This Sunshine Smoothie is the perfect way to start your day. An easy to make mixture of fresh banana, pineapple and lime with a hint of earthiness from cucumber and fortified with protein powder. It's a healthy breakfast that will give you a boost and energize you until lunchtime.
Do you feel like Spring and Summer are just around the corner? Even if you don't, this smoothie will bring a little warm sunshine into your life. Smoothies are a healthy start to your day providing plenty of vitamins, minerals and energy all in one delicious drink. Add in protein powder to round out your fruit & vegetable servings.
This recipe was adapted from the Ninja Blender Inspiration Guide that I received with my fantastic Ninja blender. I don't know what I ever did without it! Oh yes, I remember now, start the blender, stop it to push the fruit down, start it again, stop it & push...well you get the idea. Now that I am using my Ninja, I just put all the ingredients in and it whips it together in seconds. Woohoo! I am doing a happy dance every time I use it. Check the Ninja Ultima out here. You won't be sorry!
Love smoothies? Change it up with these delicious and healthy smoothies.
Chocolate Caramel Smoothie Bowl from 2 Cookin Mamas - A rich chocolaty combination of yogurt, almond butter, bananas, caramel coffee and a healthy servings of greens.
Strawberry Peanut Butter Smoothie from Natalies Health - All natural, delicious and loaded with nutrients to start the day off right.
Carrot Cake Smoothie from 2 Cookin Mamas - All the flavors of your favorite carrot cake with plenty of healthy sprinkled in!
Pineapple Banana Smoothie
Ingredients
- ½ frozen banana
- ½ cup fresh or frozen pineapple
- ¼ cucumber peeled (unpeeled if organic)
- 2 mint leaves
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- 1 lime juiced or 2 Tablespoons
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (about 1-½ tablespoons)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in blender or single serve cup and pulse until smooth.
Notes
- Strawberries - for a Pineapple Banana Strawberry Smoothie that is sure to be popular during strawberry season. They add that fresh berry flavor to the mix and the resulting color is gorgeous. Fresh or frozen strawberries both work fine. The cucumber can be omitted if desired.
- Mango - is high in Vitamin C and antioxidants, low in calories, and gives this smoothie a tropical twist. Sub for pineapple chunks but keep pineapple juice.
- Almond butter - or cashew butter will add a little healthy fat. I use about 1 tablespoon.
- Kale - or spinach in lieu of the cucumber for a green smoothie boost of iron, calcium, and Vitamins C & K. The color isn't very appealing but the health benefits are obvious.
- Yogurt - for a creamier smoothie and an added boost of protein and calcium. Add carefully after the other ingredients have been blended to prevent the pineapple juice from curdling the yogurt. Feel free to leave out the protein powder. (use a non-dairy or plant-based yogurt for dairy-free/vegan)
- Orange Juice - for a Pineapple Banana Orange Smoothie. Just replace the pineapple juice with orange juice or one fresh orange.
- Ice - about 1 cup can be added to make a thicker, frothier-textured smoothie.
- Chia Seeds - offer an extra protein boost as well as being low in calories, high in antioxidants and calcium, and rich in fiber. It is also the richest plant-source of omega 3s.
Nutrition
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