Basic Green Smoothies
As some had asked, I thought I'd share out the basic Green Smoothie recipe that I use. It has consistently become my breakfast, or at least part of it - I may have 1 egg, some other fruit, a half-cup of mueslix or oatmeal, or something else to eat with it in the morning.
It's very easy to make, and to clean-up, which is the huge win for me. Also, I decided to start with sharing the Smoothie recipe, as Juicing requires special equipment - a juicer - whereas smoothies just require a blender, which most people are likely to have.
If you don't have a blender, here is what I use: Ninja Master Prep Blend
Note that as this is a relatively inexpensive blender, and not commercial grade, it makes a great smoothie but it is a little "pulpy." This may also be because I'm impatient and only blend for a couple of minutes (but I don't mind that the greens are super finely ground), but I am told that a commercial-grade blender will make it truly smooth. As these are expensive, I am holding off on that.
If you're just starting out with Green Smoothies, I recommend going a little light on the greens and then increasing the amount over time. Your tastes WILL change, but you want to make it so you enjoy drinking it. Too many greens all at once may not suit your tastebuds... though I will say that one of the benefits over Smoothies from Juicing is that the fruits in the smoothie tend to mask the taste of the greens. Ask Hilariarex - I gave her a taste of one of my smoothies last week, and I'm a bit heavy on the greens.
Important to note: Green smoothies are made with Fruits and Greens. Not vegetables. There may be smoothie recipes that include veggies, but I haven't tried any yet. The basic principles behind Green Smoothies is a mixture of Fruits & Greens, with the intent to be to help you consume more greens in your diet. Generally, you don't want to mix lots of fruits with veggies (with some exceptions, such as apples or pears, can mix with veggies, and carrots and avocados can mix with fruits).
Most people don't like the taste of greens (at least not at first)! Our modern American diet has changed our tastes to make lots of greens unpalatable. You'll likely find, as I did, that the more you consume greens, the more you want to consume them.
So here is the basic recipe I start off with:
Basic Green Smoothie Recipe
1 Banana
2 Handfuls of Blueberries (or other berry of your preference)
1-2 Kale Leaves
Small Handful of Spinach
1/4 cup water or apple cider
Throw them all together in the blender, and blend till smooth. Pour into a glass and enjoy!
If you don't like Bananas, you can substitute plain or vanilla yogurt (just read labels carefully to avoid artifical sweeteners or high fructose corn syrup in your yogurt). You can also substitute a different fruit that is not heavily water-based. I haven't tried with melons or canteloupe yet, but I've seen many recipes that call for them. Other possibilities: mangoes, pears, apples, papaya, peaches, nectarines.
When you're first starting out, use much more fruit than greens. For example, in the recipe above, the two large handfuls of blueberries would make my smoothie purple rather than green. It's a good entry smoothie.
Here are some variations that I do:
-- These days, I do 2-3 LARGE Kale leaves, and two fistfuls of spinach, with only one handful of blueberries
-- As my local grocery store has been having Buy 1 Get 1 on Strawberries, I've been adding 2-3 strawberries as well
-- I like to add a few fresh mint leaves. I love mint, and it adds just the right minty taste
-- I sometimes add a thick slice of grapefruit. Studies show that grapefruit helps burn fat and lose weight.
-- Other than spinach and kale, I sometimes add cabbage, romaine lettuce, or other greens
-- Add more or less water depending on how thick you want it to be
-- Use frozen fruit and/or ice instead of fresh fruit and/or water if you want a cold smoothie, or one that is just thicker and more like icecream
A note on berries: try to buy local when you can, and look for fresh berries. If it's off-season or you don't have access to fresh berries, buy frozen - Grade A or "Fancy" berries. In some cases, frozen berries will be more nutritious than ones in the produce aisle; Grade A/Fancy berries are harvested when they are at their most nutritious and thus contain the most nutrients.
If you want to make smoothies for your entire day, just double or triple the recipe above. Store them in a glass or stainless steel container, preferably air tight, and keep refrigerator or in a cooler until you're ready to drink it. You can store Green Smoothies for 48 to 72 hours, though you should try to drink them within the first 24 hours. I personally have never really gone beyond 24-36 hours.
An average serving size depends on how thick your smoothie is, but is generally 12 to 16 ounces - smaller sizes for thicker smoothies, and larger ones for thinner ones.
So, for example, the smoothie I made this morning:
1 Banana
Small Handful of Blueberries
2 Strawberries
3 Large Kale Leaves
2 Fistfuls of Spinach
3 Mint Leaves
1/4 cup water
It is also important to note that you should ROTATE YOUR GREENS. The reason for this is that greens contain very trace amounts of a toxin that protect it from predation. Plants want you to eat the fruit, but they don't want you to eat all of the leaves - it would die. Our bodies can flush out these toxins, but you want to ensure you don't build them up over time. So, for example, eating 2-3 cups of spinach a day is fine, but if you eat a pound of day for several months in a row, that is risky. There is an excellent article here on why and how you should rotate your greens, plus a handy chart that shows what family greens are in so you know which ones to rotate.
The way I do this is that I use the same greens for a couple of weeks, and then switch for a couple weeks, then go back again. So I'll do Kale & Spinach for a couple of weeks, then switch to Romaine Lettuce and Parsley or Cilantro for a couple, then back again.
If you're looking for an excellent book on Green Smoothies, I definitely recommend Green Smoothie Revolution: The Radical Leap Towards Natural Health by Victoria Boutenko. It is a short easy read that includes the science behind Green Smoothies, her own family's movement towards eating Green, and then includes about 60 different recipes. I will continue to post recipes over time if you don't want to grab the book.
Another good book is the Ultimate Smoothies Recipes Book. It has a section on Green Smoothies, but also has a huge list of other great smoothies... including alcoholic ones! All told, it has about 125 recipes in it.
Hope this helps!
It's very easy to make, and to clean-up, which is the huge win for me. Also, I decided to start with sharing the Smoothie recipe, as Juicing requires special equipment - a juicer - whereas smoothies just require a blender, which most people are likely to have.
If you don't have a blender, here is what I use: Ninja Master Prep Blend
Note that as this is a relatively inexpensive blender, and not commercial grade, it makes a great smoothie but it is a little "pulpy." This may also be because I'm impatient and only blend for a couple of minutes (but I don't mind that the greens are super finely ground), but I am told that a commercial-grade blender will make it truly smooth. As these are expensive, I am holding off on that.
If you're just starting out with Green Smoothies, I recommend going a little light on the greens and then increasing the amount over time. Your tastes WILL change, but you want to make it so you enjoy drinking it. Too many greens all at once may not suit your tastebuds... though I will say that one of the benefits over Smoothies from Juicing is that the fruits in the smoothie tend to mask the taste of the greens. Ask Hilariarex - I gave her a taste of one of my smoothies last week, and I'm a bit heavy on the greens.
Important to note: Green smoothies are made with Fruits and Greens. Not vegetables. There may be smoothie recipes that include veggies, but I haven't tried any yet. The basic principles behind Green Smoothies is a mixture of Fruits & Greens, with the intent to be to help you consume more greens in your diet. Generally, you don't want to mix lots of fruits with veggies (with some exceptions, such as apples or pears, can mix with veggies, and carrots and avocados can mix with fruits).
Most people don't like the taste of greens (at least not at first)! Our modern American diet has changed our tastes to make lots of greens unpalatable. You'll likely find, as I did, that the more you consume greens, the more you want to consume them.
So here is the basic recipe I start off with:
Basic Green Smoothie Recipe
1 Banana
2 Handfuls of Blueberries (or other berry of your preference)
1-2 Kale Leaves
Small Handful of Spinach
1/4 cup water or apple cider
Throw them all together in the blender, and blend till smooth. Pour into a glass and enjoy!
If you don't like Bananas, you can substitute plain or vanilla yogurt (just read labels carefully to avoid artifical sweeteners or high fructose corn syrup in your yogurt). You can also substitute a different fruit that is not heavily water-based. I haven't tried with melons or canteloupe yet, but I've seen many recipes that call for them. Other possibilities: mangoes, pears, apples, papaya, peaches, nectarines.
When you're first starting out, use much more fruit than greens. For example, in the recipe above, the two large handfuls of blueberries would make my smoothie purple rather than green. It's a good entry smoothie.
Here are some variations that I do:
-- These days, I do 2-3 LARGE Kale leaves, and two fistfuls of spinach, with only one handful of blueberries
-- As my local grocery store has been having Buy 1 Get 1 on Strawberries, I've been adding 2-3 strawberries as well
-- I like to add a few fresh mint leaves. I love mint, and it adds just the right minty taste
-- I sometimes add a thick slice of grapefruit. Studies show that grapefruit helps burn fat and lose weight.
-- Other than spinach and kale, I sometimes add cabbage, romaine lettuce, or other greens
-- Add more or less water depending on how thick you want it to be
-- Use frozen fruit and/or ice instead of fresh fruit and/or water if you want a cold smoothie, or one that is just thicker and more like icecream
A note on berries: try to buy local when you can, and look for fresh berries. If it's off-season or you don't have access to fresh berries, buy frozen - Grade A or "Fancy" berries. In some cases, frozen berries will be more nutritious than ones in the produce aisle; Grade A/Fancy berries are harvested when they are at their most nutritious and thus contain the most nutrients.
If you want to make smoothies for your entire day, just double or triple the recipe above. Store them in a glass or stainless steel container, preferably air tight, and keep refrigerator or in a cooler until you're ready to drink it. You can store Green Smoothies for 48 to 72 hours, though you should try to drink them within the first 24 hours. I personally have never really gone beyond 24-36 hours.
An average serving size depends on how thick your smoothie is, but is generally 12 to 16 ounces - smaller sizes for thicker smoothies, and larger ones for thinner ones.
So, for example, the smoothie I made this morning:
1 Banana
Small Handful of Blueberries
2 Strawberries
3 Large Kale Leaves
2 Fistfuls of Spinach
3 Mint Leaves
1/4 cup water
It is also important to note that you should ROTATE YOUR GREENS. The reason for this is that greens contain very trace amounts of a toxin that protect it from predation. Plants want you to eat the fruit, but they don't want you to eat all of the leaves - it would die. Our bodies can flush out these toxins, but you want to ensure you don't build them up over time. So, for example, eating 2-3 cups of spinach a day is fine, but if you eat a pound of day for several months in a row, that is risky. There is an excellent article here on why and how you should rotate your greens, plus a handy chart that shows what family greens are in so you know which ones to rotate.
The way I do this is that I use the same greens for a couple of weeks, and then switch for a couple weeks, then go back again. So I'll do Kale & Spinach for a couple of weeks, then switch to Romaine Lettuce and Parsley or Cilantro for a couple, then back again.
If you're looking for an excellent book on Green Smoothies, I definitely recommend Green Smoothie Revolution: The Radical Leap Towards Natural Health by Victoria Boutenko. It is a short easy read that includes the science behind Green Smoothies, her own family's movement towards eating Green, and then includes about 60 different recipes. I will continue to post recipes over time if you don't want to grab the book.
Another good book is the Ultimate Smoothies Recipes Book. It has a section on Green Smoothies, but also has a huge list of other great smoothies... including alcoholic ones! All told, it has about 125 recipes in it.
Hope this helps!