Green Smoothie Power
I start almost every day with a green smoothie, my husband usually has two a day.
I do not measure anything, just toss in what’s in the fridge of freezer, or what I feel like for that day.
And, btw…I don’t pay much attention to those who say smoothies have too much sugar. It is all natural sugar from fruits and my motto is, if it was in the Garden of Eden, I’m not going to be fearful about eating too much of it. (Says the girl who just ate an entire watermelon by herself!) -Hey, it was one of those smaller, seedless kind…don’t judge me *smile*
I’m all about simple, and this makes it simple for me. I buy the huge bags of Kale and Spinach at Costco, then separate them out into small baggies (a big handful size) and put the small baggies back into the large Kale or Spinach bags (just to make it easy), then put the big bags into the freezer. So when I’m preparing a smoothie I just pull out a baggie or two of each. Yes! It gives me 2+ servings of greens before I’ve even exercised or showered!
If you are serious about this, you really need to invest in a high-powered blender.
I invested in a Blendtec a few years ago and love it! Ours gets used many times a day. Another great brand is VitaMix. Green Smoothie Girl has a great article about blenders here:
http://greensmoothiegirl.com/favorite-things/tools/blenders/
This is my basic Green Smoothie Recipe:
- 1 small baggie kale
- 1 small baggie spinach
- Banana
- 1-2 cups Frozen fruit– whatever combo you like.
Note: Berries will give you a brown not green smoothie. And I prefer not the berries with seeds. Peaches, Mangos, Pineapple, Cherries, Berries, or mixed combo!
- Any non-dairy milk – Rice, Almond, Hemp, Soy, Coconut
Note: my favorite is Rice because it tastes a little sweeter. I do about ¾ cup and then the rest water –
- Optional Additions:
1-2 Tab. Chia Seeds
1-2 Tab Ground Flax seed
1 tsp coconut oil (not too much or its greasy)
Sometimes I add some mint leaves, or a tsp of vanilla flavoring. You may want to add some Stevia or Agave nectar – I used to do that occasionally, but I’ve been off sugar for so long that this tastes plenty sweet to me. If I add extra greens I will throw in a date or two to add some sweetness (make sure the pit is out). And the dates don’t always blend completely so you may get little chunks of sweetness here and there –mmm, delightful!
If I have any fruit or even salad items that I know won’t get eaten before they get too old, I just chop them and put in a baggie in the freezer to throw in a smoothie! I never throw out old fruit/veggies anymore. The veggies can be thrown into a soup, or enchiladas, lasagna –whatever. They are a great exchange for the cheese and meat.
Here’s another refreshing idea:
Lately, we’ve been freezing watermelon (chunks) and then putting them in the blender (alone) for a delightful melon slush! Yumm. (add in a little mint too!)
Enjoy! This is such a fun journey ~ and every cell in your body will love it!
Thank you for the great ideas. I never thought to freeze the spinach, and now that I know about the freezing I will get some kale, too. I do break up the bananas and freeze them and I slice apples and pineapple and freeze them. Today I added some plums and other than turning it brown, it was still delicious. I also found I can add a bit of cilantro and it adds a “spicy” taste that is still very good.
Yes Janice freezing the kale and spinach is the only way to go since they don’t last as long as I’d like in the fridge. Mmmmm, I love your idea of the cilantro! I love cilantro and add it to nearly everything but have yet to try it in a smoothie, so I’m looking forward to it in the morning!
Love your recipe! I’m trying to wean my family off our favorite mix, to explore more flavor combinations!
So glad to know I’m not the only one who haphazardly mixes fruits and veggies with no exact recipe. LOL! You’re right we shouldn’t have to fret over all natural sugar, but the problem is we’re getting a lot of un-natural sugar during the day. If we were in the Garden of Eden the only form of sugar that we would get would be from fruits. There were no sodas, pastas, breads, jelly, cakes, high-frutose laden foods, corn syrup induced snacks, genetically modified wheat. We live in a different era and that means more work! Bummer! Anyho, here’s my green smoothie recipe, with pics that prove that the kids really do enjoy it. http://www.thebusinesscoachformoms.com/protein-smoothie/