Healthy whole food smoothies are a daily thing for me, especially before a good workout in the gym. I crave the fresh fruits and veggies — yes, veggies! — all blended up into a creamy smoothie.

Going sugar-free over the past year, I’ve learned to make healthy swaps with certain fruits and foods. No more frozen bananas and sugary dates in my smoothies. I’ve replaced those frozen bananas with frozen zucchini and cauliflower, and you’d never know the difference.

Here are 5 of my most favorite smoothie recipes for you to try. Yes, going low to no sugar has been such a game changer for me. I hope going sugar free works for you as much as it has helped me feel better— plus I lost over 20 pounds in the past year just from ditching natural sugar!

You know, I never ever thought it would happen.

20 pounds.

I lost 20 pounds, not from grueling bootcamp CrossFit workouts. I lost 20 pounds by eating a whole food plant-based diet AND avoiding sugar. Looking back, I think sugar was the biggest challenge for me. I was in total denial that I even ate a lot of sugar daily because I assumed that refined white sugar was the evil sugar monster, and all other sugars (bananas, maple syrup, dates, etc.) were good sugars because they are natural. Truth is, it’s ALL SUGAR. There is no good or bad about it.

A few of the reasons/excuses I gave for not losing some unhealthy weight seemed totally believable:

• I went through hormone changes (early menopause) and the middle age weight just sticks.

• My metabolism is just so darn slow. No matter how much I workout it won’t come off.

• I’ve had three babies. Baby weight leftovers are soo hard to lose!

• I have the endomorph body type so that’s why I’m curvy.

I wasn’t particularily heavy or overweight, but it bothered me. The puffy arms, the bloated belly. Sugar, I’ve learned, comes in many forms. It hides in products on shelves and ingredient lists. It pretends to be healthy as in organic maple syrup and coconut sugar. Once I completely stopped all natural sugars, it worked. I didn’t have to do much except a fun daily workout routine — I like to listen to disco and dance in my living room or go to the gym and do some cardio. Oh, and avoid sugar.

Instead of those high sugar bananas, use some of these low sugar fruits in your smoothies:

blueberries / strawberries / raspberries / blackberries / green apples / avocados / lemons / limes / grapefruit

Here are my top 5 favorite vegan sugar-free smoothies:

Green Goddess Smoothie

• 1 coconut, meat and water

• 1 tbsp chlorella

• 1 tbsp spirulina

• 1 handful fresh spinach

• 1 tbsp almond butter

• pinch of cinnamon

• 1 scoop vanilla vegan protein (check label for sugar content — look for monkfruit or stevia sweetened) I love this protein powder

• + add 1/2 frozen zucchini to give it more body and nutrition

• + add filtered water or homemade nut milk / unsweetened nut milk to thin

In a high-speed blender, combine all ingredients and blend. Enjoy immediately.

Matcha Chia Dream Smoothie

• 1 tbsp chia seeds, soaked in 2 tbsp water

• 1 heaping tbsp almond butter, raw unsalted

• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk

• 2 cups fresh spinach

• 1/2 cucumber

• 1 scoop sugar-free vanilla vegan protein or this pineapple chia cleanse powder

• 1-2 tbsp matcha powder

Instructions

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until creamy. Add more almond milk to thin, if needed. Serve immediately.

Blueberry Bomb Smoothie

• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

• 1 cup chopped fresh purple cabbage

• 1 green apple, slices

• 1 handful greens (kale, spinach, etc)

• 1 cup sugar-free coconut yogurt or other plant-based yogurt

• 1 1/2 cups plant milk of choice

• 1 scoop sugar-free vegan protein

• +add monkfruit or stevia to sweeten

Instructions

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until creamy. Add more plant milk to thin, if needed. Serve immediately.

Berrylicious Smoothie

• 1 cup fresh or frozen mixed berries: raspberries, blueberries and strawberries

• 1/2 cup frozen zucchini or cauliflower

• 1/2 cup spinach

• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

• 1 tbsp flaxseeds

• 1 tbsp lemon or lime juice

• 1/3 cup plant milk

• 3 tbsp unsweetened coconut yogurt

• 1 tbsp raw almond butter, optional

Instructions

Blend all ingredients up in a high-speed blender. Enjoy immediately.

Cacao Tahini Smoothie

2 cups homemade almond milk (or any unsweetened plant milk)

2 tbsp tahini butter

1 tbsp raw almond butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp raw cacao powder

1 piece frozen cauliflower

1 tbsp monkfruit sweetener

top with cacao nibs, optional

DIRECTIONS

Blend all smoothie ingredients until creamy smooth. Adjust taste by adding more of any ingredient you like.

Let me know if you love any of these blends and share your creations on Instagram: tag #plantfullkitchen