there are really an unlimited number of ways to make a green smoothie. so instead of giving you just one recipe, i'm giving you the steps to build the best tasting & most healthy green smoothie every time. and tailored just to your taste.
1. liquid
water is my go-to, but coconut water or nut milk (try my almond milk or walnut milk) are great also.
2. greens
spinach, swiss chard, romaine & kale are all awesome. mix them up. you can now even get pre-packaged mix of baby kale, swiss chard & spinach which makes it super easy.
3. emulsifier
i pretty much always add a banana. avocado is another option.
4. more veggies
try cucumbers, celery, broccoli, zucchini or just more greens!
3. fruit
apple & pear work really well. also good are pineapple, clementines, mango, grapes, peaches & berries.
unless i'm using nut milk or almond butter, i ALWAYS add the juice of a lemon or a couple limes.
4. add-ons
try adding chia, flax oil, almond butter, ginger root, turmeric root, raw cacao, an acai packet or herbs like cilantro, parsley or mint. i usually just use common sense to decide whether any of these will taste well with the rest of the smoothie.
my rule of thumb is to have 2/3 ingredients be veggies & 1/3 fruit. if you're new to the green smoothie world, you might want to start with 1/2 and slowly start incorporating more veggies & less fruit. because more veggies are always better!
for example, a 2/3 veggie smoothie might look like this:
2C filtered water
3 handfuls swiss chard
3 handfuls spinach
1 cucumber
handful parsley
1 banana
1 apple
juice of 1 lemon
a slightly fruitier green smoothie might look like this:
2C filtered water
3 handfuls swiss chard
1 cucumber
1 banana
1 apple
juice of 1 lemon
and if you're a true beginner, maybe start with something really easy like this:
1.5C filtered water
3 handfuls spinach
1 banana
1C blueberries
(these each make between 40-60oz which is 2-3 medium servings)
having a high quality blender like a vitamix (WTF is a vitamix?) is really helpful when blending veggies. it's faster, easier & blends more finely which makes your smoothies taste better.
tips:
- blend the liquid and greens FIRST, then throw everything else in & blend the rest
- spinach is the most easily disguised in taste & texture. newbies might want to start there
- mix up your greens, veggies & fruit to get the max variety of vitamins & minerals
- double the batch so you have one ready for the following day
- make a big batch & freeze a few (ball jars are great, get the jars that are specifically freezer-safe). defrost by placing on kitchen counter while you sleep & it will be ready by morning!
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do you have a go-to green smoothie recipe? i'd love for you to share in the COMMENTS below!
