Last week I got the flu. The kind that keeps you in bed for days. After a few days of not feeling better, I went to see my doctor and she said that unless it is treated within 24 hours there is not much she can do and that I have to wait for it to take its course. She also added that I should increase my intake of green leafy vegetables. That is where the inspiration for this spinach turmeric smoothie came from. I have always loved treating myself with a cup of my golden milk recipe or my ginger turmeric tea at night so I thought why not make a green smoothie for breakfast to make myself feel better. With the help of my husband, we tested several turmeric smoothies that week and this green turmeric smoothie is one of the three smoothies coming your way.
Ingredients:
Below are the ingredients for this turmeric green smoothie recipe:
Baby Spinach: I opted for 2 cups of baby spinach, but honestly any of your favorite leafy greens would work. Don’t have spinach? Try kale, chard, or even lettuce greens.Pineapple Chunks: The sweetener of this green smoothie is fresh pineapple chunks, but you can also use frozen pineapple. Don’t have pineapple on hand? You can use any other fresh or frozen fruit. Try frozen bananas, mango or berries.Unsweetened Almond Milk & Water: While you can use only almond milk or only water, I personally like the creaminess that comes from almond milk so I used a cup of each. Feel free to adjust it to your liking.Ground Turmeric Spice (aka Turmeric powder): I used ½ teaspoon ground turmeric for this green smoothie. When it comes to adding turmeric to my smoothies my rule of thumb is using ½ teaspoon of ground turmeric for every 2 servings. If you are doubling the recipe be sure to double the amount of turmeric used.You might ask, what if I want to use fresh turmeric? If you can get your hands on fresh turmeric, then I recommend grating 1-inch peeled turmeric root, which should give you about ¼ teaspoon fresh turmeric. Ground Flaxseeds: According to Healthline, “Just one tablespoon of ground flaxseeds provides a good amount of protein, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids, in addition to being a rich source of some vitamins and minerals.” To me, adding a tablespoon of ground flaxseeds in my smoothies is such an easy (and cheap) way of upping my intake of superfoods.A Pinch of Black Pepper: Using black pepper might come off as a surprise to you, but (without going into too much detail) the most well researched and known active ingredient in turmeric is called curcumin.It has been known to promote the health of the body with its antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. However, when it is consumed by itself, our bodies are unable to absorb it. This is where black pepper comes to our help. One of the active components in black pepper, piperine, is known to help us absorb the curcumin when it intersects with curcumin.Coconut Oil: This might also come as yet another surprising ingredient. However, since the magic component of turmeric, curcumin, has poor solubility in water, adding only half a teaspoon of coconut oil helps our bodies absorb all of its goodness. (source)
How to make turmeric green smoothie?
Like it is with any other smoothie recipe, this green smoothie cannot be easier to make. Simply put all the ingredients in the bowl of a blender such as Vitamix (affiliate link) and blend until smooth.
