When we think of greens for a smoothie we typically think of spinach, kale, and the like. But did you know you can actually blend zucchini into your smoothie?!
Not only can you add zucchini as a base for your smoothie, but it’s loaded with health benefits for summer, mild in flavor, and brings extra creaminess to your drink. So I created this Zucchini Cocoa Berry Smoothie for a healthy summer snack to enjoy!
We have tons of zucchini growing on our tower garden right. My kids have now gotten bored with my usual go-to zucchini recipe (just slicing and sautéing with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper), so it was time for us to get a bit creative with our harvest. Hence, the Zucchini Cocoa Berry Smoothie was born 🙂
Before we dive into the recipe, let’s look at some of the ingredients, starting with the main one: zucchini.
Health Benefits of Zucchini and Why This Recipe Works
In Chinese medicine, zucchini (also known as courgette in different parts of the world) is known as a “cooling” food. This means it helps clear heat from the body, making it particularly beneficial to eat (or drink!) in summer. It’s considered a healthy food in that it’s low in calories and loaded with anti-inflammatory properties, and it’s low-glycemic which means it won’t spike your blood sugar.
Zucchini is also high in nutrients like potassium and manganese, and antioxidants like vitamins A and C. It also adds fiber to your meals or smoothies. The seeds hold phytonutrients to help fight inflammation and oxidative stress, so no need to remove those!
Seeds from squash were also historically believed to be antimicrobial and offer antiparasitic properties, so many cultures believed that zucchini benefited digestive, immune, nervous, and cardiovascular systems. The lutein and zeaxanthin in zucchini have even been shown to protect eye health.
It may seem hard to know what to eat and when, but when in doubt, look to nature. Intuition on how to care for our bodies tends to come from the most simple and obvious places that we often overlook. When you think of the time of year zucchini grows, which is spring and summer, of course, it makes sense that it would be the most beneficial for your body to eat it during this time.
Note: If you are having trouble with digestion, it is best to remove the skin from your zucchini before you add it to the blender.
The Ingredients for Zucchini Cocoa Berry Smoothie
Along with the zucchini, this smoothie also uses:
- banana
- wild blueberries*
- cocoa powder
- cashew milk
- chia seeds
- coconut oil
- fresh mint
We also added collagen powder to our smoothie at the end, which is optional but beneficial as well.
*Tip: Wild blueberries are even higher in antioxidants than regular blueberries and have lots of health benefits. If you can’t find wild blueberries (check the frozen section at your local grocery), you can use wild blueberry powder, which I sometimes do. You simply add a scoop to your smoothie along with the rest of your ingredients. Amazon sells the powder here: Wild Blueberry Powder.
How to Make the Zucchini Cocoa Berry Smoothie
This smoothie is so incredibly easy to make, and it smells delicious, too. To make it, you simply add your ingredients to a blender and blend on high.
I use the Vitamix, which is definitely the star of the blender world and is a powerhouse for all your smoothies and blending needs. There are many different sizes and models you can choose from. Here is the one we have: Vitamix 5200 Blender Professional-Grade, Self-Cleaning 64 oz Container
You can add your ingredients in this order: zucchini, banana, blueberries, milk, chia seeds, cocoa powder, coconut oil, and fresh mint. Blend on high, or with a Vitamix, simply turn it to “smoothie” mode and let it stop automatically once it’s finished. If you are adding in collagen powder and/or wild blueberry powder, you can add it now and blend on low for 30 seconds (just enough to blend it in).
Pour into a glass and enjoy right away! Have you ever put zucchini in your smoothie before? Did you like this recipe? Let me know in the comments!
And, if you are growing zucchini in your garden, try my Fried Squash Blossoms recipe or Gluten-Free Zucchini Lasagna to use up all those gorgeous edible flowers that grow on your zucchini and squash plants.
Zucchini Cocoa Berry Smoothie
2
servingsKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
1/2 medium zucchini
1/2 medium banana
1 cup wild blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk, such as cashew or coconut
1 tbsp. chia seeds, soaked for 5 minutes in water
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tbsp. coconut oil
1 tbsp. fresh mint
1 scoop collagen powder (optional)
1 scoop wild blueberry powder (optional)
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