We’ve all had moments of going overboard on indulgent eats and treats during the holidays, on vacation, or for celebrations, and need something to get back on track, right? That’s where my Green Detox Smoothie comes in handy!
This gluten free, dairy free, and banana free smoothie recipe is packed with good for you, detoxifying ingredients including baby spinach, orange, carrot, ginger, chia seeds, and pineapple – which I used instead of a banana to thicken and sweeten the smoothie. Throughout the years of posting smoothie recipes with bananas here on IGE I’ve learned that many people are either allergic or can’t stand the taste of bananas. Who knew?
Well, banana haters, this smoothie’s for you!
Including ingredients with benefits ranging from boosting metabolism to removing toxins, reducing inflammation and aiding in digestion, this smoothie will make you feel fantastic after a little too much indulging. Most importantly, it tastes great!
My Green Detox Smoothie recipe is actually based on one of my all-time favorite juice recipes, which I tend to make at a feverish pace after the holidays. It includes spinach, carrot, orange, and ginger. Since a juicer isn’t a common find in most people’s homes though, I thought I’d adapt it for the blender. The result is a smoothie that’s so healthy I can hardly even stand it and, although it’s packed with vitamins and minerals, it tastes like a drink you’d get at a tropical resort on vacation!
How to Make This Recipe:
Start by adding almond milk to your blender followed by baby spinach, chopped pineapple, chopped carrot, and peeled orange, followed by chia seeds, and fresh ginger. Blend the smoothie until VERY smooth, adding more almond milk if needed. Finally, add a cup of ice cubes then blend again until smooth.
Tips for cutting a pineapple:
I wanted to show you real quick how easy it is to chop an entire pineapple at home vs buying it pre-cut from the grocery store which sells it at a PREMIUM. Look for a pineapple that’s more yellow than green, which indicates it’s ripe and sweet, then slice the top and bottom off.
Next, cut the rind off in strips, going deeper than you think you should to get all the tough eyes off. That said, you can go back around after you’re done to clean it up a bit.
Slice the pineapple into quarters then place each quarter cut-side down and slice the core out on an angle. Slice into strips then chop. That’s it!
Another note, I used chia seeds in this smoothie not only because they help thicken it up without having to use a banana but also because they are nutritional POWERHOUSES full of fiber, protein, calcium, and iron. I love adding them to Lincoln’s smoothies especially because he can’t eat dairy and I’m always looking for good calcium sources for him. Chia seeds are usually in the health market section of the grocery store.
Pour this vibrant Green Detox Smoothie into a glass then immediately reap the rewards!
Similar Recipes:
- Best Ever Green Smoothie >
- Blueberry Muffin Smoothie >
- Strawberry Shortcake Smoothie >
- Tropical Pineapple, Mango & Orange Smoothie >
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Green Detox Smoothie (Gluten, Dairy & Banana Free!)
Description
Back on Track Green Detox Smoothie is gluten, dairy, and banana free. Perfect for resetting after over indulging!
Ingredients
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup plain almond milk
- 2 cups lightly packed fresh baby spinach leaves
- 1 cup chopped fresh or frozen pineapple
- 1 medium-sized carrot, peeled then chopped
- 1 clementine or 1/2 orange
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh microplaned or minced ginger (optional)
- 6 ice cubes
Directions
- Add 1/4 cup almond milk to the blender then add spinach, pineapple, carrot, clementine, chia seeds, and fresh ginger if using. Blend until very very smooth, adding up to 1/4 cup more almond milk to reach desired consistency (I used 5 Tablespoons total.) Add ice cubes then blend again until smooth.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
How much and how often am I to drink this smoothie. I made it and love it. Just need to know how much. 8oz or?
You can drink it whenever you need a pick up!
If you have a Vitamix, you don’t need to take the core out of the pineapple. Simply cut a slice off the pineapple, core and all, then chop it in half and throw both parts in your Vitamix. Done deal!
[…] green smoothie recipe to combat all the Christmas […]
I didn’t realize so many people had problems with bananas!? I love them, especially with peanut butter. I need to get my juicer back out, it’s been collecting dust for too long.
Lincoln is absolutely adorable! This recipe looks delicious and I am anxious to try it. Thanks!!
Your recipes are always very inspirational! Would you please please share the gumbo recipe with us? I’ve eaten it onece when I was in Savannah, GA and literally keep dreaming about it!,
Have a fantastic season (it’s my favourite season, too)!Regards fron Germany!
This was so tasty and refreshing. My 3 year old loved it too! Thanks for a much needed hit of healthy food after a weekend of indulging.
Congrats on your totally awesome victory!! And THANK YOU for making a banana free smoothie, I love bananas in certain things/smoothies, but not in others!
Hi! Looks good! As someone who is not a dietitian, what is the best way to know if a recipe will truly help to detox the body? There’s a bunch of recipes out there now (and after the holidays) that say so. How can we know which ones will really do the job?
I usually take a look at the ingredients and research them separately. All the ingredients in this smoothie (with the exception of the almond milk) provide great health benefits to the body. Let me know if I can provide some sources for you!
Yes, I would love to know of some credible sources for looking up different nutrition information. There’s a lot out there on the internet and it’s hard to know sometimes what the facts are. Thank you!
You got it! Here are the sources I used:
Carrots & spinach: http://www.chicagonow.com/get-fit-chicago/2013/12/10-foods-that-detox-your-body-and-cleanse-your-liver/
Citrus: http://www.organicauthority.com/health/skip-the-juice-diet-10-natural-food-detox.html
Ginger: http://www.thealternativedaily.com/cleansing-and-detoxing-benefits-of-ginger-3-ways-to-start-ginger-boosting/
Pineapple:
Chia seeds: http://www.naturalhealth365.com/food_news/512_chia_seeds.html
Go to Facebook and look up pages for Drew Canole and Dr. Josh Axe. They have AMAZING nutritional information. Also, there’s a fantastic book, filled with a ton of information about healthy eating, by Dee McCaffrey. You can find it on Amazon. It’s called “The Science of Skinny,” and it doesn’t mean getting skinny. It’s about eating processed-free foods and how there are thousands of additives that get put into our food that causes all kinds of disease and poisons our body. She also has two cookbooks out.
All of your photos are beautiful! – especially the one of your little boy. Congrats on the win, though I’m not surprised. Your recipes look wonderful!
This looks yummy. I was wondering about the smoothie cup too- young toddlers + removable straws in cups= mess! One pineapple tip- if you have a vitamix or blendtec, you can use the core of the pineapple in smoothies. This stretches the pineapple a bit in our house so there is more fruit for the kids to snack on.
Would you kind sharing what type of bag you have in the photo worh your friends? Ive been looking for something just likw it for work for the longest time ! Thanks!!
Here’s the link: http://www.neimanmarcus.com/MICHAEL-Michael-Kors-Large-Bedford-Tassle-Pebbled-Shoulder-Bag/prod157770276/p.prod I got it last year and it looks like he’s not selling it anymore, at least not on his site, but the description can give you an idea as to the dimensions/size!
seriously Lincoln is this cutest baby boy I’ve ever seen and you both are such wonderful parents.I love that you share family life with us as well as other things,I mean we all exercise,we all hit the gym,its refreshing not to read long drawn out scenerios of what others are doing in the gym.Looking forward to hearing about all your christmas preparations coming up.This is why your blog is such a success and others drone on and are quite dull,you pepper your blog with real life dailey things,job well done hun
Heck yes… Please post the gumbo recipe! I’m salivating just thinking about a gumbo cook-off. And in the meantime, what can I bribe you with to send any leftovers our way???
I vote yes to the gumbo recipe too please!
Yummo!! I love adding carrot juice to smoothies. It’s a nice cheat since I have a cheap blender lol. And I would love to have the gumbo recipe :) Glad you had a good holiday weekend!!
Gumbo recipe, YES PLEASE!!!!!
It looks like you had a great Thanksgiving! I love the detox smoothie idea. I need to get back on track until the next holiday rolls around!
Is there oatmeal in this? The picture looks like a scoop is added in.
I tested (then photographed) a version including old fashioned oats, but liked the texture chia seeds gave the smoothie better!
Looks like a great holiday! Check out a creative “what to do with thanksgiving leftovers” post on my blog if you get a chance! :)
I made your crockpot breakfast casserole for Thanksgiving morning too!! So good! We all loved it! And I’m loving Kerry’s new cut! She finally decided to chop it, huh!?