This vegan beaming banana-berry detox smoothie is packed with antioxidants, vitamin C, and potassium is made with a combination of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and banana. Coconut water adds a boost of hydrating electrolytes, chia seeds encourage detoxification, ginger aides digestion, and fresh lemon juice adds an alkalizing kick of citrus. This light, refreshing, and energizing smoothie will ease you back into healthy eating!
Whether you're back in the swing of things at work or enjoying another restful day off, I hope you're having a beautiful start to 2017! Two-thousand-seventeen sounds like a year way off in the future as opposed to our present point on the timeline, doesn't it? Why is that? 2016 didn't ring nearly as futuristic to the ear.
How'd your first day of the new year unfold?
Mine was spent testing and photographing this smoothie recipe in the morning, and while I could have easily spent the entire day working, I was compelled to slow down as the clock ticked to 4pm. So I did.
The latter portion of the day was spent watching a new Netflix show—The OA. Anyone else seen it? I'm slightly embarrassed but mostly proud to admit that I single-handedly devoured five episodes in one sitting. Considering each episode is an hour long, it was quite the feat of binge-watching endurance.
It felt indulgent and joyful and pleasurable and refreshing to kick back, and it was a wonderful way to ease into the new year.
Other wonderful ways to ease into the new year? Well, this eye-catching banana-berry smoothie, for starters.
But be careful not to judge this smoothie by its cover. Beyond its playfully pretty, pink exterior, therein lies an army of nourishing, detoxifying ingredients just waiting to work their feel-good magic.
Here's a run down of the nutritional perks tucked away within this plant-powerful smoothie...
Rich with Antioxidants + Immunity-Boosting Vitamin C
Thanks to its array of frozen berries (strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries), this smoothie delivers a punch of antioxidants, vitamin C, manganese, and fiber. A spoonful of almond butter also lends a bit of skin-nourishing vitamin E.
Energizing, Mood-Boosting, and Restorative
It offers a steady surge of energy thanks to being naturally sweetened with a ripe banana and medjool dates. Both bananas and dates are high in potassium, and as I've mentioned before, potassium is a mood-boosting and a bloat-busting powerhouse. Dates are also high in calcium and phosphorus, the latter of which is essential to the growth, maintenance, and repair of our tissues and cells. Phosphorus works with the B vitamins and supports things like kidney function and nerve signaling.
Detoxifying
Chia seeds, fresh ginger, lemon juice, and cinnamon up the detoxifying ante.
» Chia seeds are excellent detoxifiers, because their gelatinous exteriors allow them to bind to accumulated toxins in our digestive tract and politely escort them out of the body.
» Fresh ginger root soothes digestion.
» Fresh lemon juice is a potent anti-inflammatory agent and is rich with flavonoids and micronutrients (e.g., vitamin C, folate, and B6). It has alkalizing effects within the body and encourages the liver to produce bile, thereby aiding detoxification and digestion.
» Cinnamon contains both anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.
Hydrating
Coconut water brings a hydrating burst of electrolytes and rejuvenating minerals (e.g., potassium, magnesium), as well as a delightful nutty sweetness.
The cherry raspberry on top? This smoothie tastes as good as it looks.
It's light and refreshing with a balance of sweet-n-tart banana-berry vibes with the slightest touch of creaminess woven throughout (thanks to the almond butter).
Here's to a fresh new year. May it be packed with feel-good smoothies, the motivation to continually push the boundaries of our personal edges, and plenty of Netflix, too. Cheers.
VEGAN BEAMING BANANA-BERRY DETOX SMOOTHIE
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups coconut water or filtered water
- 1 ripe and speckled banana, peeled and diced
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- 1 cup frozen raspberries
- ½ cup frozen blueberries
- 2 soft and sticky Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon natural almond butter or sunflower butter
- ½ tablespoon chia seeds
- ½-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender, and blend on high until smooth. Serve immediately.
I think 2017 DOES seem more futuristic than 2016 too. Probably because it's so close to 2020. Here's hoping that 2017 is a great year for all of us. I think your new smoothie recipe will help with that. I have to admit I've been in a rut of making my same favorite smoothies over and over again but I'm drawn to this one because of the interesting mix of ingredients. Can't wait to try it!
My first/second days in 2017 have been rough... I have a terrible stomach bug and all I've been able to keep down are smoothies. I'll have to include this in my rotation - bananas are great for indigestion! :)
Oh no! Stomach bugs are no fun at all. Hope you're feeling better, Sarah!
I am far too much of a night owl as a post menopausal woman!So, am a regular on Netflix. Enjoyed the OA a few weeks back.Has that weird vibe thing that is keeps one watching! Great that you allowed yourself that time. You deserve to do that more! Thank you for the healthy recipe. Am donating All of the remaining homemade treats I spent 2 weeks lovingly preparing to the sweet "animals",(said with all the love I have, lol); at the nuclear plant that the hubs works at. Chock full of freaks! Those brainiacs! Now, they will be chock full of sugar!! Happy New Year!🎆
You're spot on; the OA totally has that mysterious, must-keep-watching vibe! So much so that I watched all 8 episodes in less than 48 hours. Couldn't stop!
Also, great idea to donate leftover treats. Think I'll start doing that as well. Tend to have way more treats and goodies than we can consume after the holidays, and I always feel a bit guilty letting it go to waste.
Hope you're having a beautiful start to the new year!
This sounds amazing! I'm glad to hear you were able to slow down, enjoying the first few days of the year before the craziness begins again is so wonderful <3 happy Tuesday!
Thanks, Karlie! It felt great to slow down and ease into the new year. Perhaps there will be a repeat veg-session this weekend! Hope you're having a beautiful start to the year.
I made this smoothie this morning for breakfast. The serving was enough for my husband and I, we both LOVED it! I had been avoiding fruit smoothies because in the early winter months I don't crave them as much however this one has such an interesting blend of ingredients that I found that it was very satisfying. I hadn't realized how much my body was craving these favors! This will be my go to smoothie for awhile👍🏻❤️.
Glad you enjoyed it! <3
These photos are stunning and the recipe sounds deeelicious!
Thanks, Molly!!
I made this today and it was delicious! Thank you!
So happy to hear it! Thanks for taking the time to comment with your feedback, Gaby!
Thanks for this smoothie idea! I'm always looking for interesting twists for smoothies as I start my day with a lucious giant smoothie everyday. (That is after feeding my toddler his breakfast and do my yoga practice.).
For this smoothie, I have all the ingredients on hand, except for the blueberries. Do you think it would taste ok without the blueberries? Hmmm...I might have to try it and see!
Laurie in snowy mountainous British Columbia
I made this smoothie again for the umpteenth time! It's well worth the little extra time it takes to pull out and measure all the ingredients. It satisfies all the taste buds and has so many nutrients. Plenty for both of us. Thanks again for your wonderful recipes ❤
I just made this smoothie again for (I lost track) time. It starts my week out right especially after a weekend of indulging for my birthday 🍰. Such a nice balance of flavors!
Hi Ashley,
I loved this recipe so much that I featured it on my best of post, '27 HEALTHY Smoothie Recipes'.
I have not shared the exact recipe, only one image from here, a small quote and all credits given to you and linked back to this page.
I would love it if you came and checked it out.
Have a fantastic day!
Katherine from GreenThickies.com
How have I never rated this smoothie??!! I make it at least once a week! Hands down, this is my favorite smoothie of all time!
Oh this is wonderful to hear, Diana! So glad you're enjoying it so much and that it's become part of your regular rotation. And "favorite smoothie of all time"?? Now that's high praise, because I know you try all sorts of wonderful recipes. Thank you for taking the time to let me know! :)