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Raspberry Green Tea Smoothie

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Is it just me or do smoothies taste extra good after a workout? I’m sure it’s because I’m a little dehydrated so any kind of liquid sounds good, but the thought of refreshing fruit and creamy yogurt all combined in a cold drink really gets me excited after a big sweatfest! Even though it’s winter and there is almost a foot of snow sitting in my yard I still look forward to refreshing smoothies like this Raspberry Green Tea Smoothie.

Raspberry Green Tea Smoothie | Green tea replaces juice and milk in this healthy and delicious smoothie! | www.reciperunner.com

One of my New Year’s resolutions, if you can call it that is to drink more tea. I don’t know what it is, but I just can’t get myself to like the stuff. I have no problem sucking down my coffee in the morning, but whenever I make a cup of tea I have about two sips then decide I don’t like it any more. In particular, I really want to like green tea because of all the great health benefits.

Raspberry Green Tea Smoothie | Green tea replaces juice and milk in this healthy and delicious smoothie! | www.reciperunner.com

In case you aren’t familiar with some of the benefits of green tea, let me fill you in. Green tea is the best food source of a group called catechins. These catechins are more powerful than vitamins C and E in stopping oxidative damage to cells. So why do we not want oxidative damage to our cells? Easy, oxidative damage contributes to the development of cancer, and seriously, anything that helps stop the growth of cancer I’m all for! The best way to get these catechins into your body is through freshly brewed tea. Bottled, decafinated, and instant teas have less of these powerful compounds. To me this is one of the most important benefits, but I’m sure many of you are wondering about the metabolic or fat burning qualities of green tea.

Raspberry Green Tea Smoothie | Green tea replaces juice and milk in this healthy and delicious smoothie! | www.reciperunner.com

So there are mixed results when it comes to whether green tea actually boosts your metabolism. Some studies have found that it does while others don’t show any change. My thoughts are that the fact that it contains caffeine will give you a small boost in energy which can help prolong and boost performance in physical activity, hence burning more calories. When I train for marathons I often need some sort of caffeine to give me a boost during long runs. While the extra energy the caffeine gives me doesn’t last a long time, I do find that it gives me the kick that I need for 30-45 minutes.

Raspberry Green Tea Smoothie | Green tea replaces juice and milk in this healthy and delicious smoothie! | www.reciperunner.com

As with any food or drink that claims to have health benefits, take it with a grain of salt. There will always be cases for and against them. In my opinion though, adding green tea into my diet can’t hurt and will hopefully only benefit me. So, back to how I’m going to make myself enjoy a cup of tea…stick it in a cold refreshing smoothie of course! Instead of using milk or juice in this smoothie I substituted if for green tea. I added in one of my favorite berries, raspberries, a frozen banana, Greek yogurt for protein, and honey for sweetness. Not only was I having my cup of tea, but I was also enjoying the health benefits from the raspberries and banana! Until I find a brand of tea that I fall in love with I’ll remedy the situation by making myself this delicious Raspberry Green Tea Smoothie!

Yields 2 smoothies

Raspberry Green Tea Smoothie

This delicious and healthy raspberry smoothie uses green tea instead of juice or milk for an extra boost of antioxidants!

5 minPrep Time

5 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup green tea, chilled
  • 1/3 cup plain non fat Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 pint raspberries (about 1 cup)
  • 1 large frozen banana
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup ice

Instructions

  1. Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
7.8.1.2
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https://reciperunner.com/raspberry-green-tea-smoothie/

Raspberry Green Tea Smoothie | Green tea replaces juice and milk in this healthy and delicious smoothie! | www.reciperunner.com

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Green Blueberry Banana Smoothie | Recipe Runner | A healthy, sweet, filling smoothie packed with antioxidants. The best way to start your day!Green Blueberry Banana Smoothie 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  7. Julie | This Gal Cooks

    January 5, 2015 at 6:51 pm

    I'm probably the most boring person when it comes to tea. I love it but I only drink it unsweetened hot or iced with lemon. Sometimes I get the fancy flavors but usually I just stick to black tea! Just saw this smoothie over on IG. So pretty and I love that you added green tea to it. What a great idea, Danae!
    Reply

  14. Roxana

    April 5, 2015 at 8:40 pm

    You have to try Strawberry Fields Green Tea in a smoothie with banana. Yumm. Or even better, a banana matcha smoothie. :)
    Reply

  16. Evas Bennett

    February 3, 2016 at 3:33 pm

    I have not tried this yet as I am allergic to bananas and it seems every smoothie recipe includes thm. Sometime I sub pears for bananas. It would be nice if allergy concerns were taken in consideration and subs listed.
    Reply

  18. anna

    November 1, 2016 at 2:43 pm

    Nice simple recipe. I was looking for new recipes to reference for Green tea smoothies and will mention this in the post. Could add a cup of spinach to this recipe and it would be great. thanks Anna
    Reply

  19. Bridget

    January 17, 2017 at 4:20 pm

    Hi! I'm not a big tea drinker. Do I need to brew a cup of green tea, chill, and add to smoothie? Do I add from a bottle of green tea? I'm so excited to try this recipe!
    Reply

    • Danae

      January 17, 2017 at 4:44 pm

      Hi Bridget, You can either brew a cup of your own green tea and chill it before adding it to the smoothie or you can buy a bottle. Whatever is most convenient for you. If you do buy a bottle, make sure it is unsweetened. Enjoy!
      Reply

    • Danae

      December 22, 2017 at 9:39 am

      Mj, I haven't made this smoothie with anything other than yogurt, but you could always just leave it out. The smoothie won't really be creamy, but will still have all the flavor.
      Reply

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