This past week, I noticed my energy levels flagging a little; it’s right around this point that breastfeeding takes a lot out of you! Baby isn’t quite ready for solids yet at three months old, but needs upwards of 600 calories a day of milk alone. With my son, I hadn’t realized how many calories go into producing milk each day, and soon found myself underweight. Smoothies were my life saver.

So feeling like my supply has been a little low for Veronika, today’s activity was to make some energy-boosting smoothies to keep us both healthy and strong!

I played around with a few variations, and here are three that I loved. For all of the following recipes, simply combine the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. You can add ice if you like, but I prefer my smoothies without it.

Smoothie 1:

• 5 ounces vanilla non-dairy yogurt
• 1/2 cup fresh mango
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup carrot juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Smoothie 2:

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1 cup chopped Granny Smith apple
• 1/2 cup chopped cucumber
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

Smoothie 3:

• 1/2 cup rice milk
• 6 ounces apple juice
• 1/2 cup avocado
• 1 cup fresh baby spinach or watercress
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

This last was my favorite, rich and creamy from the avocado, and an instant energy boost. Feel free to play around with the above suggestions. Use oat milk if you like it better, or pumpkin seeds in place of the sunflower etc. If you have a recipe you like best, please share in the comments!