Blueberry Orange Coconut Protein Smoothie

… An Unexpected Fruit Smoothie!

Let’s be honest. In the world of food blogging some things work and some things don’t. This one worked. Just not in the way I originally expected it to. Sometimes you just have to see things for what they are, and not what you expected them to be. That’s when the real beauty shines through. I guess it’s the same with most things in life, though I never really thought of it that way until just as I was writing this. Hmm, healthy smoothies and philosophy 101 … Happy Day!

So in all honesty, when I first tasted this smoothie my initial reaction was, “Ew, that’s not what I expected!” If you’ve been following me, you’ll see that I have juicing recipes and dairy-free green protein smoothies and fruit smoothie recipes here on Daily Forage. Recently I’ve had a penchant for the green protein smoothies. You know, the combination of nut butters and almond milk, thickened with some non-dairy milk ice cubes and bananas, then given a nutritional punch with blueberries and kale. For further flavor variety, I’ve included things like dates, or decaf coffee, or cocoa … or all three.

Just in the past couple of weeks, however, I’ve been experimenting with my smoothies and shakes by using coconut water as the base liquid instead of almond milk. This changes the flavor a fair amount. It’s an okay combo with the green smoothies, but I decided to go a different route today.

I started off this smoothie with coconut water, added some frozen blueberries and banana, a small box of raisins, and juice of one small orange. I realized quickly that I needed to include some protein or this was going to send me into a sugar rush. So I dropped in a half cup of pecans. Blended with the additional almond milk and almond milk ice cubes, I whirred my concoction. And then I tasted it…

Oh … it had much more of a fruity, bright flavor than I was expecting. Much more. I thought the pecans would bring it back to a nut butter type of shake (almost ice cream-y like often happens). This didn’t occur. The pecans, though great for the protein and nutrient boost, didn’t seem to impact the flavor or consistency much at all. Which is fine … just not what I was expecting. So initially I didn’t think it was a successful creation.

Until I looked at it – and tasted it – for what it is … a fresh, bright, fruit smoothie – with protein benefits. There’s no nutty flavor or shake-like texture, just a fresh fruit, icy, slushy smoothie. As for the nutritional benefits, in addition to the pecans, it’s packed with anti-inflammatory properties, antioxidants, ample potassium, vitamin C and calcium from all those whole, raw foods and fruits.

So now I’ve shared with you why this smoothie is nutritious and delicious … just not what I was expecting. I’ll be enjoying this during the warm, summer months ahead. And just look at that beautiful color (it’s not army green, friends)!

Gluten-free Dairy-free Blueberry Orange Banana Protein Smoothie

Prep time: 5 minutes

Blending time: 2 minutes

Makes: about 3 cups (2-3 servings)

Ingredients:

1 cup almond milk – I use Almond Breeze Original Unsweetened

½ cup coconut water – I use Zico Pure Premium Coconut Water (no added sugar)

juice of 1 small orange

1 mini-snack size box raisins (about ½ ounce) – I use Sun-Maid

½ banana, frozen and cut into chunks

½ cup blueberries, frozen or fresh

½ cup raw pecans

5-6 non-dairy milk ice cubes

Directions:

Place the ingredients into your high-speed or conventional blender in the order in which they listed. Begin blending on low then gradually increase speed to highest. Blend on highest speed for 1-2 minutes or until smoothie is smooth and all ingredients are completely incorporated.

Drink and enjoy.

Store any remaining smoothie in a sealed jar (I like mason jars just for this purpose) and keep chilled in the fridge for up to 24 hours. (Update: I had the second half of this smoothie, which had been stored in the mason jar in the fridge overnight,  for breakfast the next morning. I just gave it a good shake before drinking, and I have to tell you how good it was. It was smooth and creamy, and almost had hints of chocolate in it. Even better the second day. Sure made a delicious and nutritious (and quiet) treat before going to the gym. I didn’t have to turn on the blender and wake up a sleeping household. Yay!).

Safe food is a journey … Thrive!™

Other recipes you might enjoy:

Macadamia Coffee Green Smoothie

ABBC Juice Protein Smoothie

It’s the BOM Smoothie