Fat Burning Green Smoothie

Reach your fitness goals and burn more fat with this antioxidant rich green smoothie. Great for postpartum, post workout, and so much more.

This green smoothie in particular is going to be my motivator, to reach my fitness goals in the new year. It’s super easy to make, delicious, and overall extremely nourishing. It gives my body what it craves before or after every workout.

For us, this holiday season involved a lot of indulging — scrumptious no-bake desserts and need I say, tons of chocolate! But all goodies aside, it’s time to focus on better health and fitness (what my New Year’s resolution almost always comprises) and I like to set realistic goals for myself so that they’re more likely to be reachable.

How to Make a Green Smoothie “Green”
First thing’s first. What makes a green smoothie green?

The key to nutrition — and the perfect green smoothie every single time — is the ratio of green leafy vegetables to the other ingredients.

Unlike my Energy Boosting Oatmeal Berry Breakfast Smoothie which is a beautiful purple because of the mixed berries, this smoothie recipe is based on the powerful greens.

Use two dense handfuls or baby spinach or kale, a cup of your favourite dairy free milk (I use unsweetened almond milk), a cup of frozen pineapple chunks (which doesn’t change the green colour), a dash of chia seeds, and some freshly grated ginger (the winner of the fat-burning process).

Health Benefits of Chia Seeds
Chia Seeds can be consumed raw or cooked, and soaked into a liquid like almond milk before eating.

Here are the many health benefits you’ll reap by simply adding a tablespoon of chia seeds to your smoothie:

• Excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids which are essential for brain and heart performance, as well as lowering blood pressure and in turn, provides energy
• Rich in antioxidants to fight aging and boost your immune system
• Source of fibre, iron, calcium, and protein (a must if consuming a vegan diet)
• Protects against heart attacks and strokes

Dairy Free Milk Options
Switching up smoothie ingredients is as easy as customizing a bowl of oatmeal to your liking.

The benefits of going with a plant-based milk include reducing lactose intolerance symptoms, reducing risk of heart disease, providing vitamins D, E, and Calcium, and no added sugar which helps to regulate blood sugar levels.

My favourite milk alternative is unsweetened vanilla almond milk because I personally love the flavour of vanilla.

Here are other gluten-free and vegan milk alternatives you can use:

• vanilla oat milk (or plain oat milk) 
• coconut milk (or coconut cream)
• flax milk made from flax seeds

Health Benefits of Ginger
A Green smoothie is meant to kickstart your metabolism into high gear, curb your appetite, fight off common colds and flus, and give you that high energy you need to start your day or your workout. Thank you antioxidants!

It also has the power to burn calories while you’re, well, not doing anything at all! And even relieves muscle aches and pains after a workout. That’s the ginger doing its job.

Here are the health benefits of raw ginger:

• Helps with digestion, reducing nausea, and boosts immunity to fight off common colds and flus
• Powerful medicinal properties as an anti-inflammatory and for fighting off infections
• High in antioxidants to fight off diabetes, heart disease, and cancer
• Reduces muscle pain and speeds up muscle recovery
• Lowers cholesterol and blood sugar levels
• Boosts brain function and improves memory
• Known to suppress hunger by giving a feeling of fullness after consumption

Not only does it burn fat, this smoothie helps your hair and nails grow fast. It’s a great drink for postpartum moms who notice their hair shedding more that usual (a depletion of nutrients in the body after birth, breast feeding, etc).

FOR THOSE AVOIDING COFFEE, TRY THIS ENERGY BOOSTING BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE.
I’m throwing out the cake, the turtles, and all those goodies that we stuffed our faces with. It’s time to prepare for the warmer weather, better yet, vacation! The preparation starts now.

Fat Burning Green Smoothie
WHAT YOU NEED:

• 2 handfuls baby spinach
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
• 1/2 tsp of ginger
• 1 tbsp chia seeds

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO:

1. Place all of the ingredients into a blender. Pulse until smooth.
2. If smoothie is too thick, add water. If too thin, add ice.
3. Serve and garnish with a sprinkle of chia seeds, optional.

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