The beginning of January hit a few weeks ago and this smoothie was in full rotation as my breakfast of choice. To be honest, I enjoy smoothies at all times of the day during each season. Not only are smoothies delicious, but they give you the ability to pack a lot of nutrition into one glass. And that’s something I love!
This green smoothie was inspired by my trip to a restaurant in Grand Rapids, Michigan back in November. Two months later and my content calendar finally had an opening to share this smoothie plus my experience in Michigan’s Beer City! We’ll get to the smoothie goodness in a bit but first, let’s chat all things GR.
I’ve realized that people who live in Grand Rapids love GR. I mean, LOVE! My wonderful friend Liz of The Lemon Bowl lives there and organized the trip with ExperienceGR. Her passion for GR has always been evident, and so I was thankful when she invited me to join her and a few other bloggers on a Grand Rapids adventure!
I’m not going to get into everything we did, but I will share some pictures and leave you with a few favorite recommendations if you ever find yourself in GR!
1.) Stay at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. Such a terrible photo above (no makeup + thank you iPhone), but this hotel is absolutely gorgeous! My beautiful updated room was on the 15th floor, plus the view was stellar. I definitely recommend staying here if you have the opportunity.
2.) Make homemade pasta at The Local Epicurean! Who knew that pasta making was such a breeze?! I learned how to make homemade ravioli stuffed with ricotta. It was easier than I could have ever imagined! Liz and I were partners and laughed the entire time! This is a great couple activity or something to do with a group of people! The best part? You get to take home what you make!
3.) Enjoy lunch at The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck! I got the chicken lettuce wraps and we shared a few pizzas. Everything I had was delicious and cooked to perfection. I’m pretty sure arugula on pizza always wins me over!
4.) Stop by Wealthy Street Bakery for a treat! Check out this chocolate chip cookie you guys. It was outrageously chewy and thick and packed with just the right amount of sweetness. Honestly one of the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had!
5. Have dinner at The Grove! The drinks are delicious and the food is even better. I suggest enjoying the tasting menu, where each portion is large and adventurous. Bring the foodies in your life here! You will love it. Pictured above: roasted vegetables over a pureed butternut squash. Also, don’t forget to get the butterscotch pudding — it is to die for!
6. Enjoy brunch at San Chez Bistro! This breakfast was AMAZING and all of the fabulous smoothies we tried were delicious. Of course my favorite was the Green Apple Smoothie which inspired the recipe I’m bringing you today!
This original green smoothie at San Chez contained yogurt, but I wanted my version to be dairy free so that everyone is able to enjoy it. I used almond milk and heart healthy avocados for a creamy texture. If you haven’t tried avocados in smoothies, you absolutely must!
Not only does this smoothie have great texture, but it has quite the nutritional punch thanks to potassium-packed bananas and avocado. There’s also a decent amount of omega 3s from chia seeds and filling fiber from apples. I call it the green goddess smoothie because after drinking it I felt wonderful, satisfied and refreshed.
I recommend this smoothie for a light breakfast or as a snack. If you’re looking to make it a full breakfast, add a scoop of your favorite protein powder.
I hope you love this glorious green smoothie as much as I do! If you make it, be sure to tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!
More healthy smoothie recipes to try:
Tummy Soothing Smoothie + Why I Love Probiotics
Triple Cherry Berry Watermelon Smoothie
Layered Banana Split Protein Smoothie
Refreshing Watermelon Pineapple Smoothie
Wild Blueberry Banana Spinach Power Smoothie
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Green Goddess Smoothie + a trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, plus more if necessary
- 1 organic apple, peeled and chopped*
- 1 medium frozen banana
- 1 1/2 cups fresh organic spinach
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1/2 medium avocado
Instructions
- In a large high-powered blender, add in all ingredients and blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until all ingredients are well combined. If necessary, add in more almond milk to thin the smoothie. Makes 2 smaller sized smoothies.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
 Recipe by: Monique Volz // Photography by: Sarah Fennel
Huge thanks to Experience GR for help making my trip to Grand Rapids happen!Â
The avocado gives this milkshake vibes. Sweetness from the apple and banana is just right.
Definitely creamy and tasty!
Recipe is for 2 servings, can the other serving be frozen? Or will the recipe still work if it is halved?
Yes! Feel free to freeze the other serving or halve the full recipe.
I’m traveling right now and cannot seem to find fresh spinach! Would frozen work?
I’m following a low fat, sugar free program (and no dairy). I was looking for a recipe that would help me stay on track on My Fitness Pal. I think this just might be the perfect Smoothie!
So far, I have lost 10 lbs. I once was 230 lbs!! lol So, I am about 20 lbs from Goal Weight.
Don’t let anyone tell you they are too old to lose weight… I turn 69 in April and I FEEL GREAT! IF more people would take charge of their Health and eat the right foods – it’s amazing how your Body will Serve you better. Thank goodness I discovered Bright Line Eating! the BEST!!!
I hope you love this smoothie! Such a great breakfast 🙂
Delicious! And a hearty smoothie, too.
Absolutely!
I know this is 2 years after the original post, but!!!! If you come back to GR there is so much here you have to see!!!! I live on the coast of Michigan about 40 mins from GR, but worked there for about 10 years. Some other places to try: Bistro Bella Vita, Vitale’s, Tres Cugini, Beltline Bar (classic burrito and the drink ” The Cockatoo” Is a must!) Finally, one of my favorites, a little family owned Mexican spot called “Tacos El Caporal”. If you haven’t been here for Artprize, then you are truly missing out!
Thanks Vickie!! I’ll have to make another trip to GR sometime soon – your recs all sound amazing 🙂
this is such a yummy smoothie!! Thank you!
I’m definitely going to make this, it looks so good! I’m trying to post more (healthy) recipes on my blog and your blog is definitely an inspiration!
Could you use regular milk instead of the almond milk if you don’t need to be dairy free?
Hi, how many days do you think this smoothie will keep in the refrigerator?
I would not recommend making it ahead of time.
What a fun trip, I’ll have to add Grand Rapids to my list of places to visit. You just can’t go wrong with smoothies, yours looks wonderful!
I lived in Michigan for 9 years but only went to GR once! So much to do! I have to go when I visit my parents!
What a fun trip! I loved following you ladies on social media, and I love having these recommendations now to save for the future. And I will be trying this smoothie asap!
Oh I was just talking to one of my clients and he mentioned his son was a chef at The Grove – what coincidence. It looks like such an incredible time and I think it’s time to plan a quick trip to Grand Rapids this fall!
I always feel better starting the day off with a green drink or smoothie. Yummy recipe! Looks like a great trip!
Looks like you had a really fun trip. And that smoothie looks wonderful!
I want to go pasta making! That sounds fun. And those pizzas look amazing. 🙂
Love The Grove! If you loved Grand Rapids~next time you’re in West Michigan drive 40 minutes west to Holland. You don’t want to miss Lake Michigan or a gorgeous West Michigan sunset.
DeBoer Bakery you can’t miss! An authentic Dutch Bakery and restaurant. Fantastic!
http://www.deboerbakery.com/
Come in the Spring and see over 4.5 million tulip plantings!!
Love it!! I would love for you to do a round up of all your cold weather faves for surviving winter in the Midwest!!
We miss you!! Come back and visit soon!! Xoxoox
It’s crazy just how much drinking a green smoothie in the morning can make you feel like you’re starting off on the right foot! Love the avocado addition in this
all those explore michigan ads on tv make it look gorgeous, but now it sounds like there’s amazing food, too! grand rapids will have to go on my travel list (:
Wow, GR looks absolutely beautiful! I’ve only been to NYC in terms of the East Coast. Great places to visit though! And I love your green smoothie recipe too!
GR sounds like so much fun! Also – this smoothie looks great 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
What a fun trip! You’re making me want to check out Grand Rapids!
Yay! We are planning a trip to Grand Rapids this summer, so this is perfect! Thanks so much!