Updated on August 16th 2015: I first posted this strawberry banana smoothie on April 2nd, 2014, which was a couple of months after I started this blog. I'm slowly going through older posts to update them with new photos, content, and recipes (if necessary)! 🙂
Yay for smoothies! I made a strawberry banana smoothie this past Saturday for the first time in months! I've been on a huge blueberry kick lately, so I've been making lots of smoothies with blueberries! Sometimes, a blueberry oatmeal smoothie and sometimes I'd mix it up with other fruits and juices depending what was in my fridge.
When I decided to make the classic strawberry banana smoothie, I came to look at this old blog post from April '14 and I decided it was time to update this post. For one, the photo was very plain, but I was very new at food photography at the time, so that was to be expected. I also had a boring blurb going on about how I was cheating on paleo by having a bowl of cereal. Definitely not paleo anymore, so yeah. Time to update this post and make it prettier!
It's a little funny to think about when I first started blogging, I was living a (mostly) gluten free and paleo-ish life for a short while and my very intention was to only blog about "paleo-ish" food. I soon realized that life just wasn't for me; I hated that I felt guilty when I ate food that wasn't paleo, like cakes, breads, and cheese. I love those things! And giving them up for good just didn't jive well with me. That said, I do still love eating paleo. It taught me how to not eat like an a**hole all the time! I just like eating that way without having the label on it. Guilt-free.
What's kind of comical and fitting about me talking about my break-up with paleo is this strawberry banana smoothie is paleo! I updated the recipe slightly by removing the chia seeds and I calmed down on the amount of cinnamon a bit. I actually didn't love chia seeds in this smoothie in particular and listed them as an optional ingredient, so that's silly. As for the cinnamon, I don't know if it was a typo or if I actually put a teaspoon of it in this smoothie at one point, but it tasted a bit too strong. I tweaked the amount, made more smoothies, and all was well.
I also updated the recipe to include frozen bananas! Remember my post a little while back on freezing bananas for future use? Smoothies are a huge reason frozen bananas are amazing. Especially if you happen to have a Vitamix because it was pulverize that banana into cold, creamy, deliciousness. So, so good!
I absolutely love my Vitamix because I'm in the kitchen pretty often and this thing saves my life a lot of the time. Okay, maybe a little dramatic, but it saves me a lot of time and hassle. Using a regular blender for smoothies is totally fine, but you might have to stop the blender to scrape down the sides and the smoothies don't always come out as smooth as you like! I'm usually rushing to get out of the house in the mornings and take my smoothie with me on the way to work, so it's nice not having to deal with extra steps to get my breakfast on the go ready. <3
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups almond milk
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 5-6 fresh strawberries
- 3 dates, pitted
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 frozen banana
- 4 ice cubes
Instructions
Vitamix Directions
- Add the ingredients to the Vitamix in the order listed.
- Start at variable 1 and slowly increase to 10. Switch to high for 10-15 seconds.
Regular Blender Directions
- Add the ingredients to the blender and blend on high speed.
- Stop the blender to scrape down the sides if necessary and continue blending until smooth.
I love that this smoothie is sweetened with dates! And it's dairy free! My kids are going to love this for quick breakfasts on the go.
Thanks, Susan! Smoothies are my ultimate go-to for quick breakfasts.
Hi Marissa! I love all of the ingredients in this! I especially like the addition of dates. When I saw the title, it reminded of another drink I'm quite fond of that involves tequila - yours is probably healthier, especially for breakfast! 🙂
Hi Dorothy! Thank you! I loooooooove tequila. I might have to make a similar smoothie with said tequila some night this week. Thank you for the inspiration!:D
Hi Marissa! I believe you and I could raise some H### and get in trouble together!! Probably a good thing that we live so far apart! 🙂
I love this combo in the form of smoothie..so delicious !!
Thanks Jolly!
Looks really refreshing and delicious!
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thanks Madiha!
This Smoothis looks refreshing and delish. I love Smoothies.
Thanks! I love them too. <3
You did a great job updating this post; everything looks so good. And is there anything that pairs better than strawberries and bananas in a smoothy? Probably not!
Thanks so much, Byron! I'm with you on that; it's one of my favorite combos in general and especially in a smoothie!
This is great! My boyfriend has been looking for some dairy and sugar alternative recipes and this will definitely be tried in our house.
Awesome! Yeah, I love dairy and sugar myself, but I try to limit my sugar intake and it's nice to take a break fro dairy too! Let me know how it is if you try it!
This is going to be my breakfast tomorrow!Cannot wait!
Yay! I hope you love it!
I love your food styling. I found your blog through the FBC SU&Yum Sunday. This looks so yummy!
Thanks so much, Sara! I tend to be harsh towards my own work sometimes, so it's great to hear such a nice compliment! Those SU/Yum threads are the best, even though they take forever to complete. 🙂
This smoothie looks delicious! Pinning it to the Smoothies Board.
Thank you! 😀