5 Great Lunch Replacement Smoothies

Written by guest writer: Scott Reid

If you eat lunch on the run and end up grabbing nutrient-poor sandwiches, or you are trying to lose weight but struggling with ideas, why not consider replacing your traditional lunch with a tasty, healthy smoothie? Easy to make and with no end of available varieties of flavor, smoothies can offer the perfect combination of protein, healthy fats and vitamins to make them a perfect lunch as well as helping with weight loss. You just need to pick your ingredients carefully to make sure your smoothie is balanced with healthy ingredients and not just full of sugar. But if you do, you will feel full all day as well as getting the benefits of all the wonderful nutrients. When selecting your choices, make sure you have a good balance of healthy fats, protein and carbohydrates and then you know that your smoothie is at least as healthy, if not more so, than your planned sandwich.

You can prepare smoothies in the morning or even the night before, and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to go and then just take them with you – incredibly simple and easy to do. Here are five great smoothies to have instead of your lunch:

Nutty Smoothie

• 1/2 cup of almond milk

• 1/2 cup of coconut milk

• 2 tablespoons of almond butter

• 1 tablespoon of honey

• 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder

• 1 tablespoon of protein powder (Such as Focus Performance Grass Fed Whey)

Blend all the ingredients together and serve over ice to taste – or make it the night before.

Banana and Peanut Smoothie

• 1 medium banana

• 1/2 cup of full-fat Greek yogurt

• 1/2 cup of coconut milk or cream

• 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder

• 1 tablespoon of peanut butter

• 6 ice cubes

Blend all the ingredients and serve. The yogurt and peanut butter contain vital protein, fat and fiber making it a perfect lunch replacement choice.

Ginger Spice Smoothie

• 1 cup of full-fat Greek yogurt

• 1 cup of ice cubes

• 1/4 cup of sliced banana

• 2 tablespoons of almond butter

• 1 tablespoon of molasses

• 1 teaspoon of grated ginger

• 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

• 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg

• 1/8 teaspoon of cardamom

Blend all the ingredients ready to serve. The yogurt and nut butter pack this smoothie with protein and carbs helping to keep you full for longer.

Avocado and Spinach Smoothie

• 1/2 cup of spinach

• 1/4 avocado

• 1/2 banana

• 1 tablespoon of hemp

• 1 teaspoon of chia seeds

• 1 cup of almond milk

Blend all the ingredients together adding the milk until it achieves the required consistency. This veggie based smoothie will leave you feeling full thanks to the avocado which contains healthy fats.

Pineapple and Kale Smoothie

• 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder

• 2 cups of kale

• 1 cup of pineapple

• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil

• Water

The combination of flavors makes this a nice tropical lunch replacement for a hot summer’s day! The pineapples work to boost immunity and help support gut health while the coconut oil is another great healthy fat.

Just because we love strawberries so much, we couldn’t resist giving you one last extra bonus smoothie recipe to add to your choices:

Strawberry and Oats Smoothie

• 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder

• 2 cups of kale

• 1 cup of strawberries

• 1/4 cup of organic oats

• 2 tablespoons of almond butter

• Water

Strawberries provide a great summer flavor but are also good for helping control blood sugar, while the almond butter is a great source of healthy fats. This is another perfect smoothie to replace that calorie-laden shop sandwich you were opting for, for lunch.

Smoothies can be an idea lunch choice as they are so easy and quick to make, either the night before and then stored in the fridge, or they can be made fresh that morning and taken with you in a drinks container. They also come in so many different flavors and varieties, from fruit-based to green-leaf based, so there really is one for everyone. It’s a case of trying different combinations to see which flavors you prefer.

As long as you get the balance right by making sure your smoothie is full of protein, carbs and healthy fats, and is not sugar laden, you are bound to see and feel the benefits of swapping out an unimaginative lunch for a flavorsome, nutrition-packed smoothie. If you are not convinced by the health benefits then think of all the money you will save by not heading to the sandwich shop every day for lunch!