Build the Your Favorite Green Smoothie
Green smoothies are all the rage these days, and for good reason. They are an easy and enjoyable way to get more veggies in your diet.
Try not to get too caught up in following specific recipes, instead just learn the method to making a great tasting green smoothie and experiment to find your personal favorite.
If you are a newbie to Green Smoothies, here is my method for building a perfect green smoothie.
Start with A Green Base:
Add 2-3 large handfuls (about 2-3 cups) of leafy greens to the blender. Spinach has a mild flavor so start there if you’re a newbie. Kale, collard greens, chard, romaine and green leafy herbs like cilantro, parsley and mint are all great. There are hundreds of types of greens out there, mix things up to find a combination you like.
Next ADD The Fruit:
Add about a cup of fruit for extra antioxidants, texture and flavor. Fruit will add sweetness to the greens, but be sure to keep your green smoothie to at least double, preferably triple, greens to fruit ratio to keep the sugar content low as to avoid blood sugar spikes.
Berries are low in sugar and are thus a great addition. If you enjoy a creamy texture to your smoothie I suggest adding 1/2 banana or 1/4 of an avocado.
Additional add-ins – Nuts or Seeds:
Adding in a tablespoon or two of in flax seeds, flax oil, chia seeds, hemp seeds, raw almonds or raw walnuts is a great way to in a ton of other nutrients such as Omega-3 fats and protein. However keep the serving size to 1-2 tablespoons or 6-8 nuts. Tossing in a handful or more of these delicious fats will not only slow down your digestion of all the amazing nutrients in your smoothie, but also pack in more calories than you need or want.
BRING IT ALL TOGETHER WITH THE RIGHT Liquid:
Add 1/2 – 1 cup purified water, coconut water or unsweetened nut milk to help the blender work its magic and turn your smoothie into a drinkable texture. Add additional water as needed to blend to your preferred texture.
FOR A LITTLE EXTRA SWEETENESS:
If you need a little sweetness to make it more palatable, try adding a tablespoon of organic raw honey or 6-10 drops of liquid stevia will also sweeten it up without adding any extra sugar.
The Method:
Add all ingredients to your blender and blend away. You may need to pause and push the ingredients down a few times to help your blender along.
WHAT BLENDER WORKS BEST?
Any blender is fine, however I do suggest investing in a high-speed, good quality one that has a warranty, is easy to clean, and has a good amount of power to blend your smoothies.
ADDITIONAL TIPS:
- If warm smoothies aren’t your thing, use frozen fruit or a few ice cubes.
- Leave skin on all edible fruits for added fiber
- Depending on the ingredients you use you might not end up with a GREEN drink. Don’t worry you didn’t do anything wrong, it’s still a green smoothie even if it isn’t green in color. I LOVE adding blueberries, so most often my smoothies are purple in color.
Beginner Recipes
Berry-licious Smoothie
1 scoop of vanilla whey protein powder
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
¼ cup strawberries
¼ cup raspberries
¼ cup blueberries
1 cup raw spinach
2 tbsp. flax meal
5 ice cups (optional)
Blueberry Banana
1 scoop of vanilla whey protein powder
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
¼ cup blueberries
1 cup raw spinach
½ medium banana
6 almonds
5 ice cubes (optional)
MY NEW FAVORIATE
Because of the detoxing properties of both parsley and ginger, I ‘m loving this combination of ingredients.
Peach Banana Detox Smoothie
2 handfuls of fresh, raw spinach
1/2 apple
A few parsley sprigs
About 1/4 inch ginger root
Juice of one lime
1/2 cup unsweetened flax milk
½ peach
1/2 a banana
1 tbsp. coconut oil
5 ice cubes (optional)
Happy St. Patrick’s Day and Happy Green Drinking!!