As I wrote back in March, I have been experiencing this mysterious pain and pressure in my left eye since early December, similar to a black eye. With Advil (an anti-inflammatory), some research and a change in my diet to include anti-inflammatory foods, it is better but not cured. To help ease the discomfort, every Sunday I prep a week's worth of smoothies in a set of mason jars to dump into the blender every morning and haul with me to work. This week's lineup includes my recent "Blueberry Spinach Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie". There are a handful of fruits, veggies and spices with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which include (but are not limited to)
- Turmeric
- Ginger
- Grapefruit
- Spirulina
- Pineapple
- Papaya
- Leafy greens including arugula, kale and spinach
- Blueberry
- Green Tea
When I started this journey, I came up with a Grapefruit Ginger Anti-Inflammatory Green Smoothie. The combination of ginger, turmeric and spirulina has certainly helped. I have completely cut Advil out of my daily routine thanks to these powerhouse spices! This progress made me determined to find more flavor combinations to add to my routine. The only hurdle is finding strong flavors to mask the taste of spirulina. In this determination, Blueberry Spinach was born. The addition of pineapple juice gives an added acidity that really helps to tone down the spices and let the blueberry shine through. I It's a lightweight smoothie, coming in at only 125 calories (leaving room for a heftier breakfast or a scoop of chia seeds), but it packs 200% DV Vitamin A and 150% DV Vitamin C!
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| A week of smoothie jars, prepped and ready to go! |
Blueberry Spinach Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie
Prep Time , serves 1.Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Frozen Blueberries
- 3 Large Strawberries, Stems Removed
- 1/4 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt - leave this out for a dairy free smoothie, sub in some ice for a thicker smoothie
- 1 Handful Spinach
- 1/4 Tsp Turmeric
- 1 Tsp Spirulina
- 1/4 Cup Pineapple Juice
- 3/4 Cup Green Tea
Instructions
- Remove stems from strawberries. Roughly chop if necessary for your blender.
- Combine all ingredients in your blender cup.
- Blend and enjoy.
Looking to add protein and fiber? Try mixing in 1 TBSP chia seeds after blending or an extra scoop of greek yogurt.
In the mood for something more strawberry? Try my Strawberry Banana Chia Smoothie!
