I received coupons from Driscoll’s Berries to purchase berries and develop a snack recipe for my readers. All opinions are my own.
Wake up to this delicious, nutritious Berry Green Smoothie! Plus, get my easy tips for creating a consistent exercise routine.
It’s the first Monday of February, and that means it’s time for another edition of my monthly series, Motivation Monday!
For me, healthy living is all about motivation. It’s about finding the motivation to cook instead of order takeout, go for a walk, or skip a second helping. Each Motivation Monday features easy tips and a healthy recipe.
Last month, my focus was on healthy snacking, and I actually did pretty well with this. For February, my goal is to establish a consistent exercise routine (see my tips below).
Plus, I’m sharing a delicious Berry Green Smoothie recipe that’s the perfect snack or addition to your healthy breakfast!
Over the past year, I’ve gone from exercising 5-6 days a week to practically zero days, and I want to get back on track. I’ve had my reasons (weather, shoulder problems, etc.), but I need to stop making excuses. So, I’ve set a goal to exercise 4 days a week this month.
I live a couple blocks from Central Park, so barring another Polar Vortex, I’ll walk/jog a couple days a week, and on the other days, I’ll do some yoga or cardio. If I come into a few extra dollars, I’d love to try SoulCycle (that ish is expensive), too!
Are you in the same boat as me? Use these tips to develop your own exercise routine:
- Schedule exercise dates. In the past, when I’ve written my workout dates/times in a planner, it made all the difference!
- Mix it up. Exercise is more fun if you’re not doing the same boring routine every day. I enjoy a combination of walking, jogging, yoga, pilates, and cardio, and jump at the chance to try new things, too.
- Pair up with a friend. It’s so much harder to skip a day when you know someone else is counting on you. If you’re in New York, I’d love a workout buddy (hint, hint)!
- Don’t think about it, just do it. Set out your exercise clothes the night before. Put them on as soon as you wake up or get home from work. Don’t turn on the TV. Don’t eat a snack. Spend as little time thinking about it as possible, and just get out there and exercise!
My exercise mantra for February!
After exercising, I like to reward myself with a healthy snack! So I was excited when I was contacted by Driscoll’s to develop a snack for my readers! I decided to create a green smoothie.
Berry Green Smoothie Recipe
Green smoothies are everywhere these days, but I have to admit that I’ve been a little hesitant to jump on the bandwagon. I think it is the close resemblance to pureed grass!
I shouldn’t have worried. After I blended up the berries, tea, and spinach for this vegan smoothie, I couldn’t taste anything grassy at all (I promise).
As a matter of fact, it was downright delicious. My husband also loved this Berry Green Smoothie, and I think you will, too!
I hope you’ll give this easy dairy free smoothie recipe a try. It is so yummy.
And not only is my Berry Green Smoothie recipe tasty, it’s also full of nutrients, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and lots of other good stuff.
Read more about the health benefits of berries, spinach, and green tea, then blend up your own Berry Green Smoothie!
Berry Green Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium banana
- 1 1/2 cups mixed berries (I used blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries.)
- 1 bag green tea (flavored or plain)
- 2 cups spinach
- 1/2 medium pear, cut into large pieces
Instructions
- Cover a cookie sheet with foil. Peel the banana, slice it into rounds, and place the slices on the cookie sheet.
- Add berries to cookie sheet, cutting large berries (such as strawberries) into halves or quarters.
- Make sure everything is in a single layer so it doesn't stick together later, then place cookie sheet in freezer and let sit until fruit is frozen, about 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Pour water into a large mug and add the tea bag. Let steep for 3 - 5 minutes and then remove tea bag. Allow tea to cool to room temperature and set aside.
- To make smoothie, add frozen fruit to a blender. Cover with spinach, then add pear. Pour cooled tea over everything and blend until smooth, stopping blender to stir as needed.
- Serve smoothie immediately. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Customize Your Berry Green Smoothie
Once you learn how to prepare this vegan smoothie recipe, you can experiment and customize it to your taste:
- Use any mixture of berries that you like (or just use a single berry).
- Replace the berries with another fruit, such as apples, citrus, or pomegranate seeds.
- Add a tablespoon of almond butter for extra protein.
- Sweeten the smoothie by adding a chopped Medjool date, a little honey or maple syrup, or a touch of your favorite sweetener.
- Replace the tea with milk (regular, almond, soy, etc.), juice, yogurt, or coconut water.
- Spice things up by adding a little fresh ginger or a pinch of cinnamon.
- Supercharge your smoothie with 1 tablespoon chia seeds or ground flaxseed.
- Experiment with other greens, such as kale, collards, or Swiss chard.
By the way, if you liked this recipe, make sure to check out my Strawberry Banana Green Smoothie and Raspberry Chocoholic Smoothie recipes, too!
Loved this Motivation Monday post?
If you enjoyed these easy tips for eating and living healthier, make sure to check out all of my Motivation Monday posts!
- Spicy Chili Pepper Edamame + Healthy Snack Ideas
- Easy Asian Dumpling Soup + Tips for Getting Better Sleep
- Mango Yogurt Breakfast Parfait + Revisiting Goals
- Picnic Recipes + Enjoying the Outdoors
- Greek Quinoa Salad + Tips for Losing Weight
- Chinese Chopped Salad + Tips for Getting Back on Track
What is motivating you this month?
P.S. Don’t miss my roundup of healthy snack ideas (including my Spicy Chili Pepper Edamame), too!
I love smoothies and this looks really delicious so I’ll definitely make this at home. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Thank you so much, Aika! I hope you enjoy the recipe. 🙂
Such a great post, thank you for sharing! I love to drizzle a little honey into my smoothies and the Avocado Honey from The City Farm is my favorite!
I love adding honey to my smoothies, too. I’ll have to check out the avocado honey – it sounds delicious:)
Thank you for the healthy smoothie recipe and the tips, and I’m so glad you shared this with us at Sewlicious Home Decor!
Marti
You’re so welcome, Marti! Thanks for stopping by:)
Hello! I saw your linky on Think Pink Sundays at the Flamingo Toes blog, and thought I’d stop by to say hi! LOVE your blog! This was very inspirational!
Gingi at http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
Hi, Gingi! Thank you so much for stopping by and the sweet comments:)
This is very healthy, I do smoothies every so often when i want to loose a few pounds! I agree that a routine is very important to stay in shape and keep a healthy ;life especially when oneis on the go and multi tasking, its easy to forget about oneself when you have jobs, kids and all the stresses of life Maria, thanks for stopping by my link party
You’re so welcome, Maria! Thanks for the invite. I agree that it’s so easy to forget to take care of yourself – life is too busy sometimes!
I like the pic “You are going to want to give up. Don’t” I started lifting 2 years ago (the most consistent I have ever been) and now I know I can’t stop as I put on so much muscle it would just be bad…but I still have to tell myself this all the time! Ha! 😀
I have to constantly remind myself to keep going, too! The mental part is so much harder than that actual physical part sometimes:)
For most blenders, it’s less hard on the blades to blend the greens and liquid, THEN the frozen fruit. It also gives you a smoother smoothie 🙂
Thanks for the tip, Heather! I will definitely try that the next time I make one.
Love it! “Don’t think about it, just do it” so true!
That is definitely the key for me! Thanks for stopping by, Kristin:)
Interesting idea adding the green tea to your smoothie. I usually just use plain water, I’ll have to give that a try sometime!
Let me know if you try it, Andrea. I’ve been making them with coconut water this week, too, which is also really good!
Thanks for the fabulous tips for building a regular exercise routine, it’s my goal for the next little while also after a year of being chained to a desk working and studying. It’s nice to see I’m not the only one who has to be a little more structured this year in making time to move my body 😉
Thanks also for the recipe, it looks delicious – exactly the kind of ingredients I would throw into the blender. Great customisation tips too 🙂
You’re welcome, Ally! We can cheer each other on virtually:)
Oh this looks good. I happen to have a some strawberries in the fridge that need to be consumed asap before they spoil.
Thanks, Letty! I hope you try it … I’m planning another one for my breakfast tomorrow:)
Thanks for the tips. Wish I lived in New York, I could use a buddy to help get me motivated!
You’re welcome, Anne! I still can’t believe we never met in SF. I definitely should have gone down to watch football with Joel once in a while:)
Sounds tasty! I love green tea. Drink it hot most of the day in the winter while I work to stay warm!
Thanks, Holly! I am a huge green tea drinker, too. It’s the perfect thing for a cold winter day:)