5-Min Navratri Fasting Recipe – Green Smoothie

Creamy, nutritious, and tempting spinach smoothie recipe. It is filling and fulfilling which makes it just perfect for fasting days (and for regular days too). It will keep you full and energetic throughout the day. You can enjoy it over breakfast or lunch. Even if you are not a smoothie person, try this one. It will surely make you one. 🙂

Btw do you know that this smoothie is anti-aging too? Spinach (or greens) helps in maintaining the younger-looking skin (ref: How not to die book). Well, now you would not want to miss it at all.

Check out another fasting recipe: Quinoa Pulao, Dry Fruit Milk, Buckwheat Cheela, Beetroot Smoothie Bowl.

Story Time

I was never a smoothie person. I never liked the idea of mixing veggies and fruits together with some liquid and always preferred to eat them separately. But this smoothie changed me. It did not just make me a smoothie person but even Jatin enjoys it a lot. He even tells about it to his family members (my in-laws). I love when he does that. I even made it once for a friend and initially, he was skeptical about it but when he had his first sip, he liked it. He did not just appreciate the fact that he is having fresh green spinach leaves but even asked me for its recipe. It made me very happy.

Since then, this smoothie has become our everyday post-workout hydration drink. I make it almost every day. It keeps us energetic and young. Here. Now you know the secret of my younger-looking skin 😀 This recipe is nutritious, hydrating, and can keep you full for some time. Moreover, it is the best way to include some greens and seeds in your diet. I would highly recommend you to try this.

What is the Navratri Festival?

Navratri (also known as Navaratri or Navrate), is a joyous Hindu festival. It is celebrated over 9 to 10 days. “Navratri” is a word from the Sanskrit language – Nav means nine and Ratri means night. This festival is celebrated two times a year, once in the spring (Chaitra Navratri) and once in the autumn (Sharad Navratri). Sharad Navratri falls during September or October and is widely celebrated all across India.

One of the main aspects of Navratri is fasting (known as Vrat or Upvas). During fasting, devotees avoid eating some foods, like grains, pulses, onions, garlic, alcohol, and non-vegetarian items. But they eat fasting food items like fruits, nuts, dairy products, etc.

What food items are allowed in Navratri?

Food items that are allowed during the Navratri season are as follows:

1. Vegetables like potato, tomato, arbi, cucumber, carrot, bottle gourd, eggplant, pumpkin, etc.
2. Fruits
3. Dairy Products
4. Coconut
5. Nuts and Seeds
6. Quinoa, Buckwheat, Little Millet (Samai or Samak), Water Chestnut Flour (Singhade Ka Aata).
7. Spices like cumin seeds, red chili powder, turmeric powder, cardamom, carom seeds (ajwain), cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, etc.
8. Rock Salt

What food items are not allowed in Navratri?

Food items that are not allowed during the Navratri season are as follows:

1. Onion and Garlic: They are Tamsik in nature and hence not consumed.
2. Lentils and Pulses like moong dal, chana dal, kidney beans, chickpeas, etc.
3. Grains and their flours like wheat flour, gram flour (besan), etc.
4. Eggs, Non-Vegetarian Food Items like chicken.
5. Alcohol (some people avoid smoking too).
6. Salt
7. Canned Food Items

Everybody has their own beliefs and follows their own rules during the fasting period. That is why, I suggest you adjust the recipes based on how you follow your fasting and celebrate Navratri.

A Simple Smoothie Guide

Before sharing the recipe, let me first give you an easy guide to making Smoothies. Just by following this guide, you will be able to create your versions of smoothies with your choice of ingredients. The key elements of a smoothie are:

Fruits and Veggies:

1. Add fruits that are more pulpy and sweet like banana, mango, pear, apple, etc. because that will make the smoothie thick and smooth. They also add their natural sweetness to it.
2. Smoothies are a great way to include greens in your daily diet. You can add any kind of green but my favorite is spinach since it doesn’t make the smoothies bitter. Some greens do 🙂 Other veggies that go well in smoothies are zucchini, beetroot, ginger, celery, and carrot.
3. Combine fruits & veggies with similar colors. That is totally optional. But if you like your mango smoothie to be yellow, don’t add spinach or beetroot to it. Add light color fruits like pear or banana so that you get a bright yellow smoothie.

Liquid

1. The liquid is added to blend the smoothie well. You can add any liquid – water, any milk – dairy or plant-based, curd, or coconut water. I prefer oat milk in my smoothies as it gives a better taste to it and feels lighter than the one made with cow milk. I don’t prefer to add water since it dilutes the taste. The same goes for the ice. If you like cold smoothies, just cut and freeze the fruits. That also gives a smoother consistency.

Nuts & Seeds

1. We can easily grab some nuts and eat them but it’s not the same with the seeds. Our body needs it but it keeps getting ignored. Am I right? I think that smoothies are the best way to include all kinds of seeds in your diet. There are plenty of options – chia seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, melon seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc. So, just throw in what is available and you are sorted for the day.
2. Options of nuts that can be included are – almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, etc. You can even add nut butter like peanut butter, almond butter, etc.

Herbs & Spices

1. Herbs and spices are not just for the flavor but they also have tonnes of benefits. they are one of the richest sources of antioxidants. I mostly prefer fresh mint leaves, parsley, and basil. Other ingredients that can be added are cinnamon and turmeric powder.

Sweetener

1. I like my smoothies sweet. Though I add banana, that is not enough for me 😀 Instead of adding sugar or jaggery, try adding dates or raisins. They add an amazing flavor and some sweetness to the smoothies.
2. Use ripe fruits because they add their own natural sweetness to the smoothie.

Easy Swaps

1. Nuts & Seeds: Add anything available.
2. Fruits: Add any fruit of your choice like apple, pear, mango, etc.
3. Coconut Water: Instead of coconut water, you can add water, milk, curd, or any plant-based milk that is suitable for fasting days (almond milk, cashew milk, coconut milk). If not fasting, I prefer oat milk. But you can add any milk of your choice.

Is this recipe vegan-friendly?

Yes. All the ingredients used in the recipe are vegan and plant-based. Another vegan smoothie recipe that you can try is Sunshine Mango Smoothie and Beetroot Smoothie Bowl.

Can we store this smoothie?

You can refrigerate it for a day but I would not recommend it. I would suggest you make it fresh.

Ingredients List – for quick reference

More Navratri Fasting Recipes

1. Kuttu (Buckwheat Flour) Cheela
2. Quinoa Pulao
3. Amaranth and Dates Energy Bars
4. Quinoa Cutlets
5. Sabudana Thalipeeth

Now grab all the ingredients because you are ready to make this delicious, gorgeous, and colorful smoothie at home. It is simple, easy, and very tasty. It is filling and light which is just perfect for fasting days. This recipe is good if you want to include some detox recipes in fasting. It is one wholesome, protein-rich, nutritious, and vegan (or vegetarian) breakfast recipe. Do give it a try and I am sure you will enjoy it.

If you try this recipe, please share your reviews in the comment section below. Do share a photo on Instagram and tag us @thefearlesscooking. We love seeing your recreation of our recipes.

Happy Cooking. 🙂

Love from us.

Richa