Green Smoothies

What is a green smoothie? Green smoothies are fruit smoothies with a vegetable blend. Sounds sort of...disgusting, right? I thought it sounded a little iffy as well, until I tried it! The smoothies look green, but don't be deceived...they taste like the fruit in them! I don't know about you but I generally eat more fruits then vegetables in my diet, although I could use help getting the full amount of daily servings on both. Adding vegetables to fruit in such a delicious way is genius, if you ask me...

Some benefits of drinking green smoothies: I've heard people swear by these smoothies when using them in a weight loss regime. I love the energy you get from these smoothies, it really gives you a boost! You crave less junk food. Some also say that their skin has improved it's "radiance" due to the improvement in your digestive system.

Most recipes call for "a handful of greens", so choose to your liking. Some ideas of the "greens" you can use: Beet tops, cabbage, collard greens, kale, lettuce, radish greens, spinach, mint leaves. Experiment with them and find what tastes best to you! I love beet tops and good ol' fashioned lettuce. I haven't tried mint leaves, but I hear they add yummy-ness (yes, that's a word now) to the smoothies so I will have to try those. I also heard substituting water with coconut water is delicious. Again, I'll have to give that a try!



To save time, you can prepare the greens beforehand and keep them in the fridge. All you have to do is dump everything into the blender, blend, and go. If you're a little lazy like me, you can just get greens in a bag pre-washed and ready to use at the store. So now we really don’t have the excuse, “I just don’t have time to eat healthy!”

It is recommended to use 40% greens, 60% fruit. And be sure to blend thoroughly. Here are just a few recipes I like, and for a few more click here.

2 bananas

1 c. chopped papaya

1 c. orange juice

1 big handful of greens

2 – 3 frozen bananas sliced

1 mango

1 c. water

1 big handful of silverbeet

1 tsp vanilla

1 – 2 c. fresh pineapple chopped

1 banana

1 c. oj

1 c. water

Big handful of greens

1 – 2 bananas

1 – 1.5 c. frozen or fresh pitted cherries (or blueberries)

2 c. water (can use coconut water if desired)

Big handful of greens

So there you go! An easy, convenient, and not too pricey way of getting more green in your diet! I think you'll be happy with these. Try whipping one up for breakfast tomorrow, or even better-breakfast everyday this week! And again, if you don't like the first recipe you try don't forget to experiment. A little more fruit if needed, or try a different recipe. Some I like much better than others.

Drink up, and ENJOY!