Happy St Patrick's Day. My perfect green beverage to cheers to with this day? No, not green Guinness. Green smoothies and juice! And today I'm saluting Green Smoothies.
I've always loved smoothies. And now I love them in shades of emerald, spring green, jade, leaf, grass and kelly green. This spring and summer 2012 I predict a building trend is in the works for Green Smoothies. Join in the green celebration and try my green recipes and tips..
Sassy Sweet Green juice (left) - Kiwi Pineapple Mint (right, recipe below)
Sassy Sweet Green Smoothie:
Sassy Sweet Green Whole Food Smoothie
serves 2
1 cup vanilla almond milk (I made my own – recipe here)
1 large seedless orange, peel removed (if not using seedless, remove seeds)
*you could also use 2-3 satsumas or seedless mandarins too
1 cup green grapes
1 large ripe banana
2 cups green kale
½ cup coconut water ice cubes (or regular ice cubes)
*coconut water is rich in electrolytes like potassium
dash cayenne (for spiciness)
optional:
* for a thinner smoothie, add in more almond milk or a splash of orange juice
* additional greens (more kale, parsley or spinach)
* ½ cup additional sweet fruit (kiwi, mango or pear are my faves)
* scoop of spirulina powder (for extra green color and a nutrient boost!)
tip: chill the orange, grapes and banana for a cooler end product smoothie.
Blend and serve.
Note: you will need a high speed blender like a Vitamix to properly blend all these whole foods into creamy bliss. If you are looking to buy a Vitamix, please read my Vitamix review – posted to my blog Healthy Happy Life. And use this Vitamix online store link for free shipping on your purchase – $25-$35 value depending on where you ship.
What is a "green smoothie" you ask? Well it is a smoothie that is green! As opposed to fruit smoothies that may be pink, blue, orange or yellow - green smoothies are green because they contain something green. Most likely a veggie like kale, cucumber, kiwi, parsley or spinach.
Green smoothies are similar to 'green juice' which I describe here. But the difference between a green smoothie and a green juice is simple. Fiber! Bulk. Wholeness. Green smoothies use (and keep) whole foods. They keep in the fiber.
Instead of juicing a bunch of kale into a small cup of dark green juice - you are pureeing the kale into a smooth, creamy beverage - thicker than juice and sometimes as frosty as a traditional fruit smoothie. Your call. Green smoothies can be super chilled, room temperature or mildly frosty. Thick or thin.
Green smoothies can be made with a high speed blender like a Vitamix (more on tools below my recipes.) And since more and more people are buying high speed blenders, I have seen more and more people falling in love with green smoothies.
Green smoothies carry many of the same common myths that green juice carries. First of all, people think that just because the color is green, the smoothie will taste grassy, bitter and undrinkable. Not true! Most green smoothies are in fact slightly sweet tasting because of their blend of fruits and veggies.
Flavor. The secret to a good green juice is getting that perfect blend of fruit and veg. Sweetness with grassiness. A blend of zesty. Sassy. Spicy. Salty. And even sourness. The complexity in green juice flavor can be diverse or simple. Many flavors or just two. Experiment with combos and slowly you will learn the different flavors that show up as you blend in various ingredients.
Some of my favorite green smoothie ingredients include: kale, parsley, oranges, mandarins, pear, grapes, spinach, apple, lemon, lime, wheatgrass juice, mint, kiwi, banana, pineapple, blueberry, strawberry, mango, nut milks (homemade is best!), soy and hemp milks, coconut water, coconut water ice cubes, grapefruit, cucumber ...and on and on and on.
And sidenote, while I sip green smoothies, I think I will be playing with my new toy all rainy weekend long. I LOVE the new ipad 3! The screen looks like a glossy magazine! You can even use my smoothies App on it I have found...
Green Smoothie Recipes. I'm just starting to post more green smoothies, but here are a few I love. What is your favorite green juice recipe? Please share in the comments!
Kiwi pineapple mint (recipe below)..
Kiwi Pineapple Mint Green Smoothie:
serves 1-2
1-2 kiwis, peeled
½ cup frozen pineapple
1-2 cups kale, stems removed
⅓ cup coconut water ice cubes
1 banana
⅓ cup green grapes
1 cup liquid (you could use either non-dairy milk or citrus juice like orange - or add in whole oranges with a splash of non-dairy milk)
Green Smoothie Tools. I will say that to properly blend some hearty whole food ingredients like kale, apples, oranges and tough veggies - you will need a high speed blender. A $19.99 plastic blender that is fine for blending juice and bananas - will not be able to puree the whole foods properly. Plus the Vitamix 'plunger' helps to mix those bouncy leafy greens into the blend!
Vitamix Smoothies. And I know I sound like a broken record - but a high speed blender like a Vitamix really is the best kitchen appliance investment I have ever made. I adore mine. In fact, my mom stayed at our place for a while to 'housesit' for us and she fell so in love with my Vitamix that she bought one for herself. Actually, she took mine and I upgraded. If you want to buy a Vitamix online, you can use my code for free shipping.
Links:
Green Juice Myths
5 Tips to Learn to Love Green Juice (and smoothies!)
So CHEERS to green smoothies!!
And maybe pair your smoothie with this Vegan Shamrock Breakfast Sandwich..
Kiwi Pineapple Mint and a kitty:
One more look at that pretty ipad. FindingVegan.com on my IPAD!..
Brian Clark says
Thanks for the recipes. Yummy and healthy, too. 2 in 1. Will try for sure.
Romy MacGibbon says
We do not have kale here in Argentina!!! I think I'll have to buy seeds and grow my own!
Ashley Victoria García says
Im trying this green smoothie can you tell me if its good please!
The recipe is: two handfuls of baby spinach, 1 apple, 1 banana, 1 cup of yougrt, 5 strawberries, 1ª2 orange
Shippermd says
I have a Nutriblast and they work awesome as a great high speed blender 🙂
Marie says
I just made the Kiwi Pineapple Green Smoothie and drank it all. Oh my goodness, was it ever good. This is the best green smoothie ever.
Marie
Kathy Patalsky says
oh good!!!
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Subject: [lunchboxbunch] Re: Salute to Green Smoothies
Joseph Carr says
Drinking smoothies is the quickest, easiest way to obtain incredible health results. First, smoothies help the body stay hydrated. It's important to keep our energy levels up, for the brain and muscles to function. Second, it promotes good digestion by breaking down the food so that our body can access the nutrients. Third, it can help improve elimination of toxic wastes in the body, with fruit and vegetable fibers working as a broom, sweeping the colon of toxins and waste.
Evelyn M says
Just discovered your blog through Pinterest, and I am in love with it!!!
Christina says
I have a $15 blender and make some fantastic green smoothies! Here's the trick: blend liquid and your green stuff before adding any other fruit or solid things. Get that to be smooth first and THEN add other things. I haven't had any problems with some serious kale and chard the size of my face 🙂
BlackWomenInEurope says
That's awesome to know! I'll try it out ASAP even though I think my blender cost more than $15. But it's no Vitamix!
Lauren says
Great recipes! We've been making green smoothies for several years now, a quart or more each a day. It's my breakfast and lunch. I use a few frozen or fresh strawberries, a large handful of frozen blueberries, a bowl of spinach and kale, one banana, some spirulina powder, a large scoop of chia seed, a scoop of ground flax seed, MCT oil (omega 3), and organic soy protein powder in a mix of water with coconut milk (vanilla is good). I used to add an apple, but wanted to cut back on the sugar content, even if it's fruit sugar. Whip it up in a Blendtec and enjoy! A great way to get healthy nutrition quick and easy, and the protein helps me feel so much better and controls my hypoglycemic issues.
Also may I add that my hair and nails grow very fast!! And my nails are very strong.
And for anyone suffering from chronic migraines, try eliminating gluten from your diet...since being gluten free for almost a year, I've not had a recurrence of chronic migraines that were most crippling. I'd had them since elementary school. I consider that issue to be in remission!
Diane says
Thanks for your post Lauren. I have chronic migraines and almost every day. Plus that I have fibromyalgia, depression and chronic anxiety. I'm on so many meds it's ridiculous. Your post gives me hope that I can heal my body with nutrition. I have been reading Dr Mark Hyman's books and website and I have just gone off all grains a few days ago as well as dairy except butter and greek yogurt for now. I plan to learn how to make yogurt without dairy milk and clarify my butter to remove the milk solids. I have stopped eating all processed foods as well. I'm not a big veggie eater so I would love to have a Vitamix to make these green smoothies. It's just not in the budget so I am going to try the green smoothies with my regular blender anyway. I am going to try making kale chips and maybe avacado smoothies. I'm having trouble with the chia seeds. I just can't handle the slimy "egg white" texture they get when mixed into any liquid. It is disgusting. I've choked it down a couple times but it's not going to work over the long term. Thanks anyway for your inspiration.!! 🙂
Torrey says
I am a newcomer to green smoothies and I am in LOVE with them. My husband and I drink a quart a day. Our favorite ingredients are spinach, kale, collard greens, lemon, oranges, bananas and mixed berries. We are even moving to a more vegan lifestyle after starting our green smoothies!
Somerset County mover says
Some of these actually look and sound good! It still seems kinda weird drinking something green but I love how good they are for you. I have have to try out some recipes.
wheatgrass juicer says
Thank you so much for this inspiring, refreshing post and pictures!
Tricia Cardone says
Wow! These smoothies look AMAZING! Such gorgeous green colors! I can't wait to try them!
Kathy Patalsky says
thnx! They are pretty and yummy. 🙂
SCM (SocialCafe Magazine) says
We love green smoothies 🙂 they are always so yummy!
Medx Power says
thanks for green smootheeeee
Beth Donaldson says
Just bought a Vita Mix. Too much fun. This is only my third day of drinking one smoothie a day, and I feel great. Lots of energy, even road my bike to work!
Kathleen Richardson says
The photos are so well done, making everything appealing. Wish I had a VitaMix!
Shirley Wheeler says
I know I don't post very often but I never miss a post. Your blog is very inspiring. Not only is kitty super cute but your Mardi Gras smoothie is Beautiful!!! Thank you for all your hard work and effort to put out one of the best healthy eating blogs out there!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
Mmm this sounds lovely!
Kirstenskitchen says
That Mardi Gras smoothie looks pretty tasty!!