Brightly colored foods normally indicate the presence of food dye and other processed ingredients. Though this recipe includes four electrifying layers, it’s a surprisingly healthy smoothie!
Now, blending all ingredients together is just fine, but layering different flavors creates a unique smoothie experience… plus it your smoothie will instantly become Instagram-worthy. When trying to eat healthy, sometimes you need your food to be eye candy! 😉
Yes, this smoothie looks like it belongs at your 10-year-old daughter’s birthday party. Don’t let that fool you! Nutrient-dense ingredients make this a loaded recipe—fruits, leafy greens, protein powder, and a unique vegetable.
Here’s what makes a surprisingly healthy smoothie:
What are the healthiest ingredients to put in a smoothie?
Believe it or not, making a healthy smoothie is an art-form (here’s a full guide on making healthy smoothies). Here’s three main ingredients that are present in most-all nourishing smoothie recipes:
Leafy greens: The shining stars of green smoothies are the leafy greens— chock full of phytonutrients, protein, vitamins, antioxidants…the list goes on and on.
Click here for a full list of leafy greens and their benefits
Fruit: Your body needs generous amounts of fruit that contains essential nutrients not normally obtained through other types of food: potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin C, folate, etc. ANY fruit is healthy and fair-game when making a smoothie.
Nutritional liquid: When making green smoothies the liquid-base is one that is often overlooked, but the reality is that the liquid that you use for the base of your smoothie is just as important as any other part.
Click here for a full list of nutritional liquids and their benefits
Why having a smoothie for breakfast can help your overall health
“So… what should we eat for breakfast? The answer is basic healthy eating advice: fruits and vegetables, whole (unprocessed) grains, and healthy proteins and fats.” — Harvard Health Publishing (A Doctor’s Recipe for a Healthy Breakfast)
Smoothies, especially ones with leafy greens, boast nearly every food that Dr. Monique Tello talks about in her article about healthy breakfasts.
Green smoothies are packed with fruits and vegetables (of course), along with healthy proteins (from leafy greens) and healthy fats (via coconut oil, avocado, coconut milk, cashews, etc.)… instead of a classic bowl of cereal, which is made of mostly grains.
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Summer is the perfect time for some tie-dying, only instead of white t-shirts… it’s a green smoothie! Vibrant, colorful layers are blended separately then spooned into jars and topped with a dollop of coconut whipped cream and sprinkles. Blend up a quadruple batch for a DIY tie-dye smoothie bar and let everyone create their own unique blend of flavors and colors
Ingredients
Green layer:
2 cups spinach
1/2 banana
1/2 cup mango or pineapple, thawed if frozen
1/4 to 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
Yellow layer:
1 cup mango, cubed, slightly thawed if frozen
1 orange, peeled
Pink layer:
1 cup frozen strawberries, slightly thawed
1/2 small beet, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 cup coconut milk
Blue layer:
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon butterfly pea powder
Pinch baking soda (optional)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
Toppings: Coconut cream, whipped
Naturally colored sprinkles (no artificial dye)
Freeze-dried berries or fruit, crushed
Instructions
- Blend green, yellow, and pink layers separately. Transfer each color to a separate bowl or jar. Rinse blender between each color. Add a little water if blender is having a difficult time blending.
- For the blue layer, place coconut milk and butterfly pea flower powder in a small jar or bowl and whisk together until combined. For a more “blue” layer, add a pinch of baking soda. Don’t worry! You won’t taste it. It’s just to neutralize the slight acidity from the coconut milk. Add lemon juice if you’d like the blue to become a bit more purple!
- To serve, spoon a little of each color into two pint jars. There will be more green than any other color. Top the smoothies with a dollop of whipped coconut cream (simply whisk the thick cream from canned coconut quickly) and garnish with sprinkles and/or freeze-dried fruit. Serve immediately.
Keywords: healthy smoothie recipe, rainbow smoothie, unicorn smoothie
August 27th, 2019 at 11:12 am
Holy beautiful images, Jen!! Makes me want one of these right now.
★★★★★
August 28th, 2019 at 4:32 pm
Isn’t it just gorgeous!!! It tastes just as delicious as it looks too 🙂
August 27th, 2019 at 3:41 pm
O.M.G. And it actually sounds like it tastes incredible!
★★★★★
August 28th, 2019 at 4:32 pm
It really does! Let us know how you like it once you give it a try!!
August 27th, 2019 at 3:59 pm
If you’re looking for smoothie style points, look no farther! For natural colored sprinkles, there’s a few options: India Tree, Natural Kitchen and even Wilton has one too.
★★★★★
August 28th, 2019 at 10:08 am
Seriously, a party in a mason jar!!
★★★★★
August 28th, 2019 at 4:36 pm
Right!! This is seriously the best recipe ever for parties!!