Smoothies leave me feeling fresh and clear-headed, and are a great way to get veggies in. The original version of this recipe from a couple cooks did not include veggies, but I love to add spinach to every smoothie I make, since it rarely changes the flavor in any appreciable way, even if it does make the smoothie….greener, ha. Spinach, frozen bananas, oats, and almond butter give a boost of nutrition + natural energy, and I like to THINK that coffee (even the decaffeinated version I use?) also boosts energy. Here is my modified version of the couple cooks recipe that I’ve been making and loving the past couple months (see further down for notes + tips).
Espresso Smoothie
(makes one large or two small smoothies)
- 1 cup fresh spinach, packed (or ¼ C frozen)
- ¼- ½ cup milk of choice (I tend to use cow’s milk, but if that’s not on hand, have even mixed half and half and water)
- ¼ cup espresso/strong coffee (or ½ cup normal strength coffee)
- 1-2 frozen bananas, in pieces (I break my ripe or over-ripe bananas right into a gallon freezer bag and then freeze them in advance)
- ¼ cup Old Fashioned oats
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon honey, plus more if desired
- 1 tablespoon collagen
Notes and tips:
I made a few changes to the recipe that a couple cooks posted; I like to add collagen for added protein (+ good for strengthening nails and hair) instead of a flavored protein powder; I omit ice cubes, as we rarely have room for an icecube tray in our freezer, relying instead on the coldness of the frozen bananas; I like to add fresh or frozen spinach for a hidden boost of nutrients; I tend to add more almond butter and vanilla extract than the original recipe called for, because FLAVOR, and I usually use decaf espresso, because better for you+ doesn’t exacerbate physical anxiety/chest tightness for me.
- Sometimes it’s just more fun to drink your veggies then eat them. Often I have fresh, organic spinach on hand (I like to buy the large container from Giant), but also like to keep a bag of organic chopped spinach in the freezer to use when needed.
- Fun (or not-so-fun) fact: non-organic spinach is one of the top foods to avoid because of how much pesticides are found on the leaves (see the Environmental Working Group’s guide for buying fruits and vegetables, which helps me determine whether to buy organic or not).
- Since fresh spinach leaves take up a lot of space, I always try to be more generous than not when adding fresh spinach to recipes (and add less of the chopped, frozen variety, since it’s much more concentrated).
- I typically make this recipe with ground decaf beans, since caffeine can exacerbate my anxiety. I’ll either use the leftover coffee pot coffee that has been sitting around since the morning…or the day before…that has since cooled to room temperature, or I will make up some fresh espresso in the moka pot.
Try this recipe and let me know what you think!