I originally shared this recipe for what I cheesily dubbed a “power smoothie” back in 2012 when I was pregnant with my youngest. I still love it, but the pictures needed a makeover and the recipe needed some slight tweaking (I cut down on the sugar and upped the fat a little to balance out the macros). If it’s too tart for you, feel free to add a little drizzle of honey or agave! This smoothie is packed with nutrition and has real staying power that won’t leave you with a sugar crash and starving two hours later. It’s a great way to start the day!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Orange juice – Use a good-quality not-from-concentrate variety for best results. I’d avoid shelf-stable bottles or frozen concentrate for this one.
- Steel cut oats – Or oatmeal. Steel cut oats are loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and help stabilize your blood sugar. They help keep you feeling full and satisfied. Plus, you don’t have to cook them, which is always a bonus in the morning. You don’t have to use them, and they will add a grainy texture to your smoothie, but I don’t mind it–the oats are sweet and they make me feel like I’m tangibly doing something good for myself. If you like, you can combine the orange juice and oats the night before and store them in the fridge to soften.
- Greek yogurt – Full fat or 2%, plain and unsweetened. Make sure it’s true Greek yogurt that’s twice the protein of traditional yogurt, not just Greek-style which just has added thickeners.
- Frozen blueberries
- Baby spinach leaves – You won’t even taste the spinach at the end but it adds important nutrients!
- Crushed ice
How to Make Kate’s Power Smoothie
- Simply combine everything in a high powered blender and blend. I use the smoothie setting on my Blendtec, which handles it well, but you may need to run it through twice.
Storing and Other Tips
- This smoothie is best enjoyed right away!
Frequently Asked Questions
Not really. You could measure out your orange juice and oats the night before and leave them in your blender pitcher in the fridge overnight, but everything else should be added and blended when you’re ready to enjoy your smoothie!
Definitely! As written this recipe makes two servings. Feel free to cut it in half for one or scale up, as long as the ingredients fit in your blender!
Kate’s Power Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup orange juice preferably the good stuff, like the not-from-concentrate orange juice
- 2 tablespoons steel cut oats or oatmeal
- ¾ cup 2% or full-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 ½ cups frozen blueberries
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves
- 1 ½ cups crushed ice
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in the jar of your blender and blend. You will probably need to run it through twice. Serve immediately.
- Makes 1 giant smoothie, 2 smaller smoothies, or 3 snack-sized smoothies.
Questions & Reviews
I’ve been making this smoothie since you first posted it! It was what for me started on green smoothies. I had it this morning for breakfast! Thank you so much for sharing !
haha interesting story! The smoothie looks amazing! gotta try this.
Btw, you did give me an idea to create a new smoothie by myself xD
I found out I can store spinach in the freezer and that has been a serious game-changer. Now it’s always available for smoothies! This looks delicious. I do a similar one with blackberries. I need to try oats in it!
I’ve made my own smoothies before, mainly as a tastier way to get 5 servings of fruit and veggies all in one go. Mine consist of 1 ripe banana, some chunks of watermelon and/or pineapple, some plain fat-free Greek yogurt, a good-sized handful of baby spinach, and a handful or 2 of whatever frozen fruit tickles my fancy that day. That’s it. No added sugar. The fruits usually provide plenty of sweetness. I may use a little bit of splenda if the fruits I’m using happened to be on the tart side. But still no added sugar.
This looks delicious! Unfortunately, I have gestational diabetes, and my dietician says I shouldn’t have juice. Is there any way I can cut back on the sugar? Do you think it might be okay with milk instead of orange juice?
You could definitely try it! 🙂
Made this for a few days and absolutely loooved it but then I would get sick soon after. A week later I found out the oj (after having it alone) apparently strikes me with morning(?) sickness this go round. Any suggestions on an alternative? Could I omit it? I wonder how it would effect the taste.
I’m willing to bet that what feels like morning sickness is acid reflux (mostly because I have severe acid reflux in my pregnancies and they feel identical; I didn’t realize that I DIDN’T still have morning sickness at 24 weeks when my new OB gave me a prescription for reflux medication).
ANYWAY. 🙂 Most juices are at least a little acidic, but OJ is pretty bad. You could play around with different non-citrus juices and see what you like. Apple, cherry, or white grape might work.
Just discovered your blog and am IN LOVE! Quick question about the smoothie — could I use a good food processor instead of a blender? Thank ya! 🙂
You could try it!
Try the smoothie very delicious….can I use it the next day…..or has be all used immediately…