If you don't like green smoothies, we can't really blame you.
Putting salad into a blender and then drinking it goes against a lot of what we've been taught about culinary best practices.
But as avid green smoothie drinkers, we aim to make your next one a good experience. Because the thing is, a well-crafted green smoothie just tastes like fruit. And the more you drink them, the more you might even come to appreciate a green smoothie that tastes, well, green.
And your skin? Your skin loves green smoothies. So many nutrients packed into one, easy-to-drink package.
In the past we've posted articles with herbal green smoothies and even this one where we talked about how amazing the Vitamix is and used it on camera (the things we do for you!)
But today we want to share a recipe that's more simple, and perfect for the beginner.
Berry Blastoff Smoothie
This recipe comes from Simple Green Smoothies, an amazing site for exploring what's next for your blender. Jen Handsard and Jadah Sellner, two friends and moms raising our families on healthy, created this site to offer whole-food recipes that help increase energy and manage weight. They're the realistic type, admitting that while they're committed to a green smoothie a day, pizza and ice cream still have a place in their hearts (and diets.)
So we thought it'd be cool to post one of their recipes for you to try, and they agreed.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 2 cups spinach
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups strawberries
- 2 cups blueberries
- 2 bananas
*1-2 of the fruit ingredients should be frozen to achieve best taste and texture.
Directions:
- Assemble ingredients in blender in this order: spinach, water, fresh fruit, frozen fruit.
- Blend and enjoy!
Because this smoothie has 2 bananas in it, it'll give you lots of energy in addition to tasting amazing. For those looking to cut down on sugar, feel free to reduce to 1 banana and 1 cup each of the berries. It will taste a little greener but still delicious. 🙂
Antioxidant-rich berries help you eliminate free radicals in the body. Spinach is packed with vitamins A, C, and K, giving your body a lot of what it needs to thrive. Your skin will thank you!
My green smoothie that I prefer and drink every day
1/2 of my vitamix container with mixture of several greens like spinach, baby greens, arugula
1 handful of Dandelion,
1 handful of parsley
1,5 inch of ginger
Some chia seeds
1 /4 of an avocado
1/4 of a banana or 1/2 of an apple
12 pills of chlorella.
1 Masson glass of water
It tastes great
Another great add on to the above is a quarter of avocado. I also use coconut milk (unsweetened) along with a scoop of protein powder for my morning breakfast – yummie!
I pay more for organic non GMO berries, so to make my mix be larger after adding one cup each of the berries and one banana, I add 1 cup coconut almond milk and one can of drained garbonza beans ( chick peas ) for protein. If you want to switch out the spinach, you can use organic de-stemmed kale. For a touch of sweetness I add 1-2 TBSP. of raw unprocessed honey and optional is almond or vanilla extract.
I add ground, organic, raw almonds, sunflower, pumpkin, and flaxseed to the mix for added protein and nutrients. I use a small coffee grinder and keep them in a glass container in the fridge for adding to soups, cereal, etc.
I warm up a couple tablespoonfuls of organic coconut oil and add that in along with some organic vanilla extract as well. Mmmm mm mm.
I love to blend lots of fresh kale, a ripe banana, half a dozen frozen grapes, coconut water, whey protein powder, and collagen together for a fantastically tasty, energizing, and healthy drink. I have tried other combos but always gravitate back to this mix. Try it!
If you mix collagen with another type of protein, the absorption of collagen will be poor.
Oh wow, the frozen grapes are a great idea!
I still enjoy the old faithful – spinach, lemon, celery and cucumber juiced and then blended with avocado – I add fresh turmeric root juiced when available – a hybrid juice/ smoothie and poured over ice ????
Green Smoothie
Put the following in a pot w/ 1-2 q’s of water:
1-2 zucchinis
2-3 stalks of celery
1 handful of cilantro or parsley
1 golden beet
1 apple
1 handful of green beans
1 handful of kale
Cook (not boil) 10-12 minutes. Blend in blender.
Delic!
Completely agree…this is a great recipe for a green smoothie virgin! I have graduated to drinks that are truly green…kind of a smoothie/juice hybrid. I throw a peeled lemon or lime in the vitamix, along with a 1 inch chunk of fresh ginger, and several handfuls of dark green leafys…maybe kale, or arugula, or fresh dandelion when it’s available. I add alot of water and blend until very smooth. It has the consistency of a juice but retains all the fiber. It took awhile to get to this point, but now I enjoy one every day. I make a big batch, and have one glass first thing in the morning (along with my coffee blended with coconut oil and collagen…also great for the skin!) and drink the rest later in the day.
Ditto! We have a green drink EVERY morning along with our coffee! Such a great way to start your day with a organic smoothie!
Thanks for the tip. Always on the lookout for new recipes! Have a great evening!
Yes to Elizabeth’s recipe all of that, plus a little sea veggie, turmeric and cracked black pepper to amp up the turmeric. The half a lemon including the peel also helps to take the grassiness out of the green smoothie. I use no fruit due to blood sugar concerns.
Love Barbara’s idea of adding the turmeric. I sometimes add turmeric to my coffee in the am.
Love the idea of adding lemon or lime and ginger! Thanks!
Celery, kale, Swiss chard, spinach, carrots, cabbage, romaine lettuce, radishes, cilantro, lemon, ginger., pineapple. This is what I have every day, 20 ozs of pure juice made in my Omega juicer, then I add to it, spirulina, barley juice powder and turmeric. Excellent health drink, tastes good too!
Ice cold foods and raw leafy green veggies are extremely harsh on your digestive system. This makes a great indulgent treat, but should’t be a daily thing. If you’re using spinach like this at least add some calcium carbonate to bind up the oxalic acid.
I’m sure this smoothie is tasty, but (or because) it’s full of carbs, without any avocado or nuts or other fat to slow the insulin spike you get from all the fruit. Yes, the fruit has a lot of nutritional value, but if you’re following the recommendation to keep your daily intake of sugars below 24g, you’re probably going to exceed that in one serving of this recipe. According to google, 1 cup of blueberries has 15 g of sugar; 1 cup strawberries has 7, and 1 banana has 17 grams. That’s 39 grams of sugar — yep, more than 50% over your daily recommended limit. Fatty liver, here we come.
I mention this not to be a party-pooper but because many people think smoothies are a way to lose weight. So they turn to sugar-packed versions like this and can’t figure out why they still have an expanding midriff.
My favorite powerhouse green smoothie right now is:
– 1-2 cups kale or other greens
– 1/2 avocado
– 1 apple cut up
– 3 Tbsp coconut butter
– Handful flax seeds
– Handful chia seeeds
– 1 knob grated fresh ginger
– Ice
– Coconut water to thickness preference
– A few pitted dates for more sweetness (optional)
– Splash of pineapple juice (optional)