Avocado Smoothie

The first trimester of my pregnancy was terrible. I had awful morning sickness and was so nauseated I could barely keep any food down. I ate cold grapes, applesauce, and saltines to no avail; each attempt at eating “real” food left me more miserable than the last. The only things that got me through those first few months were salty tortilla chips, Castelvetrano olives, and a sweet, tangy avocado smoothie I’ve been making since my college days. Just as this smoothie powered me through my undergraduate degree, it fueled me through the earliest stages of my pregnancy until I was able to stomach proper food again.

Each morning, I’d whiz together orange juice, chunks of frozen mango, a banana, baby spinach, and avocado. The primary flavors come from the orange juice, mango, and banana, which together provide a pleasant sweet-tart balance. The banana also adds fiber and body to the shake, which is improved even further by the rich silkiness of the avocado. The avocado's natural fats also help make the smoothie more filling, satiating one's appetite for longer than the other fruits and spinach alone.

As for the spinach, it pumps up the smoothie's vivid green color and—while we're not inclined to make any health claims at Serious Eats—adds a welcome daily vegetable dose with a mild enough flavor that you hardly notice it beyond a fresh green note.

The result is a smoothie that's the perfect way to start the day—no morning sickness required.