I have a smoothie every single day (as many of you know!) and I try sneak as many heavy hitters in there as possible. Every time I share a smoothie recipe on Instastories, I get asked so many questions about why I add certain ingredients into my smoothie. Each powder and potion in my smoothie is tailored to me and what I need from it, but each ingredient benefits literally everyone on the planet! Since switching my diet to plant based a year ago I’ve found smoothies to be the easiest way to get all the nutrients I need in a meal in a single glass.

When my only goal was to sneak more veggies in a day, I would have a daily smoothie with kale as the base plus a few fruits. When I was pregnant and nursing and needed some more vitamins, I started adding more to my smoothie. When I became plant based last summer, I needed as much protein as I could get and finally found a pea protein that didn’t destroy my stomach. When I found out I had Hashimotos thyroiditis earlier this year, I realized I needed to pack as many vitamins and minerals into my diet as possible. Enter my superstars. 

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I’m an enormous fan of The Beauty Chef. I saw celebrity after celebrity raving about their products and finally looked into them for myself. I love how clean the ingredients are and notice such a difference in my gut and skin while using these two supplements. They are pricey but so worth the investment, especially since they last a literal forever as you’re using a tablespoon at a time.)

Maca Powder is a daily need for me to aid in balancing my hormones and estrogen plus giving me a natural boost of energy, Ground Flax Seeds are irreplaceable…but let me just brag on chia seeds for a minute. 2 tbs of Chia Seeds contains 5x the omega-3 content of a 1/4 cup of walnuts, 2x the iron and magnesium of a cup of spinach, the same calcium of a half-cup of milk, as much potassium as 1/3 a banana and over 2x the fiber of a cup of oatmeal. (read a full article here) Yea. Go ahead and sprinkle them in your smoothie every day.

Since the majority of protein powders are full of sugars, milk and things I don’t want to have on a daily basis, I had to make the switch to pea protein. The thing about pea protein is while it’s super great for my body, it’s not always friendly to my tummy. I’m talking lots of trapped gas, lots of bloating and lots of trips to the restroom. TMI? Hopefully not! After lots of trial and error, this is my favorite by far! The Sports Performance is our favorite post-workout.

Lastly, the veggies. I of course add lots of veggies to a green smoothie, but even in a simple protein shake, don’t sleep on those veggies! Zucchini and cauliflower can go undetected but add so much necessary goodness to the mix. Cauliflower is one of the best things you can eat raw, especially if you’re trying to decrease your inflammation and increase your immune system and Zucchini is a great addition for vitamin B and fiber. Kale is the ultimate veggie and I have it at least 6 days a week. These are all wonderful to add to a smoothie for kids too!

I also have to say that I can’t imagine an easier smoothie experience than with my Vitamix Blender. I press the smoothie button and it’s literally like magic- a perfectly smooth, seamless, chunk-less smoothie every time. 9 years later, it’s still my top kitchen essential and gets used at least once a day! (p.s. I got it in white and it’s stunning. Yes, I’m serious.)

you can see my recipe for a beautiful and delicious beet and berry smoothie here!