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
LOVE smoothies! Have only just recently started adding spinach, but love it! Have never put any non-fruits-or-veggies in mine – not even yogurt, but especially never any grains, flaxseed, etc, etc. Will have to try it! Also wondering about the whole juice base being “not super cool or hip in the smoothie-making universe” – I’m not familiar with that. Is it really that big of a faux-pas??
Yeah, it’s all cool to use stuff like almond milk and water…which is not the same… 🙂
Really?! That’s lame. I’m sticking to juice! 🙂
I’m in love! I happened to have everything on hand yes, even the groats. My 2 year old even liked it!
I am pregnant with my 3rd, and the way you described how you feel, about food and what you need, etc is exactly the way I feel! This sounds like a great recipe. I am definitely going to try it out. Some days smoothies are the only thing that sound good. Thanks for sharing!
I loooove this post. I’m 30 wks pregnant and anemic and even my spinach and fruit smoothies are making me crash. Maybe groats are the answer? Worth a shot, definitely. Thanks!
Tara, are you using the greek yogurt too, like Sara say, the extra protien will also halo ypu from crashing, and yes, the fiber and protien in the oats help a ton too. I used steel cut cause I already have a ton of them and they work as well as the groats. I would also use half a cup of milk and half a cup only of orange juice, less calories and sugar and more protein. (actually, I would use a third of a cup of each as this is a big smoothie) (or protien shake as I would call it!)
I’m anxious to try this…thanks!!
Looks delicious! I remember when I was pregnant I usually ended up eating two breakfasts since I would be hungry less than two hours after eating the first time! The same thing sometimes happens now even though I’m not expecting. And I love the fact that it has spinach in it…I might start adding spinach to all my smoothies! :o)
So I have a 16oz cup with a straw (like yours) should I half the recipe or cut it down by 1/3 to not have a ton left over?
Oh, and your smoothie is purple and the cup is orange… Those were my wedding colors 🙂
I would cut it in half and I think you’d be super close to the 16 ounce mark (a lot of the bulk comes from the ice). And that is AWESOME about your colors! 🙂
Half the recipe hit the 16oz mark EXACTLY. I did have to add a little more juice for my blender to handle it. Taste was awesome!I had to use apple instead of orange juice because of acidity but still, awesome!
Hmmm…I’ve been on a major smoothie kick since going back to work after maternity leave. Banana is amongst my favorite, but I’ve been looking for other ideas since they aren’t exactly the best in the fruit department. I’m not a huge blueberry fan, but I bet mixing mango with the blueberries would be good!
As a “Gestating Emily” (my husband just loves having me around as well 🙂 who fully believes in a ‘the world does revolve around me and my growing parasite’ pregnancy, I appreciate any post on foods that stay in my stomach and not in the toilet, on the floor, in a towel, or whatever else is handy to barf in! Thanks – p.s. you gotta try a chocolate banana protien shake with oats in it…saved my life and my marriage 🙂
I’m so glad I’m not alone, hahaha! I will definitely try out the protein shake–the shakes themselves are never quite enough, but that sounds perfect!
this makes me laugh – i’m also pregnant with #3 – due in september. now, this caught my eye because a couple weeks ago i got some stomach something (on top of gaggy pregnancy business) and puked up yogurt. i certainly will never be eating yogurt from a spoon again in probably my whole entire life, but i need the dairy (i think milk is yucky) – and this seemed like a perfect alternative. and. i. love. it. been my morning routine since friday! i added a half of a banana too.
This looks super yummy! Could you cook the oats first? I’m thinking overnight in my crock pot. I’m not sure my cheap blender could handle them.
What you COULD do is soak the oats in the OJ overnight and then whip it up in the morning–that way, you still don’t have to cook! 🙂