Piña Colada Smoothie and Bowl

A delicious fiber-filled smoothie with fresh pineapple, banana, coconut water, turmeric, and nutrient-dense seeds.

This Piña Colada Smoothie is a happy glass of sunshine! Much like a classic Piña Colada, this smoothie uses fresh pineapple, coconut, and a touch of rum flavoring. In order to make this a proper smoothie, banana and coconut water are added, along with a bit of turmeric, rolled oats, hemp hearts, flax seeds, and chia seeds to increase the nutrition profile and satiety.

The end result is a refreshing smoothie boasting bright flavors – and absolutely perfect to start your morning off right!

So let’s breakdown the composition of this Piña Colada Smoothie. For starters, pineapple is loaded with powerful vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Just one cup of pineapple chunks provides 131% of the daily recommended allowance (RDA) of Vitamin C and 76% of the RDA of manganese. Vitamin C supports a healthy immune system and manganese aids growth and balances your metabolism. (Healthline)

Interestingly enough, pineapples also contain bromelain, a special group of digestive enzymes that break down protein molecules into amino acids and small peptides, which can then be more readily absorbed by the small intestine. Essentially, these enzymes help your body digest the food you eat. Further research shows that bromelain also possesses anti-inflammatory properties which provide pain relief from some inflammatory types of arthritis. (Healthline)

I’ve posted before about the nutritional benefits of these tiny but mighty seeds – hemp hearts, flax seeds, and chia seeds. Hemp hearts have been used for over 3,000 in Chinese medicine. They’re an excellent source of Vitamin E, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, sulfur, calcium, iron, zinc, and gamma-linolenic acid. These incredibly nutrient-dense hemp hearts are 25% protein and contain over 30% fat. They are exceptionally rich in two essential fatty acids, linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). (Healthline)

On the other hand, chia seeds means strength in Mayan and were important for the Aztecs and Mayans. Considered a powerful super food, just one ounce of chia seeds contain 11 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein, and 9 grams of fat. They are also an excellent source of antioxidants, calcium, manganese, magnesium, and phosphorus. (Healthline) And flax seeds are among the oldest crops in the world. They contain many nutrients, including lignans, fiber, and omega-3 fats such as ALA. (Healthline)

This Piña Colada Smoothie contains several other nutritious ingredients, including coconut water, coconut, and turmeric. Coconut water contains 94% water and little fat; wherein coconut milk contains 50% fat. And just one cup of coconut water contains 600 mg of potassium! It’s also high in antioxidants, fiber, vitamin C, and several important minerals. It supports heart health, reduces blood pressure, reduces the risk of diabetes, lower cholesterol, and improves kidney health. (Healthline)

Used in India for thousands of years as a medicinal herb, turmeric is considered one of the most effective nutritional supplements in the world. Turmeric contains antioxidants and powerful inflammatory properties. For this reason, it can also help prevent cancer. (Healthline)

So now you know that this Piña Colada Smoothie is not just refreshing and boasts bright flavors, but is also very nutritious. I hope you enjoy this Piña Colada Smoothie or Piña Colada Smoothie Bowl as much as I do.  Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!   

I’m just starting out and would love to see your results.  Enjoy!!   And don’t forget to subscribe for new recipes today!!

Smoothie Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut water
• 1 cup pineapple, fresh or frozen*
• 1 banana, fresh or frozen *
• 3 Tbsp hemp hearts
• 3 Tbsp fresh coconut or coconut flakes
• 3 Tbsp rolled oats
• 1 Tbsp flax seed
• 1 Tbsp chia seed
• ½ inch fresh turmeric or ½ tsp ground
• ½ tsp rum flavoring (optional)

Instructions

1. In a high-speed blender, blend all of the smoothie ingredients together until completely smooth, about 1 minute.
2. Pour smoothie into one large smoothie jar or two glasses.

1. Or if desired, pour into two large bowls. Top each bowl with half of the sliced banana, fresh fruit, granola, and seeds, as desired.

Notes

* You can use any fresh or frozen pineapple and/or banana in this smoothie.

To make a Smoothie Bowl, pour the smoothie into a bowl and top with fresh and dried fruit, granola, and seeds, as desired. I used fresh pineapple and banana, dried coconut and papaya, granola, and chia seeds and hemp hearts.