Do you know what’s awesome on a dreary winter day?
Yes, okay, warm soup. And a fireplace. And a warm blanket that your mom crocheted for you (maybe that’s just me). And hot cocoa. I get it- warm stuff is really nice on a cold day. But do you know what will brighten your day and give you tons of energy during a time when you’d rather be cuddled up underneath a blanket?
A bright citrusy green smoothie, full of all of that citrus fruit from your CSA that’s just building up on the counter, that’s what!
I recently discovered this while making my lunch smoothie. I finally had to face that Tower o’Citrus that I’d created. Don’t get me wrong- I love citrus fruits. I just never think to eat them during the day. I’m much more likely to reach for some strawberries or an apple for a snack or to use in my smoothies. I might use an orange in a salad here or a pizza there, but for the most part, the poor things are forgotten.
I dove right in. Check. Half of a ruby red grapefruit? Check. Half of a Wekiwa (it’s a type of tangelo, from what I understand)? Check. Half of a blood orange? Check. I also used one of the kiwis I had laying around (I make it sound like my home is bursting at the seams with random fruit, but rest assured, they’re all piled in one bowl on the counter or in my fruit drawer in the fridge) as well as some frozen mango to add sweetness and body. A banana would work well instead of mango, and any other citrus fruits you have laying around would be great if you don’t have the ones I mentioned.
I added the little nutrient powerhouses we like to call hemp seeds as well as a ton of spinach (though kale or collards or chard would be great here too). Before I knew it, I was in citrus heaven. And I had a ton of energy. I’ve been dealing with some weird insomnia which leads me to not being able to get myself out of bed as early as I’d like. It also causes me to be pretty drained in the afternoon by the time I have my lunch smoothie. This smoothie perked me right up and gave me more energy and focus than I’d had all day. The fact that it was super delicious didn’t hurt either.
The brightly sweet and tangy flavor of this citrus green smoothie has been my go-to smoothie every day since then. Since my CSA is still sending me loads of citrus, I don’t see them coming to an end any time soon.
winter citrus green smoothie
Ingredients
- 1/2 a grapefruit, seeds removed and peeled
- 1/2 a tangerine/tangelo type fruit, seeds removed and peeled
- 1/2 an orange, seeds removed and peeled
- 1 kiwi, peeled
- 1 cup diced frozen mango
- 2 1/2 cups spinach, cleaned and stems removed
- 1/2 cup almond milk, plus more for thinning the smoothie out
- 1 1/2 tablespoons hemp seeds
- 1 heaping teaspoon maca powder (optional)
- 2 ice cubes (optional)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients, except the ice cubes, in a high-speed blender (or regular blender) and blend until smooth. Add more almond milk as needed to thin it out to desired consistency. For an icier smoothie, add ice cubes and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass and enjoy!
What kind of smoothie are you enjoying these days?
Photography by Chris Miller
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Beautiful Kristy!! I am SO envious of you guys down south and all the wonderful citrus fruits – we certainly have access but not in our CSA’s!! I agree with you too that a good punch of fruit can lift a mood (when mom’s blanket just won’t do). I also love hemp seeds in smoothie – so filling!
Thank you! Fruit, greens, and hemp seeds can work magic, can’t they?
Looks awesome, Kristy. Love the photography, too. Would love to borrow this one for my site!
Thanks, Blender Dude! I would love to let you use this one for your site, but please shoot me an email to discuss the specifics. Thanks so much!
those are some gorgeous citrus fruits! i should have frozen some ripe mango last summer.. i miss good mango! a ripe mango lifts my mood any day:)
Richa recently posted…Somer’s Cream of Mushroom Soup. Vegan Gluten-free Oil-free Recipe
I hear you, Richa- a perfect mango can pull me out of the deepest dumps.
YUMMMM!!! It’s still hot down here so we have been sipping on icy cold cacao smoothies but you’re actually making me look forward to winter so I can mix it up a bit! Those citrus colours are gorgeous!
Bex @ Vegan Sparkles recently posted…3 Essential Tools to Live An Incredible 2013
Thank you, Bex! To be honest, I’m loving the winter and when we get a warm sunny day, I secretly think to myself “Noooo! I’m not ready yet!”
You California girls with your local citrus make the rest of us seethingly jealous
I got some oranges on the vine from whole foods the other day, they were so fresh, like they’d been flown in overnight or something. I was dying with how delicious they were, but since I can’t afford $4 a pound for super fresh oranges everyday.
You are so right about this being incredibly energizing! I need to start adding some maca to mine too! xx
Somer recently posted…Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup
Thank you, Somer. We are lucky here, with all of our citrus, I will admit.
This sounds like an amazingly refreshing smoothie. I actually froze some orange and kiwi slices a couple days ago to use in a smoothie, but I haven’t made it yet. Clearly I have to get on my game! Your photographs are just beautiful!
jodye @ chocolate and chou fleur recently posted…Cinnamon Almond Flour Coconut Bites (And a Giveaway!)
These photos are absolutely gorgeous! The smoothie sounds great, too, but I really just want to stare at these pictures.
Hahaha! Thank you! We were racing against the sun going down and were afraid they weren’t going to turn out.
I’m glad that you like them!
Your smoothie sounds great! For some reason I’ve got out of the habit of drinking smoothies, but I really want to get back into it!
Thanks, Rosie! There’s no time like the present to get back into smoothie-drinking!
I feel the same way about citrus in the winter! I find myself craving it, as if I can suck the sunshine right out of it on cold, gloomy days.
Cadry recently posted…Clarifying Misconceptions: Is Breastfeeding Vegan?
That’s a great way to put it, Cadry. A bit of an orange does feel like a bit of sunshine, doesn’t it.
I woke up this morning with a wicked bad cold, made this smoothie and I swear it made me feel better, even if just for a little while after, I know the 500% + of the daily reccommended vitamin C dose is working its magic!!! Thank you, thank you!!!
That’s wonderful news! I am so happy to hear the- thank you for sharing, Carolyn! I hope you’re feeling even better today!
This smoothie looks great, so vibrant and refreshing. I absolutely adore blood oranges! We’ve been trying new citrus fruits this year; most recently pummelo and meyer lemons.
Anna {Herbivore Triathlete} recently posted…Weekly Rewind~St. Patrick’s Day Edition
First – I am in LOVE with these photos, they are beautiful! Blood organizes are one of my favorites to shoot, they are just so pretty! This smoothie looks so amazing and energizing- I have been making a Frozen Mango, Blackberry Smoothie with what ever random fruits I have on hand with a bit of matcha and maca – so good!
Heather recently posted…crispy matsutake spring rolls
Thank you, Heather! We were so unsure about these photos. We’ve been trying to do more photos during the day to use natural light, and Chris had a day off so I was planning on making this smoothie for him to photograph. But then I forgot until, like, 4:40pm. So I rushed to make the smoothie and Chris rushed to set up the table by the window where the last of the sunlight was coming in. The photo shoot was just a mad dash to use the last bit of sun. We were sure they were going to be “off” a bit, but were pleasantly surprised.