On Monday, Mother Nature decided to be all like “Hey, I know it was 100 degrees yesterday, but I think I’ll make it 53 degrees this morning.” Of course, I went outside Monday morning wearing shorts and a T-shirt thinking I was going to be sweating like crazy, but in reality, I had to go back inside and throw on a big ‘ol sweater just to keep my tiny little arms warm. Yep.
However, today was another blazer and gardening was a little on the NOT FUN side of the spectrum. Sweat pouring down my face, shirt drenched—I won’t go into the details. But at least I was able to whip up this skinny banana oatmeal smoothie (which is totally delicious and refreshing) in less than five minutes when I came inside.
I may be, uh, slightly obsessed with this smoothie. A.K.A. I practically swallowed the glass whole and then proceeded to make a second smoothie. Don’t judge.
This smoothie is like a taste of fall that’s still clinging on to summer. The cinnamon-ginger-nutmeg combo pretty much screams autumn, but how refreshing this smoothie is enough to convince me to make it every season of the year. Every DAY of the year. Wait, I think I took that a little too far. But I think you get my point.
The banana in this recipe acts as a thickener, and obviously a flavorer, but that’s beside the point. Instead of adding ice to the smoothie, which can water it down and make a less-than-desirable smoothie, you add chunks of frozen banana. To make frozen chunks of banana, peel a ripe banana, cut it into 4 pieces (they don’t have to be equal), toss those suckers in a Ziploc bag, and freeze ’em.
The banana also helps to make this vegan smoothie creamy. Creaminess is a must when it comes to smoothies.
I use my Ninja Mega Kitchen System to make all my smoothies and love it. If I’m making a large batch of smoothies at one time, I’ll use the blender attachment but if I’m just making a smoothie for me, I like to use the single serve blender attachment. One of the best investments I’ve ever made.
I can already tell that this smoothie is going to be making a regular appearance at my house. A few of the kids were doing their studies at the kitchen table that morning and asked for a sip (of the second glass), and they LOVED IT! I wish I had thought to freeze more bananas, because it was a HUGE hit with my family.
This skinny banana oatmeal smoothie is practically liquid gold. Drink up!
Here’s the recipe:
- ¼ cup old-fashioned oats (or quick-cooking oats)
- 1 frozen banana, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or non-dairy milk of choice)
- 1½ tablespoons organic maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- pinch of nutmeg
- Pour the oats into your blender and blend until finely ground.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients and blend for 1-2 minutes, or until smooth.
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Have you made using ripe bananas that are not frozen?
I’ve used frozen bananas in a strawberry smoothie and was surprised how much I disliked frozen versus ripe bananas on the counter.
Hi Kristy! I usually freeze ripe bananas that I have peeled and cut into chunks for my smoothies, but I haven’t tried it with fresh banana. If you try it, please let me know how it works for you. 😉
Looks perfect for busy morning on the go.
Aah, this banana oatmeal smoothie is my new favorite thing to have for breakfast!! So good! I sometimes would have oatmeal for breakfast, sometimes even a banana, but I never thought to combine the two to make a delicious smoothie!! Genius! 🙂 Thanks for sharing 🙂
I have no words… Oh wait, I have three. LOVE. THIS. RECIPE! It’s absolutely delicious. Thanks for the great idea!