The last few weeks after our workout sessions, I’ve loved whipping up this nutritious smoothie for Barbara and me. It really seems to give us the boost of energy we need after working our muscles hard. I’m excited to share the recipe with you.
Whether you’re recovering from a hard training session, from an illness, or you just need to recover from the stress of daily life, a healthy diet is essential to support that process.
Whole foods are at the center of a healthy diet. They’re packed with the minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and other nutrients that you need to heal.
These foods include grass-fed lean meat, wild caught seafood, high-quality eggs, organic or locally grown vegetables, healthy fats, a moderation of fruit, starchy tubers, rice, nuts, and gluten-free grains.
The smoothie we have for you today fits into that diet and is super tasty too.
Kale is the green leafy vegetable that anchors this smoothie. It’s one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. Just 3 1/2 ounces of kale contains:
- 200% of the RDA for Vitamin C
- 300% of the RDA for Vitamin A
- 1000% of the RDA for Vitamin K
- 3 grams of protein
It also contains significant amounts of Vitamin B6, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Copper, and Manganese. At 2 grams, it’s fiber content is generous, and it only contains 50 calories.
Kale also is lower in oxalates than spinach which would make it a better option for people who are prone to kidney stones.
A Granny Smith apple, pomegranate seeds, blueberries, and strawberries make up the rest of this drink.
WATCH THIS VIDEO AND SEE HOW TO CUT OPEN A POMEGRANATE THE SAFE AND EASY WAY
Generally, you should limit your fruit intake because of the fructose content. However, the glycemic indexes of these fruits are not exceedingly high.
Also, they offer numerous health benefits. Their higher fiber and antioxidant (polyphenols) content may be responsible for slowing down carbohydrate digestion.
Where they really shine, though, is in their antioxidant content.
All of these fruits score very high on the list of antioxidant-containing food with blueberries always scoring at or near the top. See here and here.
Watch this is interesting Ted talk on strawberries.
There is some controversy on whether antioxidants from our diets actually neutralize free radicals or support the process through some other means. See here and here.
However, what we do know is that people who consume diets of high antioxidant foods are healthier individuals overall. Also see here.
These five ingredients all add up to an incredibly healthy smoothie, and just wait until you taste how delicious it is too. It’s the perfect refreshing drink after an intense workout.
Want to save this recipe? Pin it!
Pomegranate And Berry Blast Green Smoothie (Weekly Workouts)
Ingredients
- 2 large organic Kale leaves
- 6-7 medium organic strawberries
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds
- 10-20 organic blueberries
- 1 organic Granny Smith apple
- 2 cups filtered water
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid.
- Set Vitamix to pre-programmed Smoothie setting and start the machine. It will automatically shut off once the cycle is complete. Yields 3 cups
Notes
Weekly Workouts
John’s Workout
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 180.0#
Sunday
Rest Day
Monday
Barbell Bench Press
45.0# 1 x 5 (warm up)
65.0# 1 x 5 (warm up)
85.0# 1 x 5 (warm up)
100.0# 1 x 2 (warm up)
130.0# 1 x 5
147.5# 1 x 3
165.0# 1 x 1 + 6 = 7
Dumbbell Rows
20.0# 1 x 8
30.0# 1 x 15 x 3
No Cardio
Tuesday
Barbell Back Squats
45.0# 1 x 5 (warm up)
85.0# 1 x 5 (warm up)
90.0# 1 x 3 (warm up)
135.0# 1 x 5 x 3
Cardio: 30 min. outside walk
Wednesday
Cardio: 2-mile hike steep hills
Thursday
Over Head Dumbbell Press
20.0# 1 x 8 (warm up)
30.0# 1 x 12 x 3
Narrow Grip Bench Press
45.0# 1 x 8 (warm up)
70.0# 1 x 3
90.0# 1 x 8 x 3
No Cardio
Friday
Deadlift
100.0# 1 x 5
145.0# 1 x 5
195.0# 1 x 2
250.0# 1 x 5
Cardio: 30 min. treadmill 3.5 mph
Saturday
Cardio: 30 min. walk outside
Barbara’s Workout
Sunday
Cardio: 33 min. walk outside
Monday
Barbell Bench Press
45.0# 1 x 3 (warm up)
65.0# 1 x 3 x 3
Dumbbell Rows
10.0# 1 x 8 (warm up)
20.0# 1 x 8 x 3
No cardio
Tuesday
Barbell Back Squats
45.0# 1 x 5 (warm up)
67.5# 1 x 5 x 3
Cardio: 30 min walk outside
Wednesday
Cardio: 2-mile hike steep hills
Thursday
Over Head Dumbbell Press
10.0# 1 x 8 (warm up)
15.0# 1 x 8 x 3
No Cardio
Friday
Deadlift
65.0# 1 x 5
75.0# 1 x 5
90.0# 1 x 2
115.0# 1 x 5
Cardio: 30 min. treadmill 3.0 mph
Saturday
Cardio: 30 min. walk outside
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Valerie says
November 10, 2016 at 12:57 pmI love smoothies, especially green ones. This one looks so yummy!
Barbara says
November 12, 2016 at 4:41 pmThanks, Valerie! Have a blessed weekend. 🙂
Marla says
November 11, 2016 at 2:00 pmHI Barbara & John,
I think this might be your first time on Real Food Fridays. I just wanted to say glad to have you and hope to see eyou every week. Sure sounds like a healthy and tasty smoothie. Smoothie are always a quick and easy way to get a lot of nutrition and healthful food to fuel the body. Thanks for sharing all the nutritional value – that is very helpful. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays. Pinned & tweeted!
Barbara says
November 12, 2016 at 4:34 pmHi Marla,
We’re the same blog, but we have a new look. 🙂
We have a new design and I’ve also updated the photo in the sidebar to a new one of John and me. John is now writing our weekly workouts series as well as many other wellness and fitness articles. Nicole is still our editor and web designer, but she’s spending most of her time building her nicolebianchi.com site.
And I’ll continue to share healthy recipes.
Thanks for the 5 stars, pinning and tweeting! Have a great week!
Chloe Weir says
November 13, 2016 at 3:15 amWow this looks delicious! #FreeFromFridays
emma amoscato says
November 18, 2016 at 1:43 amThis sounds yummy and there’s so much goodness in it. I’ve got to start making smoothies! #freefromfridays
John says
November 22, 2016 at 11:58 pmHello, Emma. Yes, this smoothie is so healthy and tasty. Definitely, try it.
Leah Schulz says
November 19, 2016 at 9:12 amThose photos with the green smoothie and super red pomegranate seeds are outstanding!! Love the recipe.
https://misspettigrewreview.com/
John says
November 23, 2016 at 12:02 amHi, Leah. Thanks for stopping by and thank you for your kind comments.
Kat says
November 20, 2016 at 4:41 pmI’m a huge lover of green smoothies, but I don’t think I ever used pomegranate in any of mine. You’ve inspired me to try something new!
John says
November 22, 2016 at 11:59 pmWelcome, Kat. You should try the pom seeds. That are really super tasty and healthy.