Lean Clean Green Smoothie

Most people who know me, or know my blog, are surprised to find out that I don't have a go-to green smoothie recipe... I've been wanting to change this for a long time but two things have been holding me back...1. I live walking distance from the cutest little juice place that I love, and 2. I was kind of confused about what to actually put in it to make it taste okay, without adding a heap of fruit/sugar. I am def NOT against eating fruit ((ahem, see here)), I just didn't want to be eating like A LOT of it EVERY morning, ya know?? So I was just kind of overwhelmed on how to start.

Juice Crafters on Balboa Island, Newport Beach

But then....! I started seeing the #FabFourSmoothie trending everywhere on social. A holistic nutritionist named Kelly ((from BeWellbyKelly)) created it and it breaks down how much of what type of ingredient you should do to build your own smoothie recipe! I LOVE easy breakdowns like this!! Here's what Kelly says...

“FAB FOUR SMOOTHIE

The Fab Four Smoothie is a formula to help you develop a blood sugar balancing meal replacement shake in any flavor with enough protein, fat and fiber to keep you full.

Many juice shops, grocery smoothie bars and smoothie recipes are loaded with sugar, specifically fructose sugar from excess fruit.

Fructose sugar stores as fat 20-30% faster than glucose. The #fab4smoothie limits fructose to 1/4 cup!

#FAB4Smoothie : Protein (20g min) + Fiber (10g min) + 1 Tbsp. Fat + Handful Greens + 1/4 Cup Fruit + Superfoods + Liquid”

— www.BeWellByKelly.com

So here's how I made mine...

20g of PROTEIN: 2 scoops of Moonjuice Vanilla Protein Powder 20g protein, 3g fiber
10g of FIBER: 2 heaping Tbsp. of ground flaxseed. I get 6g of fiber from the flaxseed and make up the rest of the 10g in my protein, veggies, and fruit. You could also do avo, but I like my avo where I can taste it :)
Handful of GREENS: 1 cup kale, 1 cup of ORGANIC spinach ((seriously, regs spinach is full of pesticides, aka chemicals, aka you DON'T want)), 1/2 of a peeled cucumber
1 Tbsp of FAT: I use Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil, use whatever MCT oil you love. If you went with avo for fiber, you don't need to add more fat. Also, some mornings I have a bulletproof matcha or coffee before my shake - If I did, then I'd leave out the oil from my smoothie
1/4 Cup of FRUIT: 3 small cubes of pineapple, 1/3 of a banana
SUPERFOODS: My favorite part!! I've been adding Beauty Chef's Hydration liquid ((LOVING this)), an inch of peeled ginger, the juice of a whole lemon, 1 scoop of Organifi Greens Powder ((Also SO obsessed with this - you can also just mix it in water to make a green juice)), Moonjuice Beauty Dust + Pearl Dust. Another super I would add but am currently out of is Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides.
LIQUID: I just do water! I don't think this combo needs anything else. I think the Organifi Greens Powder helps make the base more like a green juice, so there is a lot of flavor!

***UPDATE: Feb 7th

So I've made the smoothie every single day since almost the start of the year (("addicted" doesn't begin to cover it!!)). I made it exactly as the directions above say for the first two weeks-ish. And then I ditched the bananas. I just found them to be unnecessary and don't want the added fructose sugar. I thought I needed them for texture and a little sweetness, but found I actually like the smoothie better without them!

I also threw a major CURVE BALL into the mix... I add a pretty big splash of apple cider vinegar. The benefits of ACV are endless... detoxification, natural energy, improved digestion... I usually mix it with lemon water in the mornings ((see my majorly liquid morning routine here)), but its easier to just throw it in the smoothie... and it keeps the smoothie tasting light and zingy, rather than sweet, which I LOVE.

METAL STRAWS

I drink all my shakes and smoothies ((and cocktails)) out of straws. IDK why, I just prefer it. It's usually a cleaner situation for me.... Anyways, I couldn't bring myself to buy one more bag of plastic... So I finally converted. And I'm here to say it's SO MUCH BETTER!! Make the switch if you need straws!! Or even if you don't... I think they're kind of fun, no?? These are the ones I have ((and love)).

THOUGHTS

A roaring success! I made a goal of trying to start every day with greens and the Lean Clean Green Smoothie is making it a cinch! I get lots of natural energy after I drink it and just generally feel really good, ya know? Also it's super yummy and it's making my skin glow. I really like intermittent fasting ((deets here)) to give my digestive system a break and a chance to do its thing, and this smoothie is the perfect things to break that fast. Choc-full of nutritional goodness, it's the perfect reward for my bod after it did all that hard work while I was sleeping :)