Mango Green Smoothie

Name: Mango Green Smoothie
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 2 cups frozen diced mango; 1 medium frozen banana; 2 cups fresh spinach or chopped kale; 1 ½-2 cups milk; ½ cup vanilla or plain Greek yogurt; 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed; 1 tsp. stevia or 1 Tbsp. honey

By Julie Andrews |

It’s unofficially summer and sometimes when it’s hot outside, you just want something cold and refreshing for breakfast.

That’s where this Mango Green Smoothie comes in! It has all of the makings of a balanced breakfast swirled into a cool, rich on-the-go beverage that is anything but boring. It’s made with mango, banana, spinach or kale, flax, Greek yogurt, milk and just a touch of sweetener – and can easily be customized to your liking (yay!).

The thing is – smoothie making can actually be kind of intimidating. How much fruit should you put in? How much liquid? Do I need to add sweetener? What can I add to get more nutrition out of my smoothie?

And the truth it, it’s really up to you. Some people enjoy a thicker smoothie, so in that case, you’d want to add more fruit and less liquid (granted your blender can handle that). Others enjoy a thin smoothie so they add more liquid. Some enjoy a sweeter smoothie, so they’ll add a pinch of stevia or some honey, maple syrup or another type of sweetener, while others say the fruit makes it sweet enough. If you add dates, the smoothie gets thicker AND sweeter!

As far as mix-ins go, the possibilities are endless. I’m a big fan of mixing together different types of frozen fruit, then adding other ingredients that compliment the fruit, and I almost always add a handful of spinach or kale. Sometimes I even add other vegetables like carrots for a boost of nutrition.

You can also add in flax, chia or walnuts for some omega 3’s and fiber, or other nuts like almonds for a little monounsaturated fat. Spices like turmeric and ginger make for a unique smoothie and they’re considered anti-inflammatory. Some enjoy adding coffee, cocoa powder or nut butters to their smoothies, and others like to add a scoop of protein powder. Like I said – the possibilities are truly endless!

Now, tell me – what do you like in your smoothie?