Happy Friday! What are you getting into this weekend? I’m looking at a mix of work, not-work, and dinner with my parents. I’m really hoping beauty sleep finds its way onto the agenda, but I guess we’ll see about that.

In this week’s New York Times, I weighed in on drinkable beauty products. Though some of them contain compounds that show some promise in terms of skincare and anti-aging, their effectiveness in supplement form hasn’t been studied enough to conclusively prove that they work. Though they may not do you harm, they will definitely set you back a pretty penny. Or a lot of pennies.

kefir banana chocolate smoothie

Chocolate Banana Kefir Smoothie

That said, having a well-balanced diet that provides you with the nutrients you need can help you get the healthy glow you want. With the warm weather finally here, I’m seeing a lot more smoothies in my clients’ food journals, and I’ve been enjoying them myself as an energizing breakfast or snack. Here are a few of my tried and true favorites:

Another favorite I haven’t posted on here yet but was a huge hit at a smoothie demo I did this winter:

  • 1 cup plain kefir
  • 1 cup frozen mango chunks
  • 1 pink each cinnamon, turmeric, ginger
  • 1 cup ice
  • 1 large handful spinach

As you can see, I like putting stuff on top of my smoothies a lot of the time—granola, oats, chia seeds, coconut flakes, cacao nibs, etc. Obviously, this requires a spoon, so if that’s not your thing, skip it. You can also blend that stuff right in.

A few other things that make good smoothie mix-ins besides fruit, milk, and protein powder:

  • Frozen fruit
  • Nuts
  • Nut butter
  • Flax
  • Chia seeds
  • Hemp seeds
  • Cereal
  • Carrots
  • Beets
  • Greens (even frozen ones)
  • Frozen peas
  • Molasses

What’s your favorite smoothie?