Here in the Midwest, where I live, it’s pretty dark and cold this time of year. It’s not my favorite thing, I must admit.
But today I’m sharing a breakfast smoothie option that is full of goodness in a glass! It’s bright and colorful in both looks and taste. If your morning routine is in need of a little pick me up, then you’re gonna love this recipe.
Currently, I’ve got a big bowl of these mandarins sitting on my kitchen counter and they are a good snack option when I’m feeling like something sweet but want to stick to my goals, or if I feel like throwing together this smoothie in the morning.
Related: 50+ Healthy Breakfast Ideas, Date Shake, Acai Bowl (Only 3 Ingredients!)
And of course I’ve got to have a cup of coffee in the morning too. Ha. Every morning as I’m drinking my coffee I tell Trey it’s my favorite time of day and I mean it. I am definitely a morning person, so a good breakfast and hot coffee is a must for me!
Mandarin Morning Smoothie, serves one
2 Wonderful Halos mandarins, peeled
1 banana (ripe or frozen)
1-2 dates
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled
1 tablespoon goji berry powder
1/2 cup unsweetened milk (almond, soy, or dairy)
Add all the ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth. It’s so easy that I can throw this together while my coffee brews.
A couple of minor notes here: So first, I’ve recommended 1-2 dates as this can vary based on the size of your dates and also the sweetness level you prefer.
This smoothie is more on the (naturally) sweet side as opposed to a green or vegetable-based smoothie. So this is really up to you and you could even omit the dates, if you like.
As I said above, the mandarins are seedless. So after peeling you really can just plop them into the blender. If you want to juice them instead you can, but I like to keep the whole fruit intact as it aids your body in using the natural sugars found in the fruit.
And speaking of dairy, an option for adding some protein to this smoothie is to stir a little greek yogurt into the smoothie (or you can blend it in).
It will add creaminess, a slight tang, but mostly some added protein. If you want to keep it dairy-free, you can always add a little protein powder of your choice. Up to you and your needs! Enjoy. xo. Emma
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Ingredients
- 2 Wonderful Halos mandarins (peeled)
- 1 banana (ripe or frozen)
- 1-2 dates
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger (peeled)
- 1 tablespoon goji berry powder
- ½ cup unsweetened milk (almond, soy, or dairy)
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth.
Gonna try this for Mother’s Day morning breakfast in bed!
yum! i don’t know why i never thought of adding oranges to my morning smoothies. i throw a little spinach in there, too. the orange color definitely helps brighten these midwest winter mornings!
I’m going to try this one. I love oranges and the mix with oats and banana is exactly my style
Healthy LifeStyle
This is a healthy thing. Thanks for the post I’ll probably change the juice of my kids.
I’ve tried this recipe twice now but cannot get the texture right. I have a ninja blender and blend it for a while, but I’m still left with large pieces of mandarin skin that kind or ruin the whole thing. Any tips or is this just a how this smoothie is supposed to be? What kind Of blender did you use?
I used a KitchenAid blender, it’s pretty high powered and blends REALLY well. I haven’t used a ninja so I am not sure how it compares? So the texture should be more like a smoothie than juice, meaning it does have some texture to it. If you notice a lot of (not sure the correct word here) but pulp strings, you can pull those off before adding to the smoothie. Also if you want to segment the mandarin, removing the outer skin around the juicy flesh part you can. It will take a little longer but may be worth it to you. Also, you can juice the mandarin before adding if you just really don’t want a lot of texture but I like keeping the fruit more intact because it helps aid digestion. Anyway, hope this helps!
Simple and delicious recipe, Emma. I love citrus fruits in smoothies and in combination w/the banana it’s too yum! I also put a carrot in the smoothie to get my daily Dosis of veggies, too. Thanks for the inspiration!
i’ll have to try this, it looks really good! xx
Looks delicious! And such gorgeous images!
I love mandarins! Its so hard to find a seedless variety though. I suppose juicing would be the option for mandarins with seeds.
YUM! That looks so delicious and I can’t wait to try this recipe
Looks delicious!
Smoothie and food styling look stellar but I’m especially smitten with your coffee cup: is it heat-sensitive (looks like it might be, the way the color stops at the level of your liquid) and where is it from?
I picked up some mandarins yesterday and am looking forward to trying this out this weekend minus the goji powder. A part of me is tempted to throw in a handful of spinach, but that would ruin the beautiful tangerine color!
That sounds and looks delicious, what a wonderful combiantion!
https://www.makeandmess.com/
Yummy this moothie looks so delicious
https://thepinkpineappleblog.blogspot.com/2018/01/natural-oils-new-trend.html
looks so yum i have never tried mandarin with banana, can’t wait to try!
http://www.thestyletune.com
Mandarin is one of my favorite fruits! Thanks for sharing, I will have to try it out <3
https://www.myblackcloset.com/
This looks so crisp and delicious!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
I am always looking for new smoothies. This one is so bright and looks so good. I will definitely have to try it.
xoxo
Stacey
http://staceylyynn.wixsite.com/stylingsofstacey
I have a serious aversion to bananas, so I often stray away from making more traditional smoothies that use them as a thickener. Wondering if anyone has any recommendations for what could be used here instead?
Pineapple is a great substitution for banana in any smoothie! I run my own cafe and all of our shakes/smoothie vary between banana or pineapple base. x
I find 1/3 or so of an avocado has a similar effect on thickening smoothies. Greek yogurt would also work to thicken it if you’re not avoiding the dairy, or sometimes I’ll throw in about a quarter cup of old fashion oats. The oats give it a slight chalkiness though, so maybe not for everyone but I like it!