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Weight Watchers Recipe of the Day: Papaya Ginger Smoothie
This papaya ginger smoothie is a light, healthy and refreshing way to begin the day. And if it weren’t for my participation with a group of bloggers working its way through Power Foods: 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients (affiliate link) (by Martha Stewart and the editors of Whole Living Magazine) I never would have experienced it, since I can’t honestly say I like papaya.
But this exploration of power foods is about expanding our taste buds so I tried to go in with an open mind since papaya provides rich sources of antioxidant nutrients including carotenes, vitamin C, B vitamins, folate, potassium and magnesium.
It’s also low in calories and high in fiber and other digestive enzymes that support digestion.
Skinny on Papaya Ginger Smoothie
I decided to go with a simple smoothie, since it’s always fun to power up my Vitamix (affiliate link), and opted for the papaya-ginger smoothie featured in the book.
I first made it as written and Rod and I both found the amount of ginger (1 tablespoons), lemon (juice of two) and mint (16 leaves) overpowering.
So I made it again, decreasing the ginger to 1 teaspoon, lemon juice to 1 tablespoon and mint to 8 leaves. I also added a banana. We both liked this version better.
This papaya-ginger smooth is a healthy way to start the day. I’m still not a papaya fan, but this was pretty good, especially when you consider how good for you it is.
According to my calculations, each serving (1/2 the recipe) has 144 calories and *4 Weight Watchers Points Plus
Enjoy!
If you’ve made this papaya ginger smoothie, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it.
{38 Power Foods} Papaya Ginger Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 large papaya, about 1 pound, halved lengthwise, seeds removed and flesh scooped out of peel
- 1 frozen banana
- 6-7 ice cubes, about 1 cup
- 2/3 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 8 fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish if desired
Instructions
- Combine the papaya, banana, ice cubes, ginger, honey, lemon juice and fresh mint leaves in a blender (affiliate link) and blend until smooth and creamy. Thin with water as necesary to achieve desired consistency.
- Pour into 2 glasses. Garnish with mint and serve.
Notes
Sources:
Power Foods: 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients (affiliate link)
Be sure to check out what these other participating bloggers have cooked up with papaya:
Will try this out! I love ginger in smoothies and juice drinks, goes really well with carrots, apple and celery as well!
Papaya and ginger…lovely combo for a smoothie. The picture is gorgeous, makes me want to pluck it right off the screen.
How beautiful this looks! Love the combination. A a drinking food is always a 5 star recipe in my list.
Martha, great picture! I almost made that smoothie from the bookรขโฌโglad I didn’t. I sounds sooo delicious. I’ve made papaya smoothies before, but never with ginger. It’s a great antioxidant boost.
What a beautifully colored smoothie. I’m not a big smoothie fan, but I might try this one with my leftover papaya. Have a great weekend, Martha!