MAKES 1 SERVING
Pantry Essentials: PLANT-BASED MILK, NUT BUTTER
For the longest time, I didn’t like smoothies. More specifically, I didn’t like smoothies that I made at home. The texture was too chunky, and they just didn’t taste as good as the ones I bought at my favorite juice shop. But, why? I was using the EXACT same ingredients. But then I realized my mistake: I wasn’t blending long enough. Because I didn’t have the super-fancy industrial strength blender my juice shop did, my little blender needed more time to do its thing. This was the first smoothie I made at home that I actually liked. Just remember, every blender is different, so it’s OK if it takes a little longer to achieve a silky-smooth, juice-shop-quality drink. Patience = delicious smoothies.
2 big handfuls spinach or 2 large kale leaves, washed and destemmed
1 cup unsweetened almond or rice milk, plus more if needed
1 banana, peeled, cut into 4 chunks, and frozen
1 tablespoon nut butter (I prefer almond)
Dash of cinnamon
Place the greens and milk in a high-speed blender and blend until the mixture turns green and smooth. This might take a couple minutes, depending on the power of your blender—especially if you’re using kale. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until they are all combined. Add more milk if needed.
NEXT LEVEL: Add a scoop of maca powder for an extra energy boost.