The Best Wellness Smoothies From Organic Authority

_{by Laura Klein:}

I love using smoothies to help kick start my day or refuel my body after an intense workout.

They are like a nutrition injection and are easily digestible which allows my body to focus on other jobs like muscle repair. What I also love, is that I know exactly what’s going in them, which is why I always skip store bought protein or power bars. Many varieties simply contain too many mystery ingredients, they taste gross and are usually too sweet! Yuck.

In my smoothies I like to use whole foods (preferably organic), super foods, really anything I want. They are a great place to add greens because you keep the fiber in the drink. In cold pressed juices, you lose it. The fiber is important to keep things moving in the digestive tract and helps you get and keep a flat belly. Another bonus, I also get to control how sweet they are too. One of my nutrition goals is to reduce the amount of sweetness my palate demands, so many times I rely on the fruits I add for natural sweetness.

Here are two of my favorite smoothies I blend up often to give me an energy boost and or repair my body after an intense workout. These smoothies are vegan, dairy, gluten and soy free. They use either a nut milk or coconut water as the liquid base. You can opt to make your own DIY nut milks too.

Protein Energy Booster

Ingredients
1/2 avocado
1 Tbsp of maca powder
2 Tbsp of raw cacao powder
1/2 Tbsp of flax seed
1-2 Tbsp or scoops of your favorite veg protein powder
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp of raw honey if desired for a touch more sweetness

Place all ingredients in a blender, mix on high until ingredients are completely combined.

The Protein Energy Booster is perfect after an intense workout, as it contains vegetarian protein powder to help repair and rebuild your body. It also contains super foods like maca and cacao powder. Maca powder is a powerful adaptogen that’s rich in amino acids, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals which can give you an energy boost, improve your mood and even your libido. Raw cacao powder has an insane amount of antioxidants. In fact the USDA lists the ORAC antioxidant rating of raw cacao powder higher than any other food, really. I add ground flax seeds because they are high in fiber, are rich in omega-3s and are great for detoxifying the colon. To round out the creaminess in this smoothie, I’ve added avocado, which is a ‘good fat’ that helps keep your skin soft and supple from within.

Chia Seed Greens

Ingredients
1 cup coconut water
2-3 leaves Swiss chard
2 tablespoons of chia seeds, soaked for 5 minutes
1/2 banana
1/2 cup crushed ice (if you want it super cool)

Place all ingredients in a blender, mix on high until greens are pulverized and ingredients are completely combined.

The Chia Seed Greens Smoothie is super hydrating with coconut water and chia seeds. I love this smoothie for a quick hydration and greens boost in the morning or after I return from the gym (if I come from the gym I’ll add a couple of scoops of protein powder to aid in muscle repair). Many have dubbed coconut water as the all natural sports drink because of it’s high electrolyte content (which makes it a great hangover prevention tool!). It and the bananas are also high in potassium which help reduce muscle cramping. What’s also great is that the coconut water and banana add just enough sweetness so you don’t have to add any additional sweetener.

In terms of greens, you can really use any green you like in your smoothies. The only reason I chose Swiss chard for this smoothie is because it grows abundantly in my garden (and is highly underrated as a superfood!). Swiss chard, a staple in Mediterranean cuisine, is a nutritional powerhouse. It’s high in antioxidants, Vitamin K , E, A, C and B6, phytonutrients and fiber. It’s also rich in minerals like magnesium, potassium, copper, iron, sodium and manganese (and grows oh so easily in your garden). This superfood can can help reduce inflammation, keeps your bones healthy and may help protect against osteoporosis. Its high Vitamin C content is a powerful immune system and collagen production booster, keeping you and your skin in tip top shape inside and out!

About Laura:

Laura Klein is the co-founder of Organic Authority, LLC that publishes OrganicAuthority.com and EcoSalon.com.
She is a contributor to the Huffington Post and has been featured in O Magazine & on CNN/HLN TV.

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