Super Fun Summer Smoothies!

Enjoy classic treats in smoothie form! These four fun drinks are inspired by blueberry muffins, PB&J, mint chip ice cream, and peaches & cream.

Every so often, I get on these mean green daily smoothie kicks that, in all honesty, can get a little TOO green over time. The kick starts with delicious well-balanced smoothies, but as the days go on, I start cutting corners. I add too much liquid so that the blender will blend fast, leaving me with a watery smoothie. And speaking of water, that’s what I use when I run out of almond milk. I add ice in the name of “thickness,” and I start skipping all ingredients that actually add flavor. What I (we) are left with to drink first thing in the morning is basically a Kale Icy. I know that sounds like it might be good and healthy, but it’s really not – we gulp down these leafy drinks and are hungry a few hours later.

But, now that it’s summer, I’ve decided to re-up on my smoothie game – these new recipes are SO delicious, and they’re inspired by four of my favorite summer treats: blueberry muffins, peaches & cream, PB&J sandwiches, and mint chip ice cream. In other words – smoothies worth waking up for! For this post, I’ve teamed up with Whole Foods Market to try out some new plant-based protein powders. Their supplements are often on sale, click here to check out the sales flyer for your local store!

First up: Blueberry Muffin Smoothie

This smoothie is the next-best thing to cake for breakfast! Its muffin-like flavor and thickness come from whole rolled oats. It’s naturally sweetened with dates and a pinch of cinnamon. I used Whole Foods Market™ Plant-Based Fit Protein, which makes this a well-balanced breakfast full of plant protein (pea protein, cranberry protein, and hemp seed protein). It also has a little pick-me-up from the green coffee bean and green tea extracts that are in the powder. I snuck a handful of spinach into this smoothie too – it’s pretty undetectable.

Peaches & Cream Pecan Smoothie

I love peaches more than any other fruit on the planet, so this is by far my favorite smoothie. When I first made it, I tasted it and said, “this is ice cream!” It works with almond milk or coconut milk, and the pecans make it rich and creamy. The Whole Foods Market™ Plant-Based Fit Protein adds nice vanilla and cinnamon flavor along with its protein boost. I like to make this one really thick and eat it with a spoon. Beyond breakfast, I’ll eat this smoothie for dessert any day.

Last week while making these, I basically raided the Whole Foods supplement aisle to test out the protein powders that would best compliment my summer smoothies. In the end, I chose 2 favorites – both are both fantastic plant-based protein options that have great texture and complimentary and/or neutral flavors. Whole Foods Market™ Plant-Based Fit Protein works especially well in the Blueberry Muffin and Peaches & Cream Pecan smoothies. 365 Pea Protein is great in these last 2 smoothies – Strawberry PB&J and Mint Chip – because its flavor is so neutral.

Strawberry PB&J

Berries and peanut butter (or almond butter) is a go-to smoothie combo for me, but I never get sick of it. It always reminds me of a PB&J sandwich, and it always leaves me full until lunch. To thicken this smoothie, I used chia seeds and 365 Everyday Value® Pea Protein. I added a bit of spinach to this one as well – just enough to keep it pink. If you add too much spinach it will turn brown, but it’s still delicious.

Mint Chip Smoothies

This smoothie reminds me of summer as a kid because my sister always ordered mint chocolate chip ice cream (I was a cookies & cream girl). To make it creamy, I used coconut milk frozen into ice cubes, dates, and 365 Everyday Value® Pea Protein. Its green color comes from a few handfuls of spinach and a good handful of mint. In lieu of chocolate, cacao nibs make this a healthy breakfast treat.

Want more smoothie ideas? Try this smoothie bowl or this coffee smoothie!

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Super Fun Summer Smoothies!

 

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Enjoy your favorite summer treats for breakfast in smoothie form! All are delicious, healthy, vegan, and gluten-free.

Author: Jeanine Donofrio

Recipe type: Breakfast, smoothie

Serves: 2 per recipe

Ingredients

Blueberry Muffin Smoothie

• 1 ½ cups frozen blueberries
• 3 tablespoons whole rolled oats
• 3 soft medjool dates
• Handful of fresh spinach
• ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon Whole Foods Market™ Plant-Based Fit Protein
• 6 ice cubes
• ¾ to 1 cup almond milk or light coconut milk, or as needed to blend
• optional garnishes: fresh blueberries, oats, crushed almonds

Peaches & Cream Pecan Smoothie

• 2 peaches, sliced and frozen
• 2 heaping tablespoons pecans
• 2 soft medjool dates
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 to 2 tablespoons Whole Foods Market™ Plant-Based Fit Protein
• ¼ cup light canned coconut milk, or additional almond milk
• ¾ to 1 cup almond milk, or as needed to blend
• optional garnishes: coconut cream, sliced fresh peaches, crushed pecans

Strawberry PB&J

• 2 cups frozen strawberries, plus 2 fresh strawberries, sliced for garnish
• Small handful of fresh spinach
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 3 soft medjool dates
• 2 tablespoons peanut or almond butter
• 2 to 3 tablespoons 365 Everyday Value® Pea Protein
• 1¼ cups almond milk, more as needed to blend
• optional garnishes: sliced strawberry, drizzle of peanut butter, chia seeds

Mint Chip Smoothie

• 4 frozen coconut milk ice cubes
• 1½ cup frozen spinach leaves
• ¼ cup mint leaves, frozen
• 3 soft medjool dates
• 1½ tablespoon cacao nibs
• 3 tablespoons 365 Everyday Value® Pea Protein
• 1 to 1½ cup almond milk, or as needed to blend
• optional garnishes: coconut cream, mint leaves, cacao nibs

Instructions

1. For each smoothie - blend ingredients in a blender. Use the blender's baton (if you have one) to help. Add more almond milk as needed. The key to a thick smoothie is to add enough liquid to move your blender blade, but not too much to make the smoothie thin and watery.

Notes

for all smoothies: you can either buy fresh produce and freeze it, or you can buy frozen produce.

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