The Greek Yogurt Summer Smoothie

Cooling Down and Fueling Up

July brings longer days, busier schedules, and often irregular eating routines. It can be hard to stay on top of eating well—especially when it feels too hot to cook—and that can lead to lower energy levels throughout the day, decreases in performance, and even potentially muscle loss. Enter the summer smoothie.

Our Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Jessica Kruzan has put together a recipe that can help you overcome all those challenges at once. Nothing helps you fuel up and cool down quite like a summer smoothie, and this one in particular has extra benefits. It get you a healthy dose of protein and fiber that can help you feel and stay full. It can even help to prevent that muscle loss through your less in those times when you might delay or miss a meal on a busy day.

The benefits to this recipe don’t stop there: protein can also help to steady our blood sugar throughout the day, which can help to reduce cravings cased by swings in levels. The best part? You don’t need any specialty ingredients like protein powder. Everything in this summer smoothie a whole food that you can find on your usual grocery run, including the freshest fruits that are hitting their peak season this month.

Summer Smoothie Ingredients:

• ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
• ½ cup strawberries or blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• ½ cup peach slices
• ½ frozen banana (for creaminess)
• ½ cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
• 1 tsp chia or flax seeds (for fiber & healthy fats)
• Ice cubes, as needed

Instructions:

Add all ingredients to a blender, and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass, and if you like, top with granola or chopped nuts for crunch.

Summer Smoothie Nutrition Highlights

• Protein: ~18–20g
• Fiber: ~5–7g

Pro Tip

We like to keep the basic ingredients like yogurt on hand, and mix up the fresh fruits based on whatever is seasonal.

Looking for Lunch?

Check out this delicious, protein-packed chicken salad recipe.