Happy 2018, friends! If you’re still recovering from New Year celebrations (and/or a whole lotta holiday travel like us!), I have just the recipe to kick off your January. It’s refreshing and light with an immune-boosting bonus—something I think most of us could use right about now! I know I could.
We had a fun whirlwind of a holiday week! How did yours go? The four of us took a road trip to see Eric’s parents, then headed west to visit my family in Alberta. Since our stay at my parents’ house was only four nights, we opted to keep the kids on eastern time. I have to say this strategy worked out so much better than the last visit. Both kids slept well (aside from one night) and were pretty happy during the day!! If we were staying longer, Eric and I would’ve gradually shifted them to mountain time, but for this visit we didn’t see a need to. It felt like a huge win. Parents, how do you handle changing time zones with your kiddos in tow? I think this was the first small success we’ve had. (Still worth celebrating, though! Ha.)
Now about those flights!! Oh man. Arlo is now 15 months old and very active, so he was our biggest challenge on the four-hour flight to Alberta. Nothing kept him happy for long, and we tried everything: toys, snacks, iPads, nursing, walks, etc…. He just wanted to move and get off that flight! Who can blame the little guy?! Arlo definitely inherited his “can’t-sit-still” gene from his mama.
We also had an eventful trip home, to say the least! First, our carry-on bags were flagged going through security (they said it was due to some small baby food pouches—apparently their texture can trigger the alarm even when removed from the bag), so the screening officers pulled us aside and spent about half an hour going through everything (and I mean everything…they opened every single marker cap, searched Eric’s wallet, and asked us additional questions for their documentation). Even poor Arlo was patted down. At that point I was starting to feel emotional, but tried to hold it together because we needed to focus on making our flight. I have a lot of respect for the security process, but this threw us for a bit of a loop. We made it to the gate just in time!
Then, about halfway through the flight, Adriana had an allergic reaction. Luckily it wasn’t severe and she’s totally fine now. The concerned cabin crew called a medical emergency over the intercom and told everyone to clear the aisle. A doctor on board the flight rushed to check on her and everyone nearby turned to see what was wrong. He was such a kind man and had a wonderful bedside manner (aisle-side manner, lol?). Boy, an experience like that really makes you appreciate the GOOD people in this world. During all of this, Arlo was super fussy, nursing- and nap-striking through the whole fiasco. And I was SWEATING, lol. At one point Eric looked at me and said, “We are officially that family on the flight!” Bahaha. Travelling with kids is so humbling, isn’t it? If I had a free hand on that flight, you can be sure it would’ve had a drink in it! Needless to say, we are very grateful for all of the kind people who helped us and to have gotten home safely in the end. I hope you all made it through your holidays okay too!
Anyway, I wanted to share our little travel tale to let you know that if you faced your own family adventure over the holidays, you certainly weren’t alone. ;)
Okay, back to the energizing recipe that kept me powering through our holiday shenanigans! I created this smoothie in December for a fun TV segment with etalk’s Traci Melchor. I’ll be sure to share on social media when the episode is scheduled, so please stay tuned if you’d like to see us in action and catch all the smoothie-making fun! It should be airing this month. I had such a blast chatting with Traci about all things breakfast and OSG. She and her kids are also huge smoothie fans and make one every day. Luckily (and to my huge relief) everyone on set LOVED this bowl—including the cameramen! They were feasting on leftovers after our show. I wish I had a picture of that. It was a proud moment.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
New Year Glow Smoothie Bowl
Yield
2 1/2 cups (625 mL)
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
This creamy, dreamy, tropical green smoothie bowl is perfect for giving yourself a bright boost during the winter months! Mango and clementine add a tangy burst of flavour, and these nutrient-packed fruits are a great way of sneaking in some extra vitamin C during cold and flu season, too. Anti-inflammatory ginger is great for digestion, and avocado lends this smoothie bowl a thick, creamy texture. If serving to kids, you may want to omit the matcha green tea powder (due to its caffeine content) and ginger (which can be a bit spicy for little ones). If you’d like a portable smoothie on-the-glow, feel free to thin it out with more liquid and pour into a thermos for easy drinking. Since there’s no banana in this smoothie, I find that it can be made the night before without impacting overall flavour and texture the next day.
Ingredients
For the smoothie bowl:
- 3/4 cup (180 mL) water*
- 1 heaping cup (145 g) frozen mango chunks
- 1/3 cup (55 g) packed avocado
- 1/2-inch piece (7 g) peeled ginger, or to taste
- 1 cup (30 g) packed fresh baby spinach
- 1 small (75 g) clementine, peeled
- 1 very large (30 g) pitted Medjool date**
- 3 ice cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon matcha green tea powder (optional)
For the toppings:
- Diced fresh mango
- Vanilla Super Seed Granola or granola of choice***
- Raspberries, blueberries, and/or strawberries****
- Hemp hearts
- Clementines, segmented and chopped
Directions
- Add the water into a high-speed blender followed by the rest of the smoothie bowl ingredients. Blend on high until smooth.
- Pour into a bowl and add toppings as desired. Serve and enjoy!
Tip:
* Feel free to use coconut water if you like a sweeter smoothie.
** If your blender has a hard time blending dates smooth, you may want to swap the date out for a teaspoon or two of pure maple syrup. It also helps to use a very fresh date as they’re softer and blend easier. You may also be able to omit the date all together and use coconut water as your base for sweetness.
*** You can find the recipe for this granola in Oh She Glows Every Day, p. 33.
**** If fresh berries are out of season, feel free to use frozen or swap them with banana slices for your topping.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
By the way, if you are an OSG App user, you can also find this recipe in The Oh She Glows Recipe App (iOS/Android)!
I love the sound of this but what can I substitute for the avocado?
Hey Robin, Thank you! The avocado is what helps make the smoothie bowl thick, but you may be able to swap it with an equal amount of frozen banana or mango. Please let me know if you try anything out!
1/4 cup of soaked/drained cashews (or sunflower seeds) works as a pretty good substitute for the avocado, too! The cashews would of course make the recipe not nut-free, though.
Oh love that idea, Laura! I’ll have to try this. Thanks :)
We are always “that” family on the flight! We flew to Hawaii when my daughter was three and son 11 months old and we didn’t get a single nap the whole 6.5 hour flight (from Alberta)…we’ve experienced gastro on the airplane…and when my daughter was two the same thing happened in security and she also got a pat down. This was also at the Calgary airport (why, yyc?) and we nearly missed our flight! On one of our more recent flights the lovely WestJet flight attendant gave me a free mini-bottle of wine and said “looks like you could use this” ha! We’ve been through it all! It is certainly humbling and has made me a much more empathetic traveler (human?). I will never complain about a baby or a kid on a plane again! Glad to hear your daughter was ok!
We are about to head back to Hawaii with my now-three year old son…I’m thanking God he can finally tune into an IPad for a Paw Patrol marathon!
Thanks for the lovely recipe. Will be trying this tonight!
Lol…Oh April, I can relate. I swear, hearing other parents war stories makes me feel so much better. I really hope your flight home is a smooth one though! We also found that Adriana was so much easier to travel with at 3 years old. It was our easiest trip with her yet (aside from the newborn days). There were just a couple small incidents, but nothing like Arlo! He doesn’t do well with confinement. I definitely debated wine, but figured there was a 99% chance he’d fling it across the aircraft, LOL. Anyway, safe travels..and happy new year to you and your fam!
Oh my goodness, Angela, what a trip you had! Did you weep tears of relief when you finally walked into your own front door and dropped your bags? I know I would have :)
Security check + cranky hungry toddler + preschooler with allergy attack + stuck on a plane, yikes! So happy to hear that the rest of your holidays were wonderful!
Thanks to my CSA delivery (because going shopping in -20C yikes!) I have all the ingredients on hand for this fresh frosty smoothie bowl. I didn’t go overboard with indulgence on the holidays, but I didn’t work out even once and I may have forgotten what vegetables look like…I’m a bit granola and grained out and this smoothie looks like just the thing to break me into a new cycle.
Happy New Year to you and your sweet family!
haha yes walking through the door was a great feeling I tell you! (Especially because we have the “Nest” thermometer and I got to warm up the house before we got home…score!!!)
I saw your email that you enjoyed this smoothie bowl..so happy to hear that! It’s quite a refreshing one this time of year. I love the flavour the clementine adds. We can’t keep them in stock that long in our house though because Adriana LOVES them.
Happy New Year to you and the fam!
Just popping in to rate the recipe!
haha thank you! So happy you loved it!
Nice! I’m a mango enthusiast so I love the addition of dried mango AND fresh. Never tried hemp hearts – I’m assuming maybe Whole Foods might have them. Don’t know if my smoothie bowl will look as pretty but I’m definitely down to try since this is simple enough for me to try out!
Hey Melanie, I hope you love it if you try it out! And if you can’t get your hands on some hemp hearts they’re totally optional as a topping. Throw on whatever you have, I say! ;)
Our local bulk barn carries hemp hearts as well as most grocery stores. Check in their protein powder section; Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts is a very easy to locate (my small-town walmart carries them!)
Oh yum and so pretty! Am I the only one who “bribes” herself with healthy food by making it look artful? :P If I wanted to reduce the sugar content and up protein, I was thinking about adding some nut butter or coconut butter to the smoothie mixture, and maybe adding chia seeds and/or flax. Would love suggestions (I have to do low sugar, even with fruits). This is definitely getting a Vita(mix) whirl this week, as I’m craving healthy foods after the New Year!
Hey Kathy, I think coconut butter would pair nicely with these flavours for sure, although it’s not high in protein (only 1g protein per tbsp). The hemp hearts sprinkled on top are a nice boost of protein, or you could try adding in a bit of your favourite protein powder (keeping in mind it changes the flavours quite a bit). Hope this helps!
Those of us who have been in the trenches as “that family” in the past (my daughters are 21 and 19) are sympathetic to you young families. If I can catch a young parent’s eye, I usually offer to take a stroll with a fidgety toddler or read a book or something. After all, it helps everyone on the plane, not just the parents. My youngest is home from college, and always looking for make-ahead-able smoothies for busy weekdays when it’s hard to get her veggies. She agrees this is perfect.
Those gestures make all the difference, don’t they? I try to do the same now too. It’s amazing what a simple few words of encouragement or a helping hand can do.
Oh Ang, how scary and stressful for you! So glad everyone is home safe and sound and healthy! This looks delicious… love the idea of using clementines! Happy 2018! :)
Thanks Sandy! Happy New Year to you as well. :)
Omg! I have to say, I am not a 100% on board with the smoothie bowl trend. (IDK the whole cold soup aspect throws me for a loop). This smoothie bowl looks amazing, I would never have thought to combine matcha and ginger. I might just have to try this whole bowl thing after all!
It took me a long time to get behind smoothie bowls too because it’s extra work, but they are a fun treat now and then. I’d love to know what you think if you try it out.
Hi Angela, what a nightmare of a travel experience. I am glad Adriana is ok! Yes, traveling with kids under five is a humbling experience, but thankfully, you don’t normally see the airplane passengers after returning home! Lol
Thank you for this recipe. My three under five will enjoy it and the immune boosting power is a huge plus for us in the winter sick season. Blessings to you and your family ?
“thankfully, you don’t normally see the airplane passengers after returning home!” that’s what I always say too. ;) It’s like…let’s just pretend that flight never happened, deal?
Enjoy the smoothie if you make it! Sounds like you’ve got your hands full over there.
This looks great! Do you have any suggestions on what to substitute for the spinach? I can’t eat spinach, and I find it’s used so often in smoothie recipes.
Hey Julia, I’ve used baby kale with great success in this smoothie. Maybe that’s an option for you?
Good idea! I’ve used regular kale, but the texture is always grainy (using an immersion blender to mix). I will try that. Thanks!
Oh good point…I do find the baby kale is easier to blend! And a bit milder flavour too.
Wow, what a story!! You guys are troopers!! Nice to hear people helped out when they were needed, still good people out there! Thanks for the recipe, I am fighting a cold so this is exactly what I needed today…can’t wait to try it! Happy new year, all the best in 2018!
Yes, there are some awesome people out there. :) I wanted to get his name to send a thank you, but he was gone by the time we got off the plane. He’ll be the doctor that got away, I suppose! lol.
I hope you feel better soon, Karen!
Angela, I made this smoothie last night and it is wonderful!! Didn’t have any clementines on hand so used oranges instead, but will definitely try the clementines next time. Also, having come out a little thinner than anticipated I just drank it out of a glass, which was just what I was looking for!
I’m so impressed with how well my new Vitamix chopped up everything… no sign of spinach bits anywhere. It was so creamy and delicious, my husband actually caught me using my fingers to get every last bit out of the glass! haha
Thanks for the lovely recipe, and hope you have a great new year!
Hey Alema, Oh I’m so glad you made it already and enjoyed it so much. And congrats on that new Vitamix. We use ours multiple times a day!! Such a great investment. Happy blending :)
This looks like it will do wonders for eczema skin! Excited to try it!
I’d love to hear what you think if you try it out, Alanna :)
I tried this recipe and loved it! I did leave out the matcha tea powder. Even My daughter Loved it! We became vegan only 2 years ago and she is having a hard time embracing the vegan food. She (and I) Enjoy your recipes more than any others! I have bought both of your cookbooks and hoping your app will someday be made for my Kindle Fire! Feel like we are missing out on so much! Thank you for recipes we can eat everyday!!
Thank you for the kind words, Brenda! That’s so nice to hear that your daughter loved it as well. I really appreciate your support for my recipes and cookbooks too. Happy New Year to you and your family!
Dear Angela, I wish you and your family a very very happy new year! Hope 2018 brings you everything you’re wishing for. One thing I really appreciate about you is that you always keep it real. Your photography is so beautiful, but you never make us think that this is how things always look in your home – your life and kitchen get messy too:) I know it sounds silly but it really makes all of us feel less alone. I remember it made my respect for you grow even more when you showed a picture of your messy kitchen after a ton of baking and cooking (for your cookbook I think it was) This is so the opposite of what people tend to do on instagram, and I love you for it! The experience on the plane sounds sooooo scary, I would have been a puddle on the floor lol.
Hey Rachel, I’m so touched by your comment…thank you! That really means the world to me. I know what you mean about Instagram too. I find I have to step away from it at times because the perfect images are just too much! I will keep your words in mind and try to share even more messy/behind-the-scenes stuff as much as I can. ;) Be careful what you wish for…hahaha. I hope 2018 is off to a great start for you!
Hi, I was wondering which brands of hemp hearts you like? Also, do you use bee pollen? I live in Tokyo so may have some difficulty finding these….any substitutes?
Hey Carmen, I use Manitoba Harvest hemp hearts as they’re Canadian but any brand will do! Also, the hemp hearts are optional for this recipe so if you can’t find them not to worry. I don’t use bee pollen but if you do you could add some on top instead! Hope this helps.
I am not so sure about a smoothie bowl..Is it like cold soup?
I have seen lots of recipes on Pintrest… maybe will try
Thanks for sharing!
Smoothie bowls are basically extra thick smoothies :) So the toppings (if you use them) float on top rather than sinking. I’d love to know what you think if you try it out!
I’ve never put ginger in smoothie before. Sometime I will try it tomorrow.
Me too Emma, until recently. I’ve tried at least 3 smoothies now with ginger and turns out I love it! My husband, however, will take some convincing ;) I suggest adding in a little piece, and then go from there.
I totally agree that it’s best to start small with ginger! ;)
I’m glad you all made it safely home after all the traveling. Hope you found some time to relax somewhere in there. ??
Thanks Kayla! :) I sure did.
I remember the ladies from the Podcast One Bad Mother was on a cruise with her family. Her husband was performing on the cruise, and she decided to keep her kids on Californian time, the cruise was on a very different schedule, which ended p working perfectly. The kids were up late at night but it was when all the fun stuff was happening, and they weren’t bummed when they had to go to sleep because the cabins had such small windows, aka dark enough for sleeping. So it worked out perfectly for her.
Oh that does sound like it worked out perfectly!! We were the reverse on our trip (up early/bed early) since we were going east to west, but it still worked out fine since it gets dark so early in the late afternoon/evening.