A healthy smoothie recipe with vitamin C-packed tropical fruits like mango and kiwi + protein and healthy fats to create a balanced, nourishing drink that's perfect for a light breakfast, snack, or even dessert.
When I shared my egg breakfast muffins recipe last week, I asked if y'all had any favorite on the go breakfasts and whether you relied on fixing fast meals in the morning OR foods you could prep ahead of time.
The most popular answers for quick breakfasts were oatmeal, overnight oats, breakfast sandwiches, or smoothies.
To be honest, those responses kinda surprised me! Why? Because...
- I don't usually eat smoothies for breakfast. More like an afternoon snack.
- I'm constantly blown away at all the creative, yummy meals other foodies (and my awesomesauce readers + followers) come up with and share on social media--especially Instagram. So, I sort of expected fancy-pants responses akin to full spread breakfasts lovingly made at the expense of an extra hour of sleep.
Turns out I was wrong. You guys are normal, non-superhero-in-the-kitchen folks just like me. (Phew.)
Tropical Fruit Smoothies = The Cure For Smoothie Boredom
So, if you're in the camp that drinks smoothies for breakfast (or any other meal), get excited because I'm sharing a super yummy new smoothie today!
This one is loaded with easy to find and inexpensive tropical fruits like mango and kiwi + protein and healthy fats to keep it balanced.
When I first started drinking smoothies, I used to always throw in 1-2 frozen bananas, some berries, torn greens + nut butter, and call it done, but that got boring reeeeeaaaaal quick.
These days I like to switch up the fruits to keep it interesting without spending a bunch of money on pricey exotic or out-of-season fruits (like dragon fruit a.k.a. pitaya).
Why I Love Using Mango and Kiwi in Smoothies
Right now I'm obsessed with making fruit smoothies that are packed with naturally occurring vitamin C and don't require any added sugar or sweetener. These are excellent to drink when you need to support your immune system or just want to load up on vitamins & minerals. Plus, they just make you feel really good!
Hence the mango and kiwi in this recipe. Both of these fruits are:
- naturally sweet (mango is the sweeter of the two)
- loaded with vitamin C + other nutritional goodies
- available year-round (they have two growing seasons)
- on The Clean Fifteen List (so no need to shell out extra money for organic)
- affordable if you know where to look (check discount or international grocery stores first for the best deals)
More recipes with good amounts of vitamin C:
- strawberry spinach salad with chicken
- strawberry banana muffins
- cabbage roll soup (lots from cabbage + tomatoes)
- beef & chorizo chili (from the tomatoes & red bell pepper)
- smoked sausage & vegetable soup (from the leafy greens, tomatoes, onion, carrot & celery)
Adding Collagen to Smoothies: One Helpful Tip
This past winter I switched from using protein powder in my smoothies to high-quality hydrolyzed collagen powder from 100% grass-fed cows.
It's is a clean & tasteless source of protein (10 grams per tablespoon) for your body that also reaps the same benefits of gelatin (my grandma's "secret" to beautiful skin & nails).
And unlike gelatin powder, you can use collagen powder in both cold and hot foods (it dissolves instantly). Because of this, I've been adding it daily to my bulletproof coffee, yogurt, and smoothies.
However, I recently read a super informative post from my friend Megan of Eat Beautiful about why you should take vitamin C with collagen. She talks in-depth about why vitamin C is necessary for the formation of collagen in the body.
So if you're supplementing with collagen powder (like me), it's important to make sure you're also consuming it with vitamin C! The easiest way to do this is to include a vitamin C-rich fruit (like mango & kiwi) or vegetable (red bell pepper & broccoli) in whatever meal you're adding the collagen.
So if you're supplementing with collagen powder (like me), it's important to make sure you're also consuming it with vitamin C! The easiest way to do this is to include a vitamin C-rich fruit (like mango & kiwi) or vegetable (red bell pepper & broccoli) in whatever meal you're adding the collagen.
That makes this smoothie recipe pretty perfect, eh?
Yield: 1
Tropical Fruit Smoothie
Prep time: 5 MCook time: Total time: 5 M
A healthy smoothie recipe with tropical fruits like mango and kiwi (both packed with vitamin C) + protein and healthy fats to create a balanced, nourishing drink that's perfect for a light breakfast, snack, or even dessert.
Ingredients:
- 1 ripe mango, peeled & seed removed (OR 1 cup frozen cubed mango)
- 1 kiwi fruit, peeled
- 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries
- 1/2 a small avocado
- 1/2 cup of full-fat coconut milk (get my homemade coconut milk recipe here)
- 1 tablespoon of high-quality collagen powder or protein powder
- Purified water or extra coconut milk (Start with 1/4 cup & add enough to reach your desired smoothie consistency)
Instructions:
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and add purified water (or nut milk) a little at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Some people like thicker smoothies, others like them with more liquid.
- You can also add ice to make it colder. I recommend doing this if none of your fruit is frozen, but if you add too much your smoothie will get super watery.
Notes:
If your mango and kiwi fruit are ripe, your smoothie should be sweet enough by itself; however, if you're using frozen fruit that's still a bit tart, feel free to measure in a tablespoon or so of raw honey or real maple syrup to sweeten the smoothie.
© The Rising Spoon. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not reprint this recipe without my written permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please take your own pictures, rewrite the directions in your own words, and link to this post as the original source. Thank you!
Bonus: If you want to order my favorite collagen powder from Perfect Supplements, I have a coupon code just for my readers! Enter RISING10 at checkout for 10% off your total. :)
I'd like to hear from YOU!
What are your favorite ingredients to include in fruit smoothies? Do you have any good tips for sneaking extra vitamin C into your diet?
PAID ENDORSEMENT DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. However, I ONLY recommend helpful products that I myself would use.
MEDICAL DISCLOSURE: The information included on this website is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. None of the opinions expressed here are meant to diagnose or treat any disease or illness. You should always consult your healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for your own situation or if you have any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment plan.
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