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 (½ 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
- ⅔ 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.
Recipe Notes
Sources:
Power Foods: 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients (affiliate link)
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
Be sure to check out what these other participating bloggers have cooked up with papaya:
- Alyce @ More Time at the Table
- Ansh @ Spice Roots
- Jeanette @ Jeanette's Healthy Living
- Jill @ Saucy Cooks
- Mireya @ My Healthy Eating Habits
- Sarah @ Everything in the Kitchen Sink
- Casey @ Bookcase Foodie
- Bambi @ Adobo Down Under
If you liked this papaya ginger smoothie recipe
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Alyce Morgan
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!
Mireya Merritt
Martha, great picture! I almost made that smoothie from the book–glad I didn't. I sounds sooo delicious. I've made papaya smoothies before, but never with ginger. It's a great antioxidant boost.
Ansh
How beautiful this looks! Love the combination. A a drinking food is always a 5 star recipe in my list.
Minnie@thelady8home
Papaya and ginger...lovely combo for a smoothie. The picture is gorgeous, makes me want to pluck it right off the screen.
Eat Mega
Will try this out! I love ginger in smoothies and juice drinks, goes really well with carrots, apple and celery as well!