5 Smoothie Recipes from Vancouver Foodies

A few months ago, we brought you our favourite smoothie recipes from Vancouver nutritionists. It was a hit - you seemed to love all the green smoothies!

But nutritionists aren’t the only people making great smoothies. Vancouver’s food community is famous (notorious?) for its health-loving food bloggers. So I found the best ones and got them to share their favourites.

Here are their recipes:

Table of Contents:

1. Peanut Butter Molasses
2. Red Fruit 
3. The Popeye
4. PB + Cacao
5. Anti-Inflammatory Acai Bowl

Peanut Butter Molasses Smoothie

Sisley Killam, The Pure Life

Our good friend Sisley’s Peanut Butter Banana isn’t just any smoothie. One of its ingredients is Blackstrap Molasses. From Sisley:

“Blackstrap molasses is an awesome addition to anybody’s diet. It’s packed with minerals that will promote healthy, strong hair and nails and flawless skin.

It is also a great source of vegan iron! It has a very strong taste, so I only add a little into my smoothies, like this recipe here, but you could also alternatively add 1 tsp to a warm glass of lemon water and chug it first thing in the morning to start your day with a mineral boost!”

Smoothie ingredients:

• 4 ripe bananas
• 2 large handfuls of ice cubes
• 2 tbsp. of good quality chunky peanut butter
• 250ml of Cashew Milk
• 1 tbsp 100% Canadian maple syrup

Chocolate Peanut Sauce:

• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 tbsp blackstrap molasses
• 1 tbsp raw cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp water

Directions:

1. Blend the smoothie ingredients in a high-speed blender until creamy.
2. For the Chocolate Peanut Sauce, heat all of the ingredients in a saucepan until warm. Drizzle the sauce in the mason jars and top with Peanut Butter Smoothie.

Red Fruit Smoothie

Jasmine Lukuku, The Blenderist

Jasmine opted for bold with this all red ingredient smoothie. Her boldest choice? Cranberries. From Jasmine:

“Cranberries, why do we forsake thee for 9 months of the year? I live in cranberry land (British Columbia), approximately 12% of North America’s cranberries are grown here. I really should eat them more often. Cranberry season has passed, but you can still buy them frozen.”

Ingredients

• 1 cups seedless red grapes
• 2 blood oranges, peeled
• 1 cup frozen or fresh cranberries
• 1 pomegranate (seeds only)
• 1 cup very cold water
• Optional: sweetener of choice

Directions:

1. Put all the ingredients in your blender and mix on high-speed until well combined.
2. Taste to see if it is sweet enough for you.
3. Add a banana or sweetener of choice if needed.

The Popeye Smoothie

Kelsey Rostad, You Can Eat Now

From Kelsey:

“I basically challenged myself to make a "green smoothie" that didn't make people want to plug their noses while drinking it!”

That’s our life’s mission, Kelsey.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of a ripe Avocado
• 1 large handful of spinach
• 2 ice cubes
• 1 TBSP of chia seeds or ground flax seeds
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups of almond milk (depending on how you like your smoothies!)
• Stevia or Honey to taste

Directions:

1. If using flax seeds, make sure to grind them up first.
2. Place all ingredients into blender.
3. Blend until smooth! Add more milk or sweetener if needed.
4. Enjoy, and flex your muscles like Popeye.

PB + Cacao Nib Smoothie

Morgan Shupe, Shupe’s Soups

Yes, a second peanut butter smoothie on the list, but this one’s a little different. From Morgan:

“This is my favourite smoothie to have when I am craving dessert but want to stick to something a little better for me. It is also great post-workout with an added scoop of vanilla protein powder.

I always try to top my smoothies with something crunchy to remind me to chew my smoothies which helps stimulate better digestion and aids your bodies absorption of all those wonderful nutrients you are putting in your smoothies. Sliced nuts, whole-grain cereal, granola, or some extra fruit are all great toppings.”

Ingredients:

• 1 frozen banana
• 2 tbsp organic peanut butter
• 1-2 dates
• 3/4 cups unsweetened milk alternative
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2-3 tsp cacao nibs + extra for garnish
• Peanut Butter Whole-Grain Cereal

Directions:

1. Add your frozen banana, peanut butter, dates, almond milk, and sea salt to your blender and blend until smooth.
2. Add in cacao nibs and pulse until they are just incorporated.
3. Pour into your cup.
4. Top with some peanut butter whole-grain cereal, and extra cacao nibs.

Anti-Inflammatory Acai Bowl

Kelly Trach, The Wild Manifesto

From Kelly:

"I have leaky gut, IBS, and an autoimmune disease, so I work hard to prevent flare-ups. For someone like myself who already has a lot going on in their gut, I do my best to opt for foods that keep that inflammation at bay. Acai berries have anti-inflammatory properties and are also nutrient-dense. This acai bowl is a nice treat because it’s gluten-free and plant-based, so I can eat it and not have to worry about reacting! 

One of the things I sneak in this acai bowl is L-glutamine powder. L-glutamine is an amino acid which also promotes digestive health. It’s one of the few supplements I highly recommend.  According to Dr. Axe, a leader in functional medicine:

 “[L-glutamine is] a vital nutrient for the intestines to rebuild and repair, it helps heal ulcers and leaky gut by acting as a band-aid for protection from further damage, and improves IBS and diarrhea by balancing mucus production.”

Ingredients:

• Acai Bowl:
• 1 packet of pure, blended acai
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1 frozen banana sliced up
• 1/3 cup frozen blueberries
• ½ cup frozen raspberries
• 1 tsp of stevia
• 1 tsp of unflavored L-glutamine powder

Toppings:

• Pumpkin seeds
• Coconut shreds
• Blueberries
• Sliced bananas

Directions:

1. Slice up a banana and freeze it for a few hours or overnight.
2. In your blender, add the coconut milk, acai package, stevia, the L-glutamine powder, and all the frozen fruit.
3. Blend until thick and smooth.
4. Pour it into a bowl & top it with your favourite goodies.

 Which one is your favourite? Let me know in the comments below!