Mango Berry Boost Smoothie

This summer I'm determined to make the Vitamix our best friend! We've owned our Vitamix for over 3 years and we've used it less than 100 times. Well, now I'm ready to quit Jamba Juice. Recently I quit Starbucks, so this is another way to take charge of what we're consuming.

Since we've been paying a lot more attention to the measurements of what we're putting into our smoothies, the kids have been really pleased with the end result. In the past I sort of just did a hodge-podge of whatever was available in the fridge and well, let's just say not everything comes together for a flavorful blend.

We are big fans of mangoes. But it can be kind of costly to use the fruit in a smoothie, or at least enough of it to get the flavor. So instead I opted for the mango nectar that I found at Costco. I have a feeling that this is going to be a new favorite smoothie base because all 3 kids asked for more after they downed their liquid treat.

Mango Berry Boost Smoothie

1 cup mango nectar (juice)
1 cup plain organic yogurt - I used Stonyfeld 
2 heaping cups frozen mixed berries
1 banana
1 very ripe pear
3 TBSP organic hemp seed - I used Nutiva

Add all the ingredients to the blender. By the way, it matters which order you add in your ingredients....

Amberly helped put everything into the Vitamix

I love seeing all the colors just before we hit the switch to blend!

Blend on high for about a minute until you get this beautiful purple berry color. I added another tablespoon of the hemp seed for a boost of protein and added a strawberry for garnish. Of course I ate the garnish! 

I learned more about Nutiva and Stonyfield products while attending ShiftCon last year. ShiftCon is a social media conference for organic and sustainable bloggers. We had organic food and drink the entire weekend! I met so many amazing like minded people and got to take home the most useful swag (not to mention abundance of swag!) than any other conference or fair I've attended. This year it will be Sept 24th-26th in Los Angeles. I'll be there again this year and would love to see you! Our family has switched to buying 50% organic and we are still making healthy changes. It is pretty awesome to be part of the SHIFT that is happening.

Here's a short video from last year's event.

Grab your ticket before the conference is sold out!

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. Your purchase price is the same, regardless. I only share products and services I believe to be of value.

Banana Berry Hemp Seed Smoothie

Every once in awhile I'm a little bit lazy to plan a full meal for dinner. Luckily my husband likes to cook and will come up with an awesome meal idea when I'm not feeling it. But he's not always able to fill in the gaps between school, work (he's on call at dinner hour sometimes) and the kids sporting events. We had one of those nights recently. He was taking Amberly to her softball game and wouldn't be home for dinner. So, I called an audible. Leftovers for mom and the boys could have chicken nuggets. They're totally processed and I'm not proud of it, but sometimes we need a quick fix. I asked the boys if they wanted pasta (organic noodles and sauce by the way) to go with it and they both said no. Guess what happened about an hour after dinner? They both said they were still hungry. I should have just put some carrots and cucumbers (both organic) on their plate with the chicken nuggets but I didn't.

Hmmmm..... What could I make that was quick and would fill their half empty bellies? Hey, how about a smoothie? "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" was the reply I got. A winner just about every time! Normally we have smoothies during the day, they make the perfect after school snack. I don't know if I've ever given them a smoothie as an after dinner snack. To be honest I'm generally one to say no when the kids ask if they can have something after dinner and they know it. But of course I knew I hadn't prepared a decent meal and wanted to remedy that. 

We've been trying out a variety of smoothie combinations. I'll be the first to tell you that they don't always pan out. But this one did! I went wanted ingredients that were simple and filling and healthy. I think we came up with just what the boys needed.

Banana Berry Hemp Seed Smoothie: (3 servings)

 

                             

                                                                      Just 5  Ingredients                                      

1 cup green juice
2 heaping cups frozen mixed berries
1 banana
1 cup vanilla yogurt - I used Mountain High Yoghurt

2 TBPS hempseed

1 additional TBSP hempseed for topping
fresh blackberries for topping

Add the first 5 ingredients to your high-speed blender. Blend on high for about a minute or so until you see all the ingredients blended and you end up with a nice berry color.

After you pour your tasty smoothie, top off with a sprinkle of hemp seed and fresh blackberries.

Truly you can add any fresh berries as garnish. We just happen to have hundreds of blackberries ripe for the pickin' right now and need to make use of them every opportunity we get!

                                                                       
                                                       Blackberries from our back yard

At first I was a little concerned that the bitter taste of the green juice would over power the smoothie. However, the Vanilla Mountain High Yoghurt provided just the right balance of sweetness to offset it and gave the perfect smooth finish. You can get your coupon to give Mountain High Yoghurt a try here.

Adding the hemp seed to the smoothie adds some extra protein. Protein is filling. Plus, I enjoyed the nutty flavor of the extra hempseed on top.

Give this smoothie recipe a try! I'd give it 5 out of 5 stars!

You can find other great smoothie recipes by following Mountain High Yoghurt on Pinterest. Or follow them on Instagram to find out when their Simplicity Tour will be making a stop near you!

Owen was especially pleased with the results!

Berry Good Breakfast Ideas for Summer

Berries and breakfast go hand in hand! I love when berry season is here because nothing beats fresh berries to sweeten up your breakfast. I've been thinking for awhile now that I want to get us out of this cereal rut we've trapped ourselves in over time. As I was busy pinning all these berry best breakfasts I've discovered some of the most fun and creative breakfast idea. I'm betting these will not only get us out of our rut, but we'll be eating healthier too!

But first I wanted to share some fun berry facts with you. Hot tip: share fun facts about food with your kids to get them interested in eating healthy!

Did you know....

Berries have a ton of anti-oxidants - which keep you young!

Bananas are considered a berry!

Berries are high in fiber and help keep you full!

Berries are high in phytochemicals which help protect our cells from damage!

California produces 75% of our country's strawberries!




Explore these berry best breakfasts and let me know if there's one I missed!

1. Red, White and Blueberry Simple Yogurt Parfait

2. Triple Berry Baked Oatmeal

3. Triple Berry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

4. Mixed Berry Breakfast Pizza

5. Berry French Toast Casserole

6. Very Berry Muffins

7. Granola Crust Breakfast Tarts with Yogurt and Berries

8. Deep Dish Mixed Berry Skillet Pancake

9. Vegan Berry Pop Tarts

10. Blueberry French Toast Roll Ups

11. Berry Oat Breakfast Smoothie

12. Blueberry Breakfast Parfait Pops

13. Strawberry Blueberry Cheese Brioche Danish

14. Nutritious Strawberry Breakfast Cookies

15. Strawberry Quinoa Pancake

16. Vegan Berry Crunch Smoothie Bowl

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17. Raspberry Almond Scones

18. Breakfast Banana Split

19. Beautiful Breakfast Tart



20. Quinoa Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

21. Fresh Berry Syrup


So, which ones will you be giving a try this summer? If you liked this post BE SURE TO PIN IT!

Here are my other seasonal roundups you will enjoy!