recipes to help us look and feel our best in 2018!

I used an old favourite protein powder for this recipe and completely fell back in love with it! It’s the one I was using when I first came up with this recipe a few years ago. Although I’ve tried others, I wasn’t able to find any I like as much as the Youtheory’s Vanilla Anti-Aging Collagen Protein Shake (not sponsored). It’s not sweetened with Stevia, which I really enjoy — I find other brands that use Stevia to be way too sweet, especially in smoothies. This one is also packed full of collegen, which helps your body maintain connective tissue, skin, nails, tendons, cartilage and bones — it’s super important as we age (and we’re not getting any younger, so we may as well stack the deck, right?!). Anyway, if you’re looking for a great protein powder with a natural, subtle vanilla flavour that plays well in any smoothie recipe, I can’t recommend this one enough — and Vitacost (where I stock up on all my natural food, beauty and skincare goodies) has it for a great price (also not sponsored!).

INGREDIENTS

Yield: 1 serving (approximately 2.5 cups)

• 1 frozen banana (approximately 1/2 a cup)
• 1/2 cup frozen pineapple
• 2 small satsumas or mandarins (or 1 large orange)
• Half a pear
• 4 cups spinach
• 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut water
• Juice from half a lime

OPTIONAL GARNISH

• Sliced banana
• Chia seeds
• Unsweetened shredded coconut
• Pineapple wedge

INSTRUCTIONS

1. If you don’t have frozen bananas (or pineapple) on hand, you’ll need to make some! Frozen bananas are absolutely essential for a thick, creamy smoothie (trust me — you’ll thank me later!). To make them, simply peel and slice your bananas, peel and chop your pineapple, then scoop them into plastic bags and freeze for at least 4 hours.

2. Chop (if necessary) and add all fresh ingredients, along with your frozen ingredients to your Vitamix (or similar).

3. Blend until smooth.

4. Pour the Tropical Zinger Green Smoothie into a glass and garnish with fresh toppings. Some of my favourites include any of the ingredients featured in the smoothie (note above under the Optional Garnish section), along with hemp hearts, shredded coconut and edible flowers.

5. Serve immediately, enjoying before it thaws!

Print

TROPICAL ZINGER GREEN SMOOTHIE

Prep Time

5 mins

 

My Tropical Zinger Green Smoothie combines all the island flavours I’ve been craving lately — creamy banana, sweet pineapple, zingy satsuma, hearty pear, bright lime, healing ginger and hydrating coconut water — plus a mega dose of nutritious spinach and omega rich chia seeds (I promise you can’t taste the spinach at all!). This tropical elixir is packed full of vitamins, potassium, iron and protein — I often make it for lunch or breakfast to help with post workout recovery and give me an energy boost to power through the rest of my day. It’s also a great way to persuade your littles to eat their fruits and vegetables! Whip up a Tropical Zinger Green Smoothie anytime you’re craving a taste of the tropics — it’s refreshing, revitalizing and reminiscent of a super charged pinã colada (no white sandy beach required!).

Servings: 1

Ingredients

• 1 frozen banana approximately 1/2 a cup
• 1/2 cup frozen pineapple
• 2 small satsumas or mandarins or 1 large orange
• Half a pear
• 4 cups spinach
• 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut water
• Juice from half a lime

OPTIONAL GARNISH

• Sliced banana
• Chia seeds
• Unsweetened shredded coconut
• Pineapple wedge

Instructions

1. If you don’t have frozen bananas (or pineapple) on hand, you’ll need to make some! Frozen bananas are absolutely essential for a thick, creamy smoothie (trust me — you’ll thank me later!). To make them, simply peel and slice your bananas, peel and chop your pineapple, then scoop them into plastic bags and freeze for at least 4 hours.

2. Chop (if necessary) and add all fresh ingredients, along with your frozen ingredients to your Vitamix (or similar).

3. Blend until smooth.
4. Pour the Tropical Zinger Green Smoothie into a glass and garnish with fresh toppings. Some of my favourites include any of the ingredients featured in the smoothie (note above under the Optional Garnish section), along with hemp hearts, shredded coconut and edible flowers.
5. Serve immediately, enjoying before it thaws!

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I hope you enjoy this revitalized old smoothie recipe, friends! If you do try my Tropical Zinger Green Smoothie, please let me know how it goes or snap a pic and tag me! Leave me a comment, or tag me on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. You can also use the hashtag #justinecelinarecipes in your recreations so I can find them — I love it when they pop up in my feed! I also have a Pinterest board for my recipes if you’re looking for more plant based culinary inspiration. Thanks for so much for stopping by today for this tropical pick-me-up — and enjoy your the rest of your week!

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and contains my genuine thoughts, ideas and recommendations. JustineCelina uses affiliate and referral links, which allow me to receive a small commission when you make a purchase through one of my links. Thank you for supporting the brands and businesses that support JustineCelina!