Mango Pineapple Green Smoothie

If you’re looking for a healthy, vibrant smoothie that makes you feel like you should be on a beach somewhere – this Mango Pineapple Green Smoothie is it! Bright green from fresh spinach, sweet frozen mango chunks, tangy pineapple juice, and creamy banana with just a touch of full-fat coconut milk. This smoothie is perfect for sneaking vegetables to kids or giving Mom a well-deserved day-cation.

Simple Green Smoothies

I”ll be honest, for a long time, my kids were not on board the smoothie train. Supposedly making food and drinks in bright colors and hiding vegetables in smoothies is one of the best and easiest ways to get your child eating new, healthier foods. Mine, especially Eli who really needs the vegetables, could sniff them out a mile away and didn’t care what color they were.

Eli is turning four this December though and I think we’ve had enough wars of the wills with him to where he is finally, starting, to try new things. Drinks do seem to be the easiest in doing so. Imagine my surprise today when I made this smoothie for myself and added a little to his sister’s cup with milk, and I see him sucking it down the rest of the night.

Progress people. Progress. I’ll take it.

Simple Ingredients for a Stunning Taste

One thing I love about smoothies is that there is really no way to mess one up. You can create thousands of variations, all tasting just as good as the last. During the summer months I opt for fresh fruits, veggies, a “milk base” and ice. Especially during strawberry season, smoothies are a big hit in our house. For the winter months, and this recipe specifically, I had to make some adjustments.

The ingredients and my recommendations for this mango pineapple green smoothie are as follows:

• Spinach – has to be fresh. Frozen spinach just does not work the same. You could substitute with Kale if you have some in your freezer from the last harvest, but I find it just doesn’t lend the same smooth texture.
• Banana – You could use fresh or frozen banana slices here, either is fine.
• Mangoes – Again you could use fresh or frozen. I opted for frozen mangoes and tend to with harder fruits like that. Smoothies are meant to be quick and easy so I try to keep it that way.
• Pineapple Juice – I used a small can of 100% pineapple juice for a few reasons. Your smoothie needs a liquid to blend well and I didn’t want to make it too heavy with a milk product, so I opted for a juice. If you have fresh pineapple on hand you could use a cup of that due to its high liquid content, but you would still want to add 3/4 cup of water.
• Coconut Milk – I used about two tablespoons to 1/4 cup of full-fat refrigerated coconut milk. Again, because we are not adding ice to this in using the frozen mango, I want everything to be as cold as possible. I also find storing my coconut milk in the fridge can make it easier to measure out. You can substitute with other milk products, but I would suggest opting for the full-fat version of whichever you choose so as not to lose the creaminess factor.

Tips for making your Mango Pineapple Green Smoothie

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Freeze or keep cold what you can. When you’re not using ice, having your ingredients cold can be really helpful for the final product. Disclaimer: as said above, I wouldn’t use store-bought frozen spinach. However, if you have a harvest of spinach you frozen on a sheet tray and it’s all loosely stored frozen – go ahead and use that!

Be sure to have a great blender. I can’t tell you how many smoothies I’ve only drank half of or were ruined due to a texture issue because the blender didn’t work well enough. Ever since I got this Ninja blender though, I’ve been in love! I use it for smoothies, soups, and more!

Make the night before and store properly. My Ninja blender is a beast. It has an oxygen removing component to it that does some science/magic of holding the contents together. I can make a smoothie the night before and pour it into a mason jar with a lid, let it sit in the fridge and nothing separates. I of course still give it a good shake but it doesn’t get all gross as my smoothies have in the past. I actually want to wake up and drink them now!

Keeping it Fresh and Sustainable with these Tips

As you know I’m all about keeping it fresh, healthy, local, and sustainable here on the blog. So this section is provided in every post to give you ideas on how to make this recipe better for you and your wallet.

Ingredients: Always grow what you can. If you have the space and the know-how, growing your own fruits, vegetables, herbs, etc. is the way to go. If you can’t, check out the farms in your area for products they have ready to harvest. Even in winter months, some still have fruits and vegetables ready for purchase. If buying from the store, consider researching the companies you see most often and the products they make. For example, this green smoothie uses juice. So I was sure to purchase 100% juice and not juice from concentrate.

Products: One of my favorite ways to think sustainably is in the products we use. No more plastic straws. Instead opt for glass straws, metal straws, or even these neat bamboo ones! Mason jars with lids are pretty much all we use at my house for cups. They’re sturdy and rarely break, great if you have kids, are multi-purposeful, dishwasher safe, and of course, can be useful in storage with their lids.

What are some ways you can think of to make this recipe in a more sustainable, fresh way? Have some favorite products or brands of ingredients? Tell me about them in the comments!

Other Green Smoothies we love

• Cleansing Green Smoothie from Delicious Meets Healthy
• Dairy-Free Green Protein Smoothie from Eating Richly
• Tropical Mango Kale Smoothie from Peas and Crayons