Energy Booster Smoothie

First post of 2014! It's been 9(!!!) months since I last posted a recipe, mainly because I've fallen off the vegan train. At home, I still cook 100% vegetarian, but since vegan substitutes are nonexistent in Mexico (or the few that can be found here are really, really expensive), I've had to resort back to basic dairy and egg products. When I eat at a restaurant, I sometimes totally cheat and eat all the seafood things, because, oh my god, shrimp cocktails and ceviche! Of course I'll still eat vegan food when and where I can, but it's just not all the time anymore. 

But back to vegan food. Today, I made the creamiest, thickest fruit smoothie ever for lunch. It's full of vitamins A, B6, C, potassium, fiber, and healthy fats. Plus, it's only 5 ingredients, so it's perfect for my lazy Friday!

Ingredients

1/2 ripe avocado

1 sliced banana

6-8 frozen strawberries

6-8 frozen mango cubes

Almond milk (I cheated and used regular milk + a splash of strawberry milk, since almond milk is 3x more expensive than regular milk here)

Directions

Toss the avocado, banana, strawberries, and mango cubes in the blender. If you use fresh strawberries and mango, add a couple ice cubes. Pour in the almond milk until about 2/3 to 3/4 of the fruit is submerged, and blend on high for about a minute. You'll get a super thick, creamy, banana-colored smoothie, and you can only taste the fruit!

My Favorite Fruit Smoothie

You know one of my favorite things about the vegan diet? The boost in Vitamin C: I hardly ever get sick anymore, it makes my skin glow, and I notice that little nicks and scrapes heal faster. Not to mention, the sources of Vitamin C are super yummy! My favorite smoothie has just four ingredients, is really simple to make, and it packs in the good nutrients. Also, it's a meal for under 200 calories :) Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup almond milk

2/3 - 3/4 cup sliced strawberries

1/2 cup raspberries

1 frozen banana


Directions:

Well, you all know how to make a smoothie: into the blender it all goes! If you're really having a sweet-tooth, you can add a little sweetener (like Splenda or Stevia) to taste, but the fruit is makes it nice and sweet to begin with.

Note:

If you use frozen berries, the taste is a little more tangy, but still delish! In my opinion, it's even a little better :)

Also, you can add more good stuff into the smoothie! Need your dark greens, but don't like the taste? Try blending a handful of spinach in along with everything else. I promise, you can't taste it at all, though the color might be a little off-putting if you let it sit for a few minutes...