Despite common appearances over here on this blog, I do like a good healthy thing a lot more than you think. In fact, this easy healthy strawberry smoothie is something we have been having almost daily in my house.
And when I say easy, I mean easy. This is not something that needs to be complicated. And I have seen complicated when it comes to smoothies. Crazy recipes that require so many ingredients I have to write them down because there is too much to remember. This strawberry smoothie doesn't require many ingredients, just a few easy good-for-you things you probably have already on hand.
Is it really healthy?
It really is. A lot of smoothies are full of sugar making them high in calories and not particularly healthy. My tweaks and swaps make this a perfectly easy HEALTHY strawberry smoothie because...
- I swapped out any sugar with a little bit of honey
- I use kefir, a protein-packed, fermented milk that is SUPER similar in taste and thickness to yogurt. It has all kinds of health benefits, including being good for your gut and intestinal health, low on the glycemic index (meaning good for diabetics) and good for controlling and lowering cholesterol.
- I don't use any jams to bump the flavor, just lots and lots of strawberries. Strawberries are also low on the glycemic index, making this the perfect smoothie if you are watching your sugars.
Can I use yogurt instead of kefir?
You absolutely can. Though kefir has more probiotics, yogurt (especially greek yogurt) is a perfectly fine alternative and equally good for you. I am all about use what you have, so if you've got yogurt, go for it.
Last thing about smoothies...
One of the best things about smoothies, and this one in particular, is how incredibly adaptable they are to whatever you have on hand. Have a bunch of blueberries? USE THEM instead of, or in addition to, the strawberries. Like bananas in smoothies? Why the hell not. Make it a easy healthy strawberry banana smoothie. Have some protein powder around? You know what I am gonna say...throw it in there. Add vanilla extract, cinnamon, flavored yogurt or kefir, almond butter, peanut butter. Veggies, yes, that's right, veggies. Spinach is something I throw in smoothies all the time. The kids groan at the green color but I swear you never taste it. Kale too, all the damn time. Also doesn't change the taste (to me, the kids say the kale def has a taste), and packs A TON OF vitamins.
These are all great additions and great ways to make this smoothie a regular part of your routine and always keeping it interesting.
Easy healthy strawberry smoothie
Ingredients
- 4 cups of strawberries I like a 3:1 ratio of frozen to fresh strawberries, or all frozen
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 2 cups of plain unsweetened kefir alternatively use 1 cup of yogurt and 1 cup of milk, almond milk or water
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients in a blender and mix until fully blended and smooth.
Looking for less healthy but equally delicious and fun? Try my boozy coffee milkshake.
