By Doula Jen

Last fall we shared this one in our newsletter. It’s always such a hit with the mamas—thought it was time to archive it on the blog.

Smoothies are nothing short of glorious—especially as we busy our way through this last heat wave of summer. When it’s hot, we don’t feel like eating as much (unless at the State Fair of course and then it’s game on). We certainly don’t feel like cooking. Postpartum mamas also tend to lose their appetite in those first few days home after baby’s birth. Exhaustion and anxiety will do that. So will the all-consuming baby love.

I champion a smoothie alternative to a big meal for several reasons:  1. Cool and refreshing when the August sun or wicked post-birth hormones have you sweating. 2. It’s a no brainer when you’re tired…just blend and sip. 3. When you just don’t feel like eating, having a smoothie beside you over a good book or a quiet breastfeeding session allows you to feed yourself slowly, without quickly chowing down (mamas do eat too fast in that small window before baby needs them again). 4. Packed with the good stuff and delicious!

The following recipe can be toyed with and modified. This combo is the biggest hit in our house and gets all of us a dose of the good fats and greens. Love it.

Liquefy in Blender: 

2.5 cups of frozen mangos
1 barely ripe banana
1 cup vanilla yogut (low fat, notfat, or regular…kefir makes liquefying easier)
1.5 cups orange juice
3 teaspoons flaxseed oil or 3-6-9 oil blend
2 cups baby spinach

Best fresh, drink immediately. Enjoy!