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Tropical Immune-Boosting Smoothie

February 18, 2018 2 Comments

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Tropical Immune-Boosting Smoothie | chefshiv.com

I had a similar smoothie at a cafe in the Hamptons last summer and it was soo tasty. Yes, it was probably $12, but given that I swiped the idea and have been loving my version ever since…definitely got my money’s worth. Extra benefits of making it in the winter: super juicy in-season oranges, cold-fighting ginger, and for a second you almost feel like you’re basking in the sun on a tropical beach (more likely if your building’s heat is out of control like mine).

Making smoothies was the first way I started to sneak more greens into my diet, back when I was salad-averse, and I still love the feeling of packing so much nutrition into one quick, delicious meal. When the pizza, burger, etc. is calling your name later, you can rest easy knowing you’ve already given yourself a solid boost for the day.

Have you tried fresh ginger?

If you’re not on board with fresh ginger (yet!), I hope this smoothie will convert you. From soothing your stomach and sore throat to killing cold-causing viruses, ginger does us lots of favors (read more here).

I also love to use it in dressings and sauces — try my One-Pan Crispy Salmon for a super-easy way to add some Asian flavor to the fish.

Note on protein powders

Another key ingredient in my favorite smoothies, especially if I’m trying to tide myself over for a few hours, is a good-quality protein powder. I suffered through some not-so-tasty kinds when I first got into it so let me save you the trouble: Sunwarrior Organic ‘Warrior Blend’ is my favorite.

It checks all of the boxes health/nutrition wise — it’s organic and made up mainly of a clean, plant-based protein blend (a hemp, pea and goji berry blend) — and it tastes great without any added sugars. They did recently start adding stevia to it, though. I can’t tell a difference in taste so I’m still using it, although I’d probably prefer to find one without any sweeteners.

Even though I’m not vegan, I’m all about adding more healthy vegan proteins when I can, and it’s hard to beat the Warrior Blend’s 16+ grams per serving. If you’re looking at other kinds, my basic advice would be to aim for a short list of recognizable ingredients, with no artificial sweeteners or added sugars.

Tropical Immune-Boosting Smoothie | chefshiv.com
Tropical Immune-Boosting Smoothie | chefshiv.com

Tropical Immune-Boosting Smoothie

So refreshing!
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 5 mins
Total Time 10 mins
Course Breakfast, Snack
Servings 1 (2 cups)

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pitted date (optional)*
  • 1-2 inch piece of fresh ginger
  • 1 orange (or about 1/2 c fresh OJ)
  • 1 cup organic baby spinach, packed
  • 3/4 cup frozen mango chunks (or pineapple, or a mix)
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder** (optional)
  • 1-2 tbsp chia, hemp or flax seeds***
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened plain or vanilla almond or coconut milk

Instructions
 

  • Soak the pitted date in about half a cup of hot water to soften it (this can be more or less necessary depending on how good your blender is).
  • Peel the 1-2 inch piece of ginger with a vegetable peeler or spoon, and chop. If you're new to ginger, start with about 1/2 tbsp.
  • Juice the orange, either with a juicer (I use this one) or by hand, removing any seeds. This should yield about 1/2 cup of juice. (See note below.)
  • Add everything to the blender: spinach, OJ, ginger, mango, protein powder, any optional add-ins, and 1/2 c milk (more or less depending on the amount of OJ - you want about 1 c liquid total). Note: If you don't have a NutriBullet or other high-powered blender, you may want to blend just the spinach and liquid first to make sure there aren't any chunks of greens. 
  • Blend until smooth - you may need to add a bit more liquid to help it fully blend. Taste and adjust flavors/textures as you like! I drink smoothies with a wide stainless steel straw like these. 

Notes

When oranges are out of season (they peak around January-March), I usually just use water or more milk instead. Coconut water would also be delicious!
 
*Dates are a great source of fiber but its main purpose here is to sweeten the smoothie a bit, so you can sub about 1 tsp of maple syrup or honey instead, or skip it (the fruit usually makes it sweet enough for me).
 
**I love Sunwarrior 'Warrior Blend' organic plant-based protein (see note above). A couple of tbsp of Greek yogurt would be a great sub, or you can skip it, but you might need to add more fruit to thicken the smoothie.
 
***If you skip the protein powder, I'd definitely add at least 2 tablespoons of chia, hemp or flaxseed to make sure it's filling. Of the three, hemp seeds are the best source of protein (about 6 grams in 2 tbsp). See my post on Super Seeds.

This smoothie is my all-time fave! If you love it too, please let me know with a rating/comment below!

Filed Under: Breakfast, Smoothies Tagged With: breakfast, green smoothie, snack, super seeds

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Elizabeth

    April 11, 2018 at 2:24 pm

    I had the tropical smoothie last weekend and it was delicious!!! I don’t typically put ginger in my smoothies so I only put a pinch like Shiv said and it was perfect! Looking forward to making this again soon!

    Reply
    • Siobhan

      April 11, 2018 at 2:38 pm

      Yay so glad you liked it! I started slow with ginger too, and now I put it in dressings, sauces, etc whenever I can!

      Reply

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