Spinach Berry Booster Smoothie
Perfect for morning or midday, this shake will trump your energy slump.
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A hard workout depletes glycogen from your muscles, so you need to refuel right away to avoid feeling sluggish and to ensure that your reps don’t go to waste. Whey protein powder mixed with simple carbs from fruit tops off your glycogen stores to rev up energy, as well as to repair and build muscle.
While it won’t give you instant zip and strength like it did for Popeye, cooked spinach comes close thanks to high amounts of energy-revving iron. It’s also loaded with bone-building calcium and vitamin K plus beta-carotene for vision health. But you need Vitamin C, available from strawberries and orange juice, in order to absorb the non-heme iron from spinach.
Ready in: 5 minutes
Makes: 1 serving
Ingredients
- ½ cup cooked spinach
- 1 cup orange juice
- ½ small frozen banana
- ½ cup frozen strawberries, sliced
- 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
- Squeeze of lime juice
Directions
Toss all ingredients into a blender and purée until it reaches desired consistency.
Nutrients per serving: Calories: 320, Total Fats: 3 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Trans Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 35 mg, Sodium: 105 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 54 g, Dietary Fiber: 6 g, Sugars: 36 g, Protein: 23 g, Iron: 3 mg