Green Smoothies

In my on-going quest to eat healthier this year, I am sharing this page of green smoothies to the blog.  Living alone, it is hard to get in all of the fruits and vegetables to my diet that really are needed.  Cooking 3 or 4 veggies - all those pans!!!!  So last year I discovered that green smoothies are really the easy way to go.  We have a juice bar in town that makes fabulous juices and smoothies.  I finally bit the bullet and decided I could get past the "omigosh -it's-green-and will-taste-awful" hangup and try one out.  AND I LOVED IT!!!  (I didn't love the price, though, so I decided to start making my own!!) My favorite there is apple + cucumber + celery + mint + pear + spinach.  All you taste is SWEET!!!!  You'd never know the spinach was in there unless you watched them make it.  They have another called "Froggie" made with almond milk + ice + apple + spinach/kale + mint + cacao nibs- it tastes like chocolate chip mint ice cream.  

To process these, you really have to use a high-speed blender - regular blenders don't have enough "oomph"  to break down the pulp (which is why some people get turned off to green blends!) Don't be afraid to blend the heck out your mixtures.

Thin out a too-thick blend with water or almond milk.

Thicken a too-thin blend with ice

Those dark green leaves are loaded with iron and good fiber.  I DO remove the stems.

Bananas are loaded with potassium - good for muscles

Avocados are your vitamin E source - at least one a week to help your skin

Pineapples are anti-inflammatory, as are ginger, and turmeric

Chia and flax seeds are superfoods - loaded with all kinds of great stuff.

Berries will "muddy" a green smoothie - making it look brown.  Save the berries for another smoothie experience - just as good. 

Carrots, apples, and pears give drinks an incredibly sweet taste and overwhelm spinach, chard, and kale.  (Don't make the mistake of putting carrots and apples in the same blend - the sweetness will knock you over.  Been there. Done that.)

Almond milk/ rice milk / coconut milk can be substituted for regular milk without the added sugars regular milk has.

Leftover will keep a day in the frig - just reblend to get the consistency again.  A splash of lemon or lime juice will keep the fruits from oxidizing (browning) so they "look" as good the next day. Freezing some of the fruit - bananas, especially - will help thicken the smoothies and make it more like an ice cream treat.  If you have bananas that are beginning to go past ripeness, pop them in the freezer - you can use them for your smoothies.  Happy Blending!!!

GREEN SMOOTHIES

Green Goddess


Makes enough for 5 smoothies
10kale leaves, de-ribbed and roughly torn
5medium-sized bananas, peeled and cut into chunks
2ripe pears, cut into bite-sized pieces
5tablespoons almond butter (I like Trader Joe's Raw)
5cups almond milk (I use Califia Farms Unsweetened Vanilla)
5pinches flaky sea salt, such as Maldon

Set aside 5 pint-sized zipper bags. In each bag, place 2 kale leaves, 1 banana, and 1/4 cup pear pieces.
Keep the bags in the freezer until you are ready to use. They will last for up to one month.

In the morning, dump the contents of 1 bag into a high-power blender and add 1 cup of almond milk and 1 tablespoon of almond butter. Add a pinch of sea salt and blend until smooth and creamy.

Optional: To up the flavor, feel free to add any of the following to your smoothie: a dash of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract and/or 1 teaspoon of maple syrup. When I have time, I add all 3 and blend!

Nutri-Bomb 

(serves 4)

3 ounces kale
2 ounces spinach
1 apple (cored) 

2 bananas
1⁄2 ounce fresh gingerroot (grated)
2 tablespoons fresh basil(chopped) 

2 garlic cloves
1⁄2 ounce fresh turmeric (grated)
2 tablespoons flax seeds(ground) 

1 tablespoon hemp seeds
1 tablespoon chia seeds
2 tablespoons tomato paste
32 ounces water (or to fill blender to 64 oz)

Spinach-Banana

4 cups baby spinach
6 ounces vanilla yogurt
1 banana

water

Green Pumpkin Pie

1⁄2 cup ice
1 cup packed fresh spinach
3⁄4 cup pumpki puree (not pie filling)
1⁄2 ripe avocado
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1⁄2 teaspoon liquid steia OR agave syrup, to taste
1 -1 1⁄2 cup unsweetened dairy-free milk substitute of choice

Cucumber-Honeydew

1 cup chopped honeydew, chilled
1⁄2 cup peeled and seeded and chopped cucumber, chilled
1⁄2 teaspoon lime juice
1 dash salt

Kiwi-Pineapple

1 1⁄2 cups pineapple juice
1 tablespoon honey
10 kiwi, peeled, diced
2 cups pineapple, diced (fresh or canned)
2 bananas (frozen)

Spinach-Mint

200 g Baby Spinach
5 fresh mint leaves
2 bananas
1 cup rice milk
1 teaspoon organic honey

3 tablespoons Greek yogurt

Beauty Bonanza

2 cucumbers (peeled)
1 lemon (peeled)
1 avocado (peeled and seeded)

Garden

1⁄2 cup fresh pineapple(diced)
1⁄2 cup mango (diced)
1⁄2 banana
1⁄2 cup carrot (grated)
1 ounce chard leaves(chopped)
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
2 teaspoons ginger(grated)
1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄2 cup water

Green Machine

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted and peeled
1 (12 ounce) canchilled mango nectar (like Goya)
2 tablespoons choppedfresh mint leaves

Avocado, Pineapple and Apricot

1 avocado
500 ml pineapple juice
150 g apricot yoghurt

Avocado

1 avocado, pitted and peeled
1 very ripe banana, peeled
1 cup pineapple-orange juice
4 ice cubes

NoPulp Beginner Smoothie

1 cup baby kale
1 large peach (Fresh, Frozen, Canned)
4 tablespoons plain fat-free yogurt
7-8 whole almonds

Matcha Green Tea

1 teaspoon matcha green tea powder (no substitutions)
2 teaspoons hot water
1 cup skim milk
1 ripe banana
1 tablespoon honey
3 -4 ice cubes

Key Lime

1⁄2 lime (skin & all)
3 cups seedless grapes(green & red)
4 ounces white grape juice concentrate
2 tablespoons flax seeds
1 slice pineapple (raw is best)
1⁄2 banana
3⁄4 cup spinach (for color)
1 cup ice

Kiwi Frappe

1 cup apple juice, unsweetened
1⁄2 cup chopped pineapple
1 cup kiwi fruit, peeled, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1⁄2 cups ice cubes