A Smoothie Recipe to Kickstart Your Morning

Blending together the perfect smoothie – finding that delicate balance of creamy, sweet, and healthy – can often feel as mystifying and unattainable as astrophysics or biochemical engineering! Friend of west elm DC, Alexandra Dawson, shares her go-to smoothie recipe base and a few pro tips. Your mornings just got a whole lot more delicious!

Before You Start:

Freeze your fruits and make sure your avocados are ripe and soft before blending for a thick and creamy (soft serve ice cream) smoothie texture.

I place my fruits and vegetables in my blender first and add liquids (like coconut water or almond milk) as the smoothie is blending to ensure I get that creamy consistency I’m after. You can always add more liquid, but you can’t remove excess!

A smoothie can make the perfect breakfast, lunch, dinner, recovery snack, or mid-day refuel –as long as you’re conscious of its nutritional quality. To make your smoothie more nutrient dense, consider adding a tablespoon of raw chia seeds for added protein and fiber, a dollop of nut butter or coconut butter, a healthy scoop of plant based protein, or a homemade nut milk.

You’ll often see my smoothies in bowls – I find this not only makes them feel more substantial, but makes them feel like more of a meal and less like a grab and go drink. I love to add lots of toppings to my smoothie for added texture and nutrition – toppings include (but are definitely not limited to): coconut flakes, frozen or fresh berries, chia seeds, granola, raw nuts and seeds.

I use this recipe as a springboard for the majority of my smoothie creations and you should too. Consider adding berries, peaches, and tropical fruits when in season and rely on frozen options for a more affordable and environmentally conscious product during the off-season to diversify your bowl.

Green Smoothie – the original

1 medium banana
¼ ripe avocado
½ cup fresh spinach or kale
½ tsp of ground cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened almond milk

Nutritional Information [per smoothie] 200 Calories, 7.9g Fat, 31.7g Carbohydrates, 7g Fiber, 15.5g Sugar, 3.5g Protein.

Blue smoothie

1 medium banana, peeled and frozen
¼ ripe avocado, peel and pit removed
½ cup blueberries, frozen
1 tablespoon coconut butter
½ tablespoon raw maca
1 cup unsweetened almond milk

Nutritional Information [per smoothie]300 Calories, 14.6g Fat, 43.6g Carbohydrates,10g Fiber, 22.5g Sugar, 5.2g Protein.


Place all of the ingredients in a high speed blender; start with ½ cup almond milk, then while blending, gradually add more until the ‘ice cream’ has a soft-serve creamy, creamy like consistency. Pour into your favorite bowl and sprinkle on your favorite toppings, enjoy!

Topping Ideas (because who doesn’t love them, right?!)

¼ cup granola (+100 calories)
1 teaspoon bee pollen (+15 calories)
1 tablespoon chia seeds (+70 calories)
1 cup mixed berries (+50 calories)
¼ cup dried coconut flakes (+100 calories)
½ ounce raw almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts (+90 calories)
1 medium banana, sliced (+100 calories)
1 tablespoon almond or peanut butter (+100 calories)

Alexandra Dawson is a Washington, DC based wellness warrior, passionate vegan & yogi. With a background in neuropsychology, nutrition, and dietetics, Alexandra writes a lifestyle and recipe website InMyBowl.com, promoting plant based nutrition, healthful and positive living, and #GoddessVibes. You can also find her on her beautifully impassioned Instagram @TallulahAlexandra.