The ultimate healthy green smoothie for on-the-go, made in under 5 minutes with plant-based protein, greens, healthy fats, and fruit!
The title says it all. The 5 Minute Spinach Smoothie is one of my go-to green smoothie “recipes” that I make if I’m in a bind and don’t have all the ingredients to make my Stripped Green Smoothie.
It’s a great recipe for if I’m in the mood for something else or if I want to share this smoothie with friends and family who are new to the whole “green smoothie thang.” Just like my Creamy Ginger Green Smoothie, this 5 Minute Spinach Smoothie is great to ease into the world of green smoothies with spinach, bananas, and natural sweeteners.
Spinach is a great green to use for beginner green smoothies for a couple of reasons, starting with the fact that it’s easy on your blender. Most of my clients and readers ask me about what greens they can blend in standard blenders, and, well, spinach is the one.
Spinach is naturally very delicate in texture and flavor which brings me to reason numero dos why this smoothie is great for beginners – it tastes great! The slightly sweet and subtle flavor of spinach goes really well with fruits, healthy fats like almond butter or avocado, and especially with plant-based protein powders. They all blend beautifully together for a really friendly spinach smoothie.
Spinach is also loaded with nutrients like iron, calcium, vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber and much more. If you haven’t already, read up on why I always have spinach on hand and stocked in my “pantry“. Don’t be afraid of the greens! If I can get my sweet to drink his greens, then trust me you can venture to the green smoothie side or at least try to get the little ones to drink their greens too. I promise they’ll love this one.
What Is A Foundational Five Nourish Meal?
The Foundational Five Nourish Meal is any meal that contains all 5 elements within the Foundational Five, non-starchy carbohydrates, starchy carbohydrates, healthy fat, protein, and the Flavor Factor.
By following this simple template it keeps food flexible, fun, and nourishing. Our Foundational Five Nourish Meals can be found as yogurts, oatmeal bowls or breakfast bowls, nourish bowls, salads, soups and stews, and stir-frys.
Any meal can be made into a Foundational Five Nourish Meal by just knowing the system I teach in our Method Membership and in my free guide about creating healthy eating habits with ease, that you can get right here!
Here’s the breakdown for this 5 Minute Spinach Smoothie.
I group the recipe into several options so you may pick and choose the ingredients to develop your own favorite variation. I’ll share my favorite go-to version of this smoothie in the recipe below as well. Have some fun with it and don’t be afraid to experiment! This smoothie is literally a meal in a glass, it tastes amazing and is incredibly nutrient-dense especially with the options listed from below. All you have to do is mix is choose from the following to make this “equation” work for your goals. Simple as this.
5-minute Spinach Smoothie
2-3 cups raw spinach + 1 cup fruit + 1/2 cup liquid + 1 serving of healthy fat + 1 scoop of plant-based protein powder (optional)
- Fruits: frozen pineapple, mango, apple, pear, frozen banana, strawberries, blueberries, cherries
- Liquid: almond milk, nut milk of your choice, water, or coconut water
- Healthy fat: 1-2 tablespoons of almond butter/nut butter you enjoy, 3 tablespoons of hemp seeds, 1/4 cup of almonds/cashews/walnuts, 2 tablespoons chia seeds, 1/2 avocado, 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil, etc.
- Protein: I personally love using Sunwarrior warrior blend with 1-2 tablespoons of spirulina, Vega Sport, or Plant Fusion for a boost in protein (especially if this is post workout).
- Additional ingredients: you can always choose some of your favorite “superfoods” to add nutrients to this mix. To sweeten you can add dates or stevia, and to boost fiber you can add chia seeds, flax seeds, oatmeal, etc. to make this more hearty and thick.
Foundational Five
Learn how you can nourish your body at each meal by creating a Foundational Five Nourish Meal. This is McKel’s simple framework she’s used with thousands of clients in her decade as a Dietitian and now you can use it too!
The Foundational Five supports you in nourishing your physical body so you can learn what to eat, which is the first step in mindful eating. The remainder is knowing how to eat and to experience your food positively.
Eating in this way supports your physical body on a cellular level ensuring you’re consuming the nutrients you need to have a sharp focus, calm digestion, lasting energy, sound sleep, and vibrant long-term health.
Here are the following Foundational Five Elements in this recipe:
1 • Non-starchy Carbohydrate
2 • Starchy Carbohydrate
- Pineapple
- Banana
- Mango
- Apple
- Pear
- Frozen banana
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Cherries
- Date
3 • Healthy Fat
- Almond butter
- Peanut butter
- Cashew butter
- Hemp seeds
- Almonds
- Cashew
- Walnuts
- Chia seeds
- Avocado
- Coconut oil
4 • Protein
- Spirulina
- Protein powder
- Almond butter
- Peanut butter
- Cashew butter
- Hemp seeds
- Almonds
- Cashew
- Walnuts
- Chia seeds
5 • Flavor Factor
- Almond milk
- Cashew milk