Smoothies are a great healthy meal option, and this Strawberry Banana Oatmeal Smoothie is one of my favorites! It fills you up and keep you energized all day long. This protein-packed smoothie is so sweet and satisfying, you’ll never know there’s a big handful of vitamin-rich spinach hidden inside!
As I promised last week, I’m going to start sharing my favorite smoothie recipes with you!! Mixing up a yummy fruit and spinach smoothie has become part of my daily routine, and I use them as meal replacements all the time. They’re great meals on the go when I don’t have time to sit and eat lunch or breakfast, and I love how quick and simple they are to make. I have experimented with all kinds of variations, some better than others, and I’ve found the best tips, tricks, and ingredients to use for creating perfect smoothies that are low in calories, high in protein, and most importantly, delicious too! Get ready for spinach smoothie 101!
Okay, so let’s start with the basics… What do I put into a good green smoothie? There’s 3 things you’ll need: the greens, the fruit, and the liquid. After that, you can choose from all kinds of add-ins to boost the health benefits even more. The first thing I always add to the blender is my liquids. This recipe calls for 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of pomegranate juice. The Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened Almond Milk I use has only 15 calories, and the pomegranate juice adds a great shot of antioxidants, so we’re already off to a good start!
Then I add 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder to the liquids. I’ve been buying my protein powder at GNC lately, but I’ve used some from Walmart before also. This one little scoop of protein powder adds 20 grams of protein, which will help fill your belly and keep you full and energized for hours. If you’re using this smoothie as a meal replacement, you definitely don’t want to skip out on this step! You’ll thank me when your tummy doesn’t start rumbling an hour after you down your smoothie! 😉
Now for the next step: the greens! I was really skeptical the first time I tried a “green” smoothie, and to be honest my first attempt wasn’t that great. I used fruits that didn’t cover the taste of the spinach very well, and it tasted pretty much like frothy pureed spinach. Yuck. But I didn’t give up in my quest to master green smoothies, and now I’ve got it down to a science. I usually buy a package of baby spinach for my smoothies, but I’ve also found mixes of kale, chard, and spinach that I really like using too. Do whatever works for you! Dark, leafy greens = TONS of vitamins. Honestly, when was the last time you could say you ate a serving of spinach before 9 am? You need to give yourself a big, shiny gold star for this one! High fives all around! Do people still give high fives?
Now, BLEND! Blending your liquids, protein powder, and spinach FIRST is a big secret I’ve learned! I thought for months that my old, cheap-o blender wasn’t able to handle the pressure of blending the perfect smoothie, but it turns out that if you do this step first, THEN add the fruit and any other add-ins, it blends like a dream. Mind = blown. Maybe your blender can handle dumping everything in all at once, but with mine I had to blend, stir it with a spoon, blend, scrape the sides down, blend again, shake it all about, blend… you get the picture. Also, if you’ve ever dealt with protein powder, you’ll know how finicky it can be. It’s such a fine powder that if you add it to a dry, empty blender, it wants to float up, out, and away. Adding it to the liquid keeps it right where it needs to be! And adding the spinach on top of the protein powder keeps it from shooting up to the lid as soon as you turn on the blender. This may sound like a ridiculous amount of detail for making a darn smoothie, but once you try it, you’ll understand! There’s a method to my madness!
Okay, so now you have green liquid sitting in your blender… time to add the fun stuff! Dump in 1 cup of frozen strawberries and half a banana. I love using frozen fruit to chill the smoothie (cold smoothies taste better!), and I buy big bags of it when it goes on sale. Also, whenever I have fruit sitting in my fridge that is about to go bad or I know won’t get eaten, I freeze them for future smoothies. I personally don’t love using raspberries or blackberries for my smoothies because you have to chew through a lot of seeds, but strawberries work beautifully. They cover up the spinach taste and pair perfectly with potassium-packed bananas.
And last but not least, oatmeal! Adding 1/4 cup oats adds protein and fiber to your smoothie to keep you full and satisfied longer. Blend everything all together until you have a thick, smooth, perfectly concocted smoothie to enjoy! Pour it into a big glass (it actually gives me two glass-fulls) and drink up!
I’ve been drinking a green smoothie each day since the first of January, and I can honestly say that I have so much more energy, I feel great, I’ve been perfectly healthy, and I’m starting to drop those few extra holiday pounds. You know, those ones from all the sugar cookies. This smoothie (according to my non-professional calculations) has just about 375 calories and 25 grams of protein, which is a perfect meal replacement for me. I cannot tell you enough how much I LOVE these smoothies! Be on the lookout for more tasty, healthy smoothie recipes to come!
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk (I use Silk Pure Almond)
- ½ cup pomegranate juice
- 1 scoop protein powder
- 1 cup packed fresh baby spinach
- ½ banana
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- ¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- Add the almond milk, pomegranate juice, protein powder, and spinach to a blender and process until well combined.
- Add the banana, strawberries, and oats to the mixture, and process again until completely smooth. Serve immediately.
Do you drink smoothies? What are your favorite flavors?
More healthy recipes from Love Grows Wild:
Crunchy Romaine Strawberry Salad
Asparagus with Lemon Dill Sauce
This looks great, Liz! My husband and are a taking a big grocery shopping trip this afternoon. I haven’t been since Christmas…. so I’ve been munching on not-so-great things just to use up what we have. I miss produce! I will definitely have to add these ingredients to my list and hopefully get some great nutrients and energy back. I counted calories and lost my holiday weight within days. I still have some goals I’d like to meet before our vacation next month. Hopefully these smoothies will help!! Love your ideas and the cute pictures you always have paired with them.. Thanks for again for sharing!
Vacation? Take me with you!! Where are you headed to?
I totally understand your grocery shopping woes. When we used to live in Illinois, the grocery store wasn’t exactly a quick trip, so I’d try to stock up for awhile. But once all the produce was gone, I’d really miss it! These smoothies have really helped get me into a good habit of adding more fruits and vegetables to my diet, and I have so much more energy! And you can always freeze a lot of the ingredients to have them on hand when fresh isn’t an option. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!
I’m a smoothie whore in the late spring and summer months, but for some reason, once fall hits, I get out of the smoothie habit. Then I don’t have one all winter. It’s about time to start ’em up again.
I’ve done the green smoothies and for me, the taste is great, but it’s hard to get past the looks of them, so usually I have to put them in a non-clear glass. But yours doesn’t look like a weird color at all. Maybe it’s the milk. I usually use juice, but I’m gonna try almond milk. I’ve never bought it, but it seems to be all over the place these days.
Smoothie weather, here I come!
I used to be the same way! It’s easy to slurp down cold smoothies in the summer, but not quite as easy in the winter! And I love using the pomegranate juice in this one to give it a little color. Definitely try the almond milk!
Hi,
What type of milk do you suggest other than almond? I am allergic.
Hey Josie! You can use any kind of milk you like… dairy, soy, coconut, etc. Whatever you prefer!
I love smoothies, can’t wait for more recipes!
Me too, Jennifer! I can’t wait to share my next one with you!
Thanks for sharing. I couldn’t quite get my smoothies to taste right and it was frustrating for sure. Especially the bit about blending the greens + liquids together first because I have a cheap blender too. I was worried I might have to spend over a hundred bucks on a new machine for something I couldn’t even get the taste right too! Do you have any other smoothie recipes you use also???
I’m so glad I shared that tip with you then! I used to get so frustrated trying to blend everything all at once, but doing it in two steps makes such a difference! You’ll have to let me know how you like the taste of this one… I really love it! Don’t worry, I have plenty more smoothie recipes on the way!!
Oh Liz, does your smoothie company deliver? 🙂
Delicious!
Oh Beth, I just love you! Thanks for being so sweet! 🙂
I love smoothies for breakfast and this looks awesome! One of my favorite things is adding my oatmeal right in to make it extra thick and filling!
How-ev-errr I have yet to trying adding “green things” to my smoothies, but I am willing to give ‘er a go. Lovin’ the pomegranate juice addition too! I just discovered the wonderful fruit that is the pomegranate and now I cant.get.enough.
Plus, that little heart on top that looks like a heart? ADORBS.
I love the addition of oatmeal too, and you should definitely give the “green things” a go! Such a great boost of vitamins first thing in the morning. Oh, and pomegranates = LOVE! Thanks so much for stopping by, Taylor!
What a gorgeous looking smoothie! I love adding oats in some of mine too…thickens it up and adds those grains!!!
Thanks girl! I honestly hadn’t tried adding oats until just recently, and I love the flavor and thickness from them! Have a great day, sweet friend!
That smoothie looks awesome. I have been contemplating oatmeal, but have been scared! I am definitely going to have to give this a try!
Thank you, Jennifer! I think you’ll love the addition of oats!
Wow…….This great. I like your idea. I want this smoothie in my breakfast.
This looks so delicious! I’ve been looking for a variety of healthy smoothie recipes and I am definitely pinning this. Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Amanda
http://www.atouchofthat.blogspot.com
You are so very welcome, Amanda! I hope you enjoy these smoothies as much as I do! I’m off to make one right now 😉
Ooh! I make smoothies every day, but never thought to try oats! Thanks for the idea! Sounds delicious!
You’re so welcome, Jen! The oats thicken up the smoothie and taste great paired with the strawberries. I think you’re going to love it!
Why isn’t yours green? I just made one (minus the protein powder) and it looks nothing like yours. It is soooo green! Thanks for finally getting me on the green smoothie bandwagon!
I’m so glad you tried the recipe! Since spinach leaves are a little hard to measure out, it could just be that you used a bit more spinach than I did. It doesn’t take much more to make that smoothie green! Also, did you use pomegranate juice? I find that usually helps keep it more pink than green. If the color bothers you (it does with some people!), try adding a bit more pomegranate juice and a little less spinach, otherwise enjoy that healthy green smoothie! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Amber!
Hi, I’m ALWAYS on the prowl for a new smoothie recipe. This morning I had, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, handful of spinach, frozen banana, vanilla protein (vega viva vanilla) & I added pumpkin seeds. Most of the time I add the oatmeal, becasue, yes, it does fill you up. I’m for sure going to try this recipe. Sounds YUMMY!! I wanted to know, what type of protein powder are you using? Keep the smoothie recipes coming, Thank you 🙂
P.S. If you ever have a bag of greens that are going bad, blend them ALL up with a little water or almond milk and pour it into an ice tray—BEST idea I’ve ever seen on Pinterest.
Hi Kim! I’ll have to try the pumpkin seeds next time… sounds yummy! And thanks for the tip on the greens! I use GNC Pro Performance® AMP Amplified Whey Protein Powder for my smoothies. My husband uses it, and I love it too! I most certainly have more smoothie recipes on the way! 🙂
I love reading your exact method! I am so new to smoothies and my first one didn’t turn out great, but I will try again! I had heard about blending the spinach with the liquid first before too, so the info about the protein powder is great. I keep collecting green smoothie recipes for the day when I finally decide to keep trying until I get it down, so I’m pinning this. Also, we get together on Tuesdays for a linkup of healthy living Tips and Tricks and can’t get enough of smoothie recipes. We’d love for you I share this one and any other healthy recipes you have – everyone could use a little inspiration to get out of a food rut – I know I’m in need of some! Hope you’ll stop by – thanks!
Hi Kristin! Thanks so much for stopping by! I’m more than happy to pass my “green smoothie knowledge” along to you, and I bet you’ll be a pro in no time! 😉 Have a wonderful day!
I’ve been looking for some new smoothie recipes because I love trying new things.
I think this is a just great recipe for my mornings before work because it’s really healthy and gives me the energy which I really need.
The trick with the protein powder sounds really amazing, it’s really true that after drinking my green smoothie I begin to feel hungry about in an hour. So this will definitely work for me. Also adding the oats it’s something I will try as well!
Adding the protein powder makes a big difference, and I think you’ll love it! That paired with the oats will keep you full for quite awhile. I hope you enjoy!
I tried this last night after I got home from the grocery store and I was so full I didn’t even want/need dinner!!!! Haha! Then I got in bed and immediately fell asleep at about 11:45 pm — I usually don’t fall asleep until 3:30 am or LATER! Woo hoo for nutrients + full bellies!!!! Even bigger plus: my daughter came around and wanted to know what mommy had. I told her it was banana + strawberry drink and she drank it too (although I will need to sweeten it up a little bit for her in the future). We even had some this afternoon! Haha, she doesn’t even know it’s good for her ^_^
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the smoothie, Celena! You’re right, it really does fill you up! And I love that your daughter wanted some too. My little guy is always right next to me when it’s “smoothie time”!
I got a Nutribullet for Christmas and every morning I make a spinach based smoothie to drink on my way to work. I found good baby spinach at Aldis, and they also have frozen strawberries and blueberries. I’ve tried adding an unpeeled orange, ick, and frozen peaches didn’t do it for me either. I’ve also added a tablespoon of peanut butter and that didn’t taste all that great. I use Bipro unflavored protein powder, order it on-line, unflavored, no sugar, blends in nicely. I also add flax seed and about a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar. I think you need to play around with different fruits, juices, milks (I really like almond milk), and see what you enjoy the most. It’s a great way to start your morning!
I agree, frozen peaches and also mango didn’t do much for me either. Spinach smoothies are such a healthy way to start your day though! I bet you feel great!
You said you use a scoop of protein powder…..how much is a scoop? Also, do you use 100% Pomegranate juice, unsweetened?
Thanks!
Great question, Deborah! All protein powders (or at least the ones I’ve tried) come with a scoop in the container for you to measure with. It’s really handy! And yes, I use the Pom Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice for my smoothies. It can be a little pricey, so I try to grab a big bottle when it goes on sale! I hope you enjoy your smoothies!
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Well mine was not a pretty color, it turned more brown/green, but I also did not have protein powder- so maybe that’s why? But it is DELISH! My 2 & 4 year olds love it too. 😉
I’m so glad you all enjoyed it! My 4 year old asks to share my smoothies whenever he hears that blender start!
Different flavor and great share!!! The amount of potassium in bananas also makes it a good fruit that can help to decrease kidney stone. Strawberries promote good eyesight and decrease symptoms of arthritis. Thanks.
You’re welcome, Andre!
I’ve just signed up for my first half marathon and this looks like a great way to stay fueled for my workouts. Can’t wait to give it a try!
Oh my goodness, Katie! That’s awesome! I wish I had the discipline to train for a marathon! Best of luck, and I think you’re going to really enjoy this smoothie!
I have had this recipe saved for a few weeks now and I finally got my ninja prep master so I can blend these yummy looking + healthy smoothies, especially this one. I have lost about 30 lbs in the last 6 months and I have now hit a plateau so I need something to give me a bit of a boost and a change. Sometimes I’m so busy so I don’t always eat as healthy as I should and I tend to need at least one cup of coffee Every morning and I still don’t eat (shame on me I know) . Needless to say I am really excited about this… But I did have a question I could not find the pomegranate juice by itself I could only find cranberry pomegranate juice, will it make a huge difference??? Well guess I am going to try it anyway wish me luck!
Wow, congratulations on all your hard work, Kristal! 30lbs. is amazing!! I think you’re definitely going to enjoy adding healthy smoothies into your routine… very smart of you to change things up! To answer your question, just about any juice will work in these smoothies. The main things you want to look for is all-natural ingredients and lower sugar content. I like to use orange juice or cranberry juice in mine too! In my grocery store, the pomegranate juice is actually in the refrigerated produce section, not in the regular juice aisle. I hope this helps! You’ll have to let me know how your new smoothie routine goes! 🙂
Strawberry salad sounds interesting. I’ll give it a try. Thanks for sharing the smoothy recipe too, Liz!
Liz, could you possible freeze these and drink them throughout the week?
Hi Victoria! I’ve never tried to freeze and thaw a smoothie, but I have turned them into popsicles. 🙂 https://lovegrowswild.com/2015/06/smoothie-popsicles/
What can someone like me who has a nut allergy use in place of almond milk?
Hey Thomas! You can use dairy milk, soy milk, or any kind you prefer. I hope you enjoy!
Thank you for your site. It is very informative and I will bookmark it for future reference.
Kind regards,
Leslie
This looks really delcious. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Simon