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gorilla green smoothie in a glass with chia seeds on top

This Gorilla Green Smoothie recipe comes from my friend Katie’s new book, The Wellness Mama Cookbook. If you’re not familiar with Wellness Mama, her site is loaded with information on natural health and wellness, particularly when it comes to parenting. I always turn to Katie’s website when I’m looking for a natural solution for my kids– like making homemade elderberry syrup.

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Katie on her podcast, and we covered everything from detoxing, to feeding picky kids, to why we both love dates, and more. You can listen to our podcast together here.

the wellness mama cookbook

Katie sent me a complimentary copy of her book, and it’s loaded with real food recipes that are all grain-free, encouraging readers to make more vegetable-centric choices. The book does contain meat and dairy, so it’s not a great fit for my vegan and vegetarian readers, but it’s perfect for anyone looking to transition away from a diet of processed foods. Katie’s recipes are all easy and familiar, including favorites like chai coconut granola, angel food cake smoothie, sausage breakfast hash, chicken piccata, dairy-free upside down pizza, grain-free chipotle chicken fingers, creamy broccoli soup, and more.

Katie gave me permission to share this easy green smoothie from her book, so I hope you’ll enjoy it! Her recipe combines delicious tropical fruits with protein-rich chia seeds and sneaky spinach for a sweet green treat with a protein punch.

gorilla green smoothie in a glass with chia seeds and a straw on top

overhead green smoothie

Gorilla Green Smoothie

3.92 from 23 votes
This Gorilla Green Smoothie is an easy way to sneak more fruits and veggies into your day. Made with spinach, tropical fruits, and chia seeds for protein.
prep5 mins cook1 min total5 mins
Servings:2

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 orange
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • 2 cups Coconut Milk or Almond Milk
  • 1 cup frozen pineapple
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 2 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 1 tablespoon collagen powder (optional)

Instructions

  • Peel the orange, remove any seeds, and place in the blender. Wash and dry the spinach and add to the blender with the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth.

Nutrition

Calories: 279kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 68mg | Potassium: 583mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 2700IU | Vitamin C: 133.7mg | Calcium: 580mg | Iron: 2.3mg
Course: Breakfast, Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Gorilla Green Smoothie, Green Smoothie
Per Serving: Calories: 279, Fat: 8g, Carbohydrates: 29g, Fiber: 10g, Protein: 8g

Reprinted from The Wellness Mama Cookbook © 2014, 2016 by Wellness Mama (Harmony Books, Penguin Random House LLC).  

Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite smoothie combination lately?

Megan Gilmore leaning on her white countertop.

Megan Gilmore

Hi, I’m Megan. A former fast food junkie turned best-selling cookbook author. I create healthy recipes made with simple ingredients to make your life easier.

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Comments

  1. My kids LOVED this smoothie and I enjoyed it too. Keep up the good work I’m enjoying your blog. 🙂 thanks!

  2. Tell that to a frutarian! They eat nothing but fruit! And as far as natural sugar from processed…when we were wee tiny babies our Mothers milk was full of natural sugar. I think it does a body good,Of course everything including veggies in moderation. I doubt God created fruit to just drop and go to waste on the ground!!

  3. My girls (age 4 & 20 months) and I just made this smoothie. We all enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing!

    1. Frozen fruit creates more of an ice cream texture. If you use fresh fruit, the result will be more watery/liquidy, which is still fine, just not the same texture as intended.

  4. Made the smoothie for breakfast and it is delicious!!! Creamy, refreshing and satisfying. My bf loved it!! Thanks!

  5. Not to beat a dead horse, but whatever happened to the old saying, “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all?” I think Judith needs some SWEETness in her life! No one can tell me that eating a piece of fruit is one and the same thing like in eating say an Oreo cookie (in regards to the sugar content.) Yes, both have sugar, but there is absolutely no nutritional value in any processed sweet treat whatsoever. Whereas a piece of fruit offers at least vitamins and minerals. But I digress! On to my real question at hand. I found the few comments in regard to candida and cravings and food obsession very interesting. So I’m not the only one who suffers from such things? I haven’t been diagnosed as having candida, but everything I’ve read at least points to me assuming I have some degree of it within my body. I appreciate the suggestions because I have tried everything to get rid of the cravings and food obsessions and nothing has worked. With the exception of trying a parasite cleanse which I’ve been told is causing the cravings. Any thoughts on that? For my personal food and health struggles, I really have not found anything I could stick with for long. I’ve tried everything from macrobiotic to paleo. Nothing has lasted for me. It seems like no matter how healthy I eat, the cravings and food obsessions are still there. I don’t really understand it. Maybe it’s a mind thing. Any suggestions for that? So many people have done this Whole30 thing, but so many of them don’t stick to the lifestyle after the 30 days are over, and I ask then what’s the point? I’m so glad I found your website, Megan, because I think it’s one of the first mostly vegan and vegetarian sites that actually make eating that way look enticing, delicious, and not so intimidating. I plan on trying the 3 day detox you emailed me when I signed up for your newsletter sometime this summer after all the traveling I’ll be doing. (I’ll need a reset for sure.) I’m currently full-time breastfeeding my one year old, so I wasn’t sure if I should give the detox a try while breastfeeding or wait. I’ll be buying your cookbooks also. Keep up the amazing work. Thank you for your time. I welcome any suggestions from fellow readers too. As a side note, my now five year old was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes four years ago, so I have been doing a ton of research and trying new things all this time. I’m always open to new suggestions, ideas, or recommendations. The more knowledge I have the better. But then, again, maybe it has come down to what you said, “go with your gut.” I think it’s my gut that needs fixed!!

  6. Interesting discussion. The county where I live has a terrible obesity rate for children — 60 percent! This is a new and terrible development since the introduction of highly processed foods in children’s diet combined with more sedentary behaviors (TV/computers). Regarding diet — look at the sweeteners in most processed and fast foods — I mean, you can’t even purchase a jar of jam these days without screening it for HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP (when the manufacturer is honest enough the list that laboratory creation of the U.S. agricultural system that overproduces corn and attempts to make cheap uses for the surplus). Same goes for supermarket pickles and other condiments, canned goods and frozen foods. I would imagine it is a rare child who eats only whole food ingredients and dishes made from scratch without high fructose corn syrup. And high fructose corn syrup cannot be processed by the liver. It is a tragic situation. (Check out these videos at youtube — Sugar: The Bitter Truth — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM and Dr. Lutig’s more recent lecture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmC4Rm5cpOI ). But perhaps most visitors to this website already know these facts.

    Regarding this recipe, I personally cannot eat raw spinach; it truly slows down my thyroid function ( I feel cold, sluggish, etc.) I will try this recipe but substitute a bunch of fresh parsley to see if that works. Great website here! Thank you.