Golden Pineapple Smoothie
Golden Pineapple Smoothie- A pineapple smoothie loaded with warm anti-inflammatory spices makes a beneficial and delicious breakfast treat.
August 15, 2022 by Nicole Collins
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how diet impacts health.
I’m not just talking about how eating a greasy cheeseburger every day is bad for your heart. I’m talking more about how the natural properties of certain foods can heal certain ailments.
Without giving you TMI, I’ve recently had to make some changes to the way I tackle my reproductive health. I’ve always had a particularly difficult time in this category. But recently, I’ve been seeing how people are utilizing certain foods and diets to help regulate their systems which, in turn, improves their symptoms.
If you know me, you know I hate taking medication. I’d much rather go the natural route to cure an ailment. When I’m sick, I drink a concoction of apple cider vinegar and hot water. When I’m hurting physically, I try to eat foods that are richer in anti-inflammatory properties. When I’m anxious, I stay away from sweets and alcohol.
But, I feel like there’s such a bigger world out there when it comes to eating with intention. Has anyone dabbled with the idea of targeted eating instead of medicine?
Today’s recipe was born as a result of an incredibly painful back injury. I was hoping to ease the inflammation, so I added every anti-inflammatory spice that I knew I had and blended it with the only thing I could even think about ingesting at the time. And you know what, it was delicious!
And, that’s what we’re making today.
Today, we’re making a Golden Pineapple Smoothie!
This recipe is loosely inspired by golden milk. We’re going to take a coconut milk blend and some warm spices, then blend them with some sweet frozen pineapple for a beautiful and delicious beverage. It’s a dump and go kind of recipe that only requires a handful of thoughtful ingredients and a blender. So, you can’t beat it when something we make is simple, delicious, and beneficial to us!
Let’s start with talking about our milk choice for this smoothie. I love coconut milk and had almost primarily switched to using lite coconut milk in my smoothies. However, I’ve recently learned that coconut milk is extremely high in saturated fat. And ya girl has high cholesterol with elevated LDL’s, so guess who was unknowingly making it worse with all the coconut milk? It’s a real bummer, actually. Especially because coconut milk is the perfect flavor for this smoothie. But, I have a compromise! I found a toasted coconut flavored almond milk blend from Califia Farms that works as a perfect substitute. So, if your body can handle light coconut milk, use that. If not, I totally recommend this almond milk blend alternative.
We’re going to add the milk to a blender with some frozen pineapple and some warm spices. Since this smoothie started as a way for me to get some anti-inflammatory properties into my body, we’re going to use some cinnamon, some ginger, some turmeric, and some black pepper. Yes, black pepper.
Are we going to make this a pineapple and pepper smoothie? Heck no. We just need a pinch of pepper to get the most out of our turmeric. There’s a specific and scientific explanation for why turmeric needs black pepper. But the gist is that black pepper contains a compound which helps increase the rate that turmeric is absorbed by the body. And the more our body absorbs, the more benefits our body receives.
That’s really all there is to it. Hit the button, blend it up, and enjoy. This smoothie is sweet and tropical which is exactly what I love out of a smoothie. But, there’s also a slightly spicy warming element thanks to all those spices we threw into the mix. And the color…you can’t beat it. That gorgeous golden color is an instant mood booster from first glance.
Alright, everyone! You know I love a green smoothie, but this golden smoothie is quickly inching up to my top spot.
I hope you love this one as much as I do. Enjoy! And, let’s drink!
Golden Pineapple Smoothie
Serves: 1 Print
Ingredients:
½ of a very ripe banana, cut and frozen
1 cup chopped pineapple, frozen
1 cup lite coconut milk
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
½ tbsp maple syrup
½ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground ginger
pinch black pepper
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides if necessary. Serve immediately.
Recipe notes:
*I keep a bag of frozen bananas in my freezer at all times for smoothies. When the bananas are very ripe (more black on the skin than yellow), peel and chop them into quarters. Space them out individually on a plate or or tray, and place them in the freezer. After a few hours when they're completely frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag until ready to use. Freezing them separately keeps them from clumping together in the bag and being frozen with an undetachable buddy. I'll do the same with any fruit when it's in season, and I have an abundance.
*You could replace the coconut milk with unsweetened almond milk. I've even used a coconut milk/almond milk blend, and it's delish.
*I recommend starting with chilled coconut milk if you can so the smoothie stays nice and cool.
*This smoothie works great with frozen peaches too.
*It may sound weird to add black pepper to a smoothie, but you can't even taste it. We just need a tiny pinch, but it's necessary to activate the turmeric so we can get all of the health benefits turmeric has to offer.
