Green Smoothies for Beginners

Thank you for reading ThreeHealthyMommas! Our blog has recently moved over to Wordpress due to complications with blogger format. Please head on over to our new blog and check it out!

 ThreeHealthyMommas.wordpress.com




If you are not automatically redirected, please click here

Did you know that green smoothies do not actually have to be GREEN? I didn't realize that until I started making them, and I was pleasantly surprised because to be honest, it's sort of hard for me to choke down a green colored drink. Throw in a handful of any type of berry and you no longer have a green colored smoothie!

Since I am still fairly new to green smoothies, I have not tried anything "crazy," so I wanted to share some of my favorite smoothies that are perfect to ease you in.

Green smoothies are a huge trend right now, and while I am usually against "diet" trends, this is actually an extremely healthy one. If you have ever taken a health class, you know that "green leafy vegetables" basically have every health benefit in the book. They are packed with vitamins and minerals and may even help prevent diabetes and inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.

I am using spinach as the base of all of my smoothies right now. Another common leafy green to use is kale. Kale has a much stronger flavor, so if you are worried about the taste, it would probably be good to start with spinach.

After choosing your base, you need some liquid. I always just use cold water, but almond milk, coconut milk, or coconut water would all be good (and the milks make it really creamy). The amount of liquid I use depends on how much I am making. Usually for about 2 glasses I use 1/2-3/4 cup of water. I always start on the lesser end with the water and add more if it is too thick.

Then you add whatever else you want! I add some fruit at this point. If the only veggie you are using is your leafy greens (which is usually the case for me right now), make sure to be very generous with the amount compared to the amount of fruit you use. Most smoothies do have bananas in them because it gives a good texture, but if you do not like bananas, avocado will do the same thing. I love this website because you can click on any ingredient and it gives you recipes that include it.

My last tip is this, do not be turned away from green smoothies just because you do not own a Blendtec or Vitamix. I would love to have one and know they are amazing, but lets be honest, that is very far away from being in my medical school budget. I actually use my Cuisinart Food Processor and it has worked great! I do not put ice in it because I don't want to bend the blades, but I have never needed to use ice (I use all frozen fruit and for big things like pineapple chunks, I thaw them just barely so they aren't as hard). I know a lot of people just use normal blenders for their green smoothies too. So try out whatever you have!

Here are my three favorite smoothies I have made so far (I'm sorry I have no measurements. I really don't measure, I just throw stuff in):

My Jamba Juice Copycat
2 large handfuls spinach
1/2-3/4 cup water or liquid of your choice
Small handful of frozen blueberries
Small handful of frozen raspberries
1/2-1 medium banana
Blend your spinach and liquid then add the fruit and blend until smooth

Summertime Smoothie
2 large handfuls spinach
1/2-3/4 cup water or liquid of your choice
4-5 chunks frozen pineapple
Small handful of frozen blueberries or raspberries
1/2-1 medium banana
Blend your spinach and liquid then add the fruit and blend until smooth

My Favorite Green Green Smoothie
2 large handfuls spinach
1/2-3/4 cup water or liquid of your choice-in this smoothie, I think its better with one of the milks
4-5 chunks pineapple
1/2-1 clementine
1/2-1 medium banana
Blend your spinach and liquid then add the fruit and blend until smooth

Have fun creating your own combinations!

-Jaeme