recipe no. 5: almond + spinach smoothie

i took a barry’s bootcamp class for the first time two weeks ago. to be honest, i don’t get what all the hype is - personally, i much prefer a SHRED415 class. they are the same format, and i think SHRED415 is much more empowering. anyway, because i was totally dead after class and still had almost hour-long commute to get home, i needed a pick-me-up. i grabbed a “green latifa” smoothie on the way out, and was immediately in love. i jotted down the ingredients in the notes in my phone, determined to recreate it.

since having appendicitis in 2015, i have devolved an allergy to bananas and quinoa. super random and weird. because i can't have bananas, smoothies are a huge challenge. this is a bummer because i love smoothies for their taste and convenience. but, this “green latifa” at barry’s is banana-free, super creamy, and my favorite - green. i had to play with the ratios a bit and you can too, to discover what you like the best.

what you’ll need:

• 1.5 cups frozen mangoes

• 1.5 cups spinach

• 0.5 cups almond butter

• 2 cups almond milk

• vanilla protein powder (i prefer vega). i buy the small packs and dump about half in there. not sure what that equates to in an actual measurement...

what you’ll do:

• put it all in the blender and serve

serves 2. the best part about this smoothie is that alex loves it too, and it’s the perfect weekday breakfast to keep you full until lunch. i highly recommend vega’s all-in-one shake because it’s plant-based so you get a bunch of essential vitamins and minerals, protein, and it has probiotics. i'll be making this every morning for the foreseeable future.