Almost nothing suggests summer like a sweet delicious pineapple. Coupled with the gentle flavor of basil, this makes the perfect beginning for a refreshing summer smoothie. The thing about a smoothie is, once you have a base of some essential ingredients, you can play around. Don't worry about having every single ingredient. Stock your pantry with some essential items and you will have at least most of what you need. Use your freezer to keep fresh frozen items (like berries and veggies) handy and ready to to use.
Pineapple is rich in nutrients, especially vitamin C and manganese. Vitamin C is helps maintain cell integrity and aids with absorption of iron (found in spirulina and hemp seeds). Also a good source of antioxidants (flavanoids and phenolic acids) with long lasting benefits, pineapple is probably most appreciated for its digestive enzymes (including bromelain), that help make all this nutritional goodness easier to digest and therefore more bio-available. What's more, studies have shown that consuming pineapple significantly reduced the risk of both viral and bacterial infections.
Immunity booster, inflammation reducer, and cancer fighter. All that packed in sweet deliciousness...ahhh, say no more!
Pineapple Basil Smoothie
Serves 2-3
Ingredients:
2 cups chopped pineapple (fresh or frozen)
1 banana
½ cup packed fresh basil
2 cups coconut water
1 Tbsp hemp seeds
1 tsp spirulina
dash fresh lemon juice
bee pollen & additional hemp seeds, optional for garnish
Directions:
Add all ingredients to a Vitamix (or a high-speed blender) and blend until smooth. Add ice or filtered water as needed for consistency.