PREP TIME 5 minutes
Serves 2 / 16oz (250 calories per serving)
or
Serves 4 / 8oz ( 125 calories per serving)
The list of ingredients below (without additions) make approximately 32oz total.
You could of course take a trip to McDonalds and order up a Shamrock Shake – If you order a large you’ll be consuming 800 calories and a whopping 113 grams of sugar! Remember it is recommended by the American Heart Association that the average adult consume 25-36 grams of sugar per day. EEEK- try this smoothie instead 🙂
Optional additions (below) will increase the total calories a bit but the dollop of whip cream and a splash of sweetness will be worth it. My Shamrock Smoothie could help increase your family’s love for blended greens!
Saint Patrick’s Day falls on a Sunday this year! Without the rush to get the kids to school and ourselves to work we can celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day with a little more thought and prep.
Besides the green toilet water (we have a leprechaun that pees in our toilet EVERY YEAR) I’m planning to make most of our morning snacks green! I don’t know about you, but my girls tend to turn their nose toward my green smoothies. I have a solution to help us teach our kids that green is GOOD!
MINT…
I love this smoothie with or without mint but I’m sure that most kids would jump at the chance for a cool green mint chocolate chip smoothie! They won’t even know that it is packed with spinach, avocado, and high in protein. You have to try it!
I can easily drink 16 oz of this as a meal replacement but if your making it to compliment your breakfast an 8oz serving is perfect.
I recommend adding fresh whip cream to the top, a mint leaf, and cocoa nibs (adults) or mini chocolate chips (kids). The perfect sweetness depends on your tastebuds so adding some honey, monk fruit, 2-3 dates, or a ripe banana can help create the perfect balance.
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups ice (depends on how thick you want it)
- 1/2 medium avocado
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2-3 cups baby spinach
- 6-8 fresh mint leaves (MORE IF YOU LIKE IT EXTRA MINTY)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk (any kind or non-dairy alternative)
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
Optional additions
- additional sweetener of choice (maple syrup, honey, sugar, stevia, monk fruit)
- whipped cream for topping
- cacao nibs/mini chocolate chips for topping
- 1 banana
- 2-3 Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies (this one will win you extra points w/ your kids)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender ( I love my Blendtec) in the order listed, including any optional additions.
- Process until smooth.
- Pour into glass and top with whipped cream, mint, and/or cacao nibs/chocolate chips if desired.
Enjoy!
