10 Spring Smoothie Recipes to Help You Reach Your Goals

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Winter is over — time to pack up your slow cooker and take out your blender. These prescriptive smoothies are made from healthy, whole foods, and each serves a specific goal such as fat burning, preworkout power or improved digestion.

Just throw the ingredients into a blender cup, pulse for 30 to 60 seconds and you’re good to go. Bottoms up!

1. C Here

Drink To: Boost immunity.

According to research published in the journal Clinical & Experimental Immunology, 70 percent of your immune system is housed in your gut in the form of bacteria — and those bacteria are hungry. Nourish them with plenty of prebiotics such as are found in oats and bananas, and augment your GI community with probiotics found naturally in foods like yogurt, kefir and sauerkraut. The spinach and strawberries add immune-enhancing vitamin C, and the whole smoothie provides 8 grams of fiber — a satisfying way to start your day!

INGREDIENTS

½ small frozen banana
½ cup frozen spinach
½ cup frozen strawberries
2 tbsp old-fashioned oats
¾ cup plain, unsweetened kefir
⅓ cup filtered water

Nutrition Facts: calories 350, protein 14 g, carbs 68 g, fat 4 g

Just five strawberries contain nearly 100 percent your daily value of vitamin C and 3 grams of fiber!

2. Avo Burner

Drink To: Incite fat burning.

Gone are the days when dietary fat was evil, and in fact, research supports the notion that in order to lose fat, you have to eat fat: In a recent clinical trial, participants who reduced their caloric intake by 500 calories a day — but added in one whole avocado to their diet — were most successful in losing weight. And other studies show that cinnamon helps boost metabolism by aiding in thermogenesis.

INGREDIENTS

1 medium avocado, peeled and pitted
1 frozen small banana
1 date, pitted
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
⅓ cup filtered water

Nutrition Facts: calories 320, protein 7 g, carbs 38 g, fat 19 g

3. Running Smooth

Drink To: Improve digestion function.

According to The American Journal of Medicine, most people fall short of meeting their recommended daily fiber intake of 25 to 28 grams. This smoothie contains high-fiber pears and flaxseeds for your daily dose of fiber, as well as kefir, which has up to five times the GI-friendly bacteria as yogurt. And ginger has long-standing medicinal properties, one of which is reducing the time it takes your stomach to empty.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup frozen pears
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 date, pitted
1 tbsp flaxseeds
1 cup plain kefir

Nutrition Facts: calories 280, protein 13 g, carbs 46 g, fat 6 g

Pears are one of the highest-fiber fruits you can eat, with 6 grams per medium pear.

4. Serenity Now

Drink To: Improve mood and enhance sleep.

Magnesium may help alleviate anxiety, according to research published in Nutrition Journal. It is also reputed to improve regularity and treat pain and is found in abundance in foods like spinach, soy and almonds. Magnesium may also enhance sleep quality, helping promote the release of muscle-building and reparative compounds such as growth hormone.

INGREDIENTS

½ cup frozen spinach
¼ cup frozen edamame
1 cup almond milk
½ frozen small banana
2 dates, pitted

Nutrition Facts: calories 190, protein 7 g, carbs 36 g, fat 4.5 g

5. Sweet Satisfaction

Drink To: Crush cravings.

No one is immune to cravings, but this smoothie can help prevent a snackcident. Containing satiating high-fiber cauliflower as well as the ever-delicious peanut butter/chocolate combo, this smoothie will crush those cravings without ruining your clean-eating efforts.

INGREDIENTS

½ cup frozen riced cauliflower
1 frozen small banana
2 tbsp peanut powder
2 tsp dark cocoa powder
1 cup 2% milk

Allergic to nuts? Try an alternative like sunflower or pumpkin seed butter. Both still provide plenty of healthy dietary fat and will help create that smooth, rich consistency for a satisfying smoothie.

Nutrition Facts: calories 270, protein 14 g, carbs 47 g, fat 6 g

Research indicates that behavior like binging on sweets happen most when people are allowed only intermittent access to treats.

6. Turn Up the Beet

Drink To: Power up preworkout.

Research indicates that adding beetroot juice to your preworkout regimen may enhance oxygen delivery to muscles, reducing the workload placed on your heart and allowing you to train longer before fatigue sets in. Raspberries are a great source of healthy carbs for long-lasting energy, and because they are composed of about 85 percent water, they are hella hydrating.

INGREDIENTS

½ cup cooked red beets
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 date, pitted
1 cup coconut water

Nutrition Facts: calories 210, protein 6 g, carbs 46 g, fat 2 g

Look for cooked red beets in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores — no roasting required!

7. Pom Wild

Drink To: Boost cognition.

Feel like you’re always forgetting something? This smoothie contains pomegranate juice, which research indicates can increase verbal memory performance and brain activity after just four weeks of regular use. It also contains wild blueberries, which have two times the antioxidant power of conventionally grown blueberries and which have also been shown in studies to boost brain health and cognition.

INGREDIENTS

½ cup frozen butternut squash
½ cup frozen wild blueberries
½ cup apples with skin, chopped
1 cup 100% pomegranate juice

Nutrition Facts: calories 250, protein 2 g, carbs 62 g, fat 0 g

8. Anti-Aid

Drink To: Reduce inflammation, pain and anxiety.

The compound curcumin, found naturally in turmeric, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory benefits — good news for those with arthritis and muscle and joint pain. Studies also show it to have a positive effect on reducing anxiety and combating metabolic syndrome. Blend it up with some butternut squash to add a solid dose of vitamins C and E, which are important for eliminating free radicals and helping with tissue repair.

INGREDIENTS

½ cup frozen butternut squash
1 date, pitted
½ tsp turmeric
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

Nutrition Facts: calories 120, protein 1 g, carbs 19 g, fat 4.5 g

If you purchased your turmeric back when flash mobs were still a thing, it might be time for a replacement: Spices are most potent up to a year after being ground.

9. Muscle 911

Drink To: Help build muscle and enhance recovery postworkout.

This smoothie works double duty, offering performance enhancers to repair muscle damage and ingredients to help reduce inflammation postworkout. According to research published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, chocolate milk contains a unique nutrient profile of benefit to athletes, providing both a complete protein and ample glucose to repair muscle damage and replenish glycogen stores. And according to a study published in the journal Nutrients, the antioxidants in tart cherry juice help decrease oxidative stress and inflammation, accelerating recovery.

INGREDIENTS

¾ cup frozen pitted cherries
½ cup tart cherry juice
1 cup 2% chocolate milk

Nutrition Facts: calories 300, protein 9 g, carbs 58 g, fat 5 g

10. Bio-Beauty

Drink To: Strengthen skin, hair and nails and boost metabolism.

Biotin is an important B vitamin found in foods like sweet potatoes, beans and cashews, and while its most commonly known benefit is strengthening your hair, skin and nails, biotin also helps convert food into energy. Add some bananas for some extra potassium for healthy kidneys — essential organs for detoxing your system.

INGREDIENTS