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This banana and strawberry smoothie recipe is a delicious breakfast or midday snack. Add one or two adaptogenic herbs and make it extra healthy!
Having a smoothie for breakfast is a great way to start your day healthy, but you can also enjoy it throughout the day as a delicious snack. This banana and strawberry smoothie recipe includes some adaptogens, such as maca powder and stinging nettle as an extra healthy boost. What are adaptogens you ask? They’re non-toxic plants with nutrients that help the body fight all kinds of stress. However, even if you don’t have any maca or dried nettle to throw inside your blender, this smoothie is still one of the best ways to get your daily dose of fruits.
What are Adaptogens
Also known as adaptogenics, they’re non-toxic plants that help our body fight stressors of all kinds, whether physical, chemical or biological. An easy way I’ve found to use those plants and other super foods in my diet is by incorporating them into healthy smoothie recipes with lots of fruits. For example, this super foods detox smoothie is full of fruits and packed with nutrients, vitamins, and omega fats, while this green smoothie that tastes good is full of spinach and avocado but it sort of tastes like pistachio ice cream, due to the roasted pistachios which give it so much flavor! This banana and strawberry smoothie incorporates a teaspoon (or two) of maca powder and dried stinging nettle. If you’ve never had maca or nettle before, I’d suggest starting with a teaspoon and increasing the amount to your liking with time.
Stinging nettle
Stinging nettle can be consumed in many ways, either fresh or dried. You can use it in your smoothies by making a tea from fresh leaves or you can use dried leaves and throw them in your blender, just like with this banana-strawberry smoothie recipe. The only thing you have to be careful of, is to not let it touch your skin because the leaves have hair-like structures like tiny thorns which will cause itchiness and irritation. These thorns are destructed when cooked or dried though. You can find useful information on how to harvest, dry, and use stinging nettle here.
Nettle contains many nutrients and is considered to have many health benefits, like reducing inflammation in your body and lowering your blood pressure. You can learn more about it here.
Maca Powder
The maca plant (also known as Peruvian ginseng) grows in central Peru and it’s a cruciferous vegetable like broccoli and cauliflower. The main edible part of the plant is the root which is usually dried and consumed in powder form. You can read about the health benefits of maca here.
Other well-known adaptogens are astragalus, holy basil, elderberry, panax ginseng, licorice, and ashwagandha.
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- 1 1/2 cup strawberries
- 1 large banana
- 2 cups pineapple juice
- 3 tablespoons oats
- 2 brazil nuts or 4 almonds
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom or cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon dried stinging nettle
- 1 teaspoon maca powder
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Transfer all of the ingredients to the bowl of your blender and blend until smooth.
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Drink!
- The strawberries and/or the banana can be frozen.
- You can also use other kinds of red berries.
- The smoothie will be a lot tastier if the banana is very ripe.
- If you don’t have pineapple juice, use orange juice (and maybe a teaspoon of maple syrup)
Pin this recipe if you like it!
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