The Green Smoothie is where it all started for us.  It was the very first thing we did once we decided to get healthy.   I remember reading Victoria Boutenko’s book,
Green for Life and really being hit for the first time about the immense health benefits of dark, leafy greens.  We ate salads occasionally but we certainly weren’t eating kale, collards, Swiss chard, beet greens and other greens you never, ever see on the Standard American Diet.

 I wanted the benefits of a nutritious diet: healing, better health, weight loss, more energy, and I wanted to prevent more disease.  Fresh from reading Green for Life, I was excited to try my first green smoothie and get the party started, so to speak!

If you don’t normally eat a lot of dark, leafy greens, smoothies are a great way to boost your intake because they tastes great!   It’s the main reason I make sure my kids are drinking their green smoothies several times a week.   Like most kids, they don’t get very excited over a big bowl of the dark greens, so I sneak in the greens where I can.   I’ll throw some greens in when I’m making soup or add them to a salad or I’ll make a green smoothie.   Either way, my family is getting their greens.

The one thing I really love about green smoothies is they are so easy.  Throw everything in the blender and you’re done in 5 minutes.  Juicing is a wonderful thing but it cannot compare to the ease of making a smoothie when you’re short on time.

Basic Smoothie Recipe

My smoothies vary from day to day (and they should to get the most nutritional benefit)  but I have a basic formula I use when I make my smoothies.  This recipe will yield approximately 1 quart, a good amount if you’re using it as a meal replacement.

Add the following to your blender:

• 2 cups water

• 1 cup fresh fruit (oranges, pineapple, mango, kiwi, berries, peaches, plums, etc.)  Substitute frozen fruit if needed.

• 1 frozen, cut up ripe banana (or frozen mango)  for creaminess

• 1 tbsp Chia Seeds, Hemp Seeds , or flax seeds

• 2-4 cups dark leafy greens (kale, collards, spinach, Romaine lettuce, dandelion leaves, beet greens, Swiss chard, broccoli leaves, etc. )   ** Start with a handful of greens if you’re new to green smoothies and work you way up to more.

A word of caution about the frozen bananas:  do not freeze your bananas in large chunks or you’ll kill your blender.   Yes, I do speak from personal experience!    Wait until your bananas are ripe and spotted (I promise you, unripe, unspotted bananas do not make good smoothies!) then break them into small chunks and throw them in a baggie in your freezer.  It’s a great way to use up your ripe bananas.

Playing around and making smoothies with what you have on hand can make for some interesting smoothies.   One of our favorites is the Caribbean Green Smoothie.  You might find the use of cilantro an odd addition to a smoothie but actually, herbs make for great additions to your smoothies.  Cilantro is full of antioxidants, essential oils, vitamins, and dietary fiber but I love it because it actually binds to toxic metals in our body and loosens them from the tissue.   If you’re not a fan of cilantro, just leave it out or add another handful of spinach.

Favorite Caribbean Green Smoothie

Vegan & Gluten Free

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water

• 1 cup fresh or frozen pineapple

• 1 medium frozen banana, broken into chunks

• 1 tbsp Chia Seeds

• 1 handful cilantro (stems and leaves)

• 2 cups fresh spinach

Add all ingredients to your blender and blend until smooth.

Enjoy!

–Jen

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Favorite Caribbean Green Smoothie

Enjoy the flavors of the Caribbean in a nutrition packed green smoothie.

Course

Beverages, Breakfast, Healthy Drinks, Snacks

Prep Time

5 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup fresh or frozen pineapple
• 1 frozen, chopped banana
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 handful fresh cilantro stems and leaves
• 2 cups fresh spinach

Course Beverages, Breakfast, Healthy Drinks, Snacks Prep Time 5 minutes Servings people Ingredients 2 cups water 1 cup fresh or frozen pineapple 1 frozen, chopped banana 1 tbsp chia seeds 1 handful fresh cilantro stems and leaves 2 cups fresh spinach

Instructions

1. In a blender, add all ingredients and blend until smooth.

Recipe Notes

Author: Jen @ www.myhealthyhomemadelife.com

 

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