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
Hmmm… NOT gestating here, and hopefully won’t be ever again. I already have FOUR of the little products of a pregnancy. LOVE them so much. Don’t want any more. 😉 That said, I’m trying to get in some healthier foods, more veges… trying to lose weight since I no longer have the “well, I’ll just get pregnant again and gain it back” excuse. Looks like I’ll have to pull out the blender and go buy some oat groats. This looks yummy. My fave breakfast is yogurt, granola, and frozen blueberries, so this is kinda like that but all mixed up and yummy. Thanks for posting, and best wishes for a healthy baby. 🙂
I just made this! It tastes fantastic! The only alteration I made was to add one packet of Stevia to give it a little sweet boost that I crave. I even found Red Mill oat groats in my grocery store in the baking section. Who knew? Thanks for this.
Kate you answered my prayers! This smoothie is the only thing going for me today….I just returned from a root canal & two crowns at the dentist, saw your post yesterday, and thankfully had all the ingredients at home – just whipped it up and am sipping it through the side of my mouth that isn’t numb & puffy – thank you! love it!
Do you have any idea what the carb count is? As a diabetic, juice smoothies are usually off my list of go-to foods, but this one sounds like it has so many other redeeming qualities that I might be able to make it work.
I needed this recipe like… 10 years ago! I have eaten a bowl of oatmeal almost every morning through 5 pregnancies (it was the only thing that kept me going in the morning). A smoothie would have been a nice change:) Looks delish!
I so want to try this! I am pregnant and need some energy ASAP! Don’t know if I can find the oat groats here in the UK, I may have to google to see if there is a health food store close by.
It will also help my two toddlers get in the fruit and veggies they have currently decided to boy cot, they will drink anything.
I am excited to try it.
I made this for breakfast today and loved it!!! I shared with my husband and I wish I would have kept it all for myself. Very tasty and filled with things I know are great for my body. This is going to be a go to from now on. Thanks for the deliciousness!
Thanks for the idea–I’ve never tried adding oat groats, but I’ve got a stash of them so I’m going to try it today! Also, I thought I’d say that I buy a huge (2.5 lbs) bag of spinach from Costco. If I can’t use it all before it starts to wilt, I just stick the whole bag in the freezer, and then use it in smoothies and soups. Works great!! And I use juice in mine, too, except I just put in a spoonful of frozen concentrate and some water. If I have juice in the fridge, it disappears so fast that I can never keep it on hand. (I have 6 kids, three of them teenagers!)
I was so happy to see this recipe and can’t wait to try it out. We need to get a better blender for sure. I would personally love to see more smoothie recipes. I struggle with just throwing together my own. Thanks!
Just finished by morning kickboxing class, and rushed home to make this. I had been thinking/dreaming about it since yesterday. Talk about a yummy smoothie, and when you said makes “one giant smoothie” you weren’t kidding! Thanks for another great recipe