by Joanna | Green Smoothies, Kids, Smoothie Recipes
If you are looking for easy healthy recipes and an super-easy way to add super-important nutrients to your everyday diet, you are truly lucky to have found this page!
Because what you will learn here – if you just try it and stick with it – will likely change your life and health for the better (really, I don’t exaggerate one bit – because it happened to me a few years back).
Introducing…Green Smoothies
You probably heard about green smoothies by now, as everyone is raving about them. You may call them blended drinks, green shakes, green smoothies, green fruit smoothies, drinkable salads or salads straight from your blender.
It doesn’t really matter what you call them — as long as you drink them!
The fact is that if you are having problems with eating a healthy diet, and especially if you have picky-eaters in your house who will not eat a green vegetable if their life depended on it – this is a perfect solution to your problem.
The idea to blend various kinds of leafy greens, fruits and vegetables to create a liquid soup with a baby food consistency is not new. About 5 years ago that Victoria Boutenko (from the Raw Family) greatly popularized the concept of the Green Smoothie.
The Green Smoothie is essentially a blended salad made with fruits and leafy greens, with some optional water, blended at high speeds to smooth consistency. Generally, hard or savory vegetables such as carrots or tomatoes are avoided, or only added in small quantities. Only fruits, leafy greens, and some vegetables are included.
Many of you may cringe at the idea of adding spinach or kale to a fruit smoothie, thinking these greens belong to a salad or dinner side-dish and not in a sweet drink.
However, the fact remains that this is the EASIEST, FASTEST, and TASTIEST way to consume large amounts of greens on a regular basis.
Just think about it: it’s MUCH faster to drink the same amount of greens in a smoothie than that it would take you to prepare and consume (and that includes chewing properly!) the same amount of greens, fruits and vegetables in a salad or other dishes.
Great things I love about smoothies is they only take about a minute to prepare (with a good blender, such as Blendtec or Vitamix), and a minute or two to drink.
And, when you make a green smoothie, the smoothie making blender will do the chewing for you!
There is really no excuse not to have them!
Important: Quick preparation does not also mean quick consumption. Do not just gulp down the entire glass of smoothie quickly. It is recommended that you drink your smoothie SLOWLY – mixing it with your saliva for best digestion and assimilation of nutrients.
Benefits of Green Smoothies versus Green Juice
Drinking freshly made juices made from vegetables, greens and fruits is an EXCELLENT way to add important nutrients to your diet. Juices contain super-concentrated nutrients that the body can absorb almost instantaneously — there is no need to digest anything! This gives the body a rest, while flooding it with great nutrition — great for people who have serious health problems and want to heal quickly.
However, juicing may or may not be an ideal solution for you.
One problem is that you may be skipping juicing — and therefore not benefiting from it — because it’s more work. I used to do a lot of juicing in the past and I still try to do it, but let’s face it – it is quite time consuming and really messy. My problem is over since I started making green smoothies. Making smoothies is a super easy way to eat lots of greens, and a great alternative to juicing. It is much faster, less messy, and you also get fiber in addition to juice, so you get that feeling of satiety. If you can discipline yourself to make fresh juices regularly, great! Otherwise, stick with green smoothies, or — I believe the best solution is to drink both!
Another problem with juice is that you leave behind the valuable fiber that slows down the absorption of nutrients and provides the feeling of fullness. This can be seen as a benefit, but can also be a problem ;-). Drinking a juice is not a “satisfying meal” in itself. So if you juice, then go on to eat junk food because you feel hungry, it’s better to have a green smoothie, that will leave you satisfied for longer.
Fortunately, whichever option you choose, you cannot go wrong. Whether you are making vegetable juices or blending green smoothies, you are doing your body a huge favor.
So, How Do You Make A Smoothie?
Let’s start with some great ingredients for your smoothie creations.
Great Ingredients For Your Green Smoothies
GREENS: kale, bok choy, chard, spinach, parsley, romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, mint, basil, cilantro, or other.
FRUITS: bananas, pears, apples, mango, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, peaches, kiwi, pineapple, melon, papaya, watermelon, grapes, or other.
VEGGIES: cucumber, celery, avocado (small amount only).
Some fruit and green combinations you may want to try:
- Spinach with bananas and strawberries
- Spinach with apples, bananas, and some lemon or lime juice
- Spinach, bananas, peaches, mango
- Romaine lettuce with bananas
- Romaine lettuce with cucumber and bananas
- Romaine and celery with blueberries
- Parsley and ripe pears
- Parsley, celery, apple and pears
Add 1-2 cups of water and blend until smooth. Adjust proportions to your liking. Try to experiment with different greens and fruits. Fruits are added for sweetness, so make sure they are really RIPE, especially bananas. Beautifully ripened bananas look like this:
Okay, so I need to add more spinach here, but I really love sweet taste of bananas!
In the beginning, when you are just starting out with the green smoothies, you may want to add just a little bit of mild tasting greens (such as spinach), to let your taste buds get used to the taste. Start adding more greens of various kinds (many of them are stronger tasting) later on.
Greens to add to your smoothies: spinach, arugula, Swiss chard, dandelion, kale, collard greens, beet tops, and whatever else you can find in the store or in your garden. Young, tender greens are better. Iceberg lettuce, although not very green at all, can be used too.
This is what a green smoothie looks like:
Don’t be discouraged by the “greenness” of this drink. It tastes delicious, trust me on this!
Just try it for yourself, OK?
(Plus, if you really don’t want the green color, you can easily make it into a purple or red smoothie by adding lots of mixed berries, and fewer green ingredients).
Green Smoothie Recipes
Here are more ideas for your delicious green smoothie creations. Feel free to adjust the quantity of ingredients:
Spinach-Apple-Banana
- 1 head of spinach
- 1 apple
- 1 banana
- 1-2 cups of water
Spinach-Raspberry-Strawberry
- 1/2 head of spinach
- 1/4 cup of raspberries
- 1/2 cup of strawberries
- 2 cups of water
Pinapple – Mango – Romaine
- 1 small pineapple, peeled, cored, and chopped
- 1 large mango, peeled, cored, and chopped
- ½ head romaine lettuce
- a tiny piece of fresh ginger
You may want to add some water.
Personally I don’t really love Romain in my smoothies, but sometimes it works well. You’ll just have to try it for yourself. If you don’t care for it, substitute a different green.
Kale – Banana – Berry
- 2 leaves kale (kale is rather strong tasting, so you may want to start with less)
- 2 bananas
- 1 cup of strawberries or blueberries or raspberries
- 1 cup of water
Apple – Mango – Lettuce
- 5 pieces of green leaf lettuce
- 1 ripe mango
- 1 apple
- 1 cup of water
One note here on using frozen fruits in your smoothies. Personally, I don’t like smoothies that are really cold, so if I’m using a lot of frozen ingredients, I add some hot water to the mix to make them room- (or rather – stomach-) temperature. I know that many people like frozen drinks, but drinking a lot of frozen smoothies is not really that healthy, in my opinion.
I admit – I am totally hooked on green smoothies!
However, I never use exact recipes – I constantly experiment by adding different ingredients, depending on what sounds good to my body each day. Even thought some concoctions taste more delicious than others, I haven’t been completely disappointed yet!
Now that you know how to make some basic easy healthy recipes for green smoothies, you can experiment with other variations on this theme. When you are ready, start incorporate other, stronger tasting greens into your smoothies.
Submit Your Smoothie Recipe!
When you find a taste you love, why not submit your favorite smoothie recipe in the comment section below!
Find more smoothie recipes and tips on my blog.
by Joanna | Green Smoothies
Many people ask me should they go with Blendtec or Vitamix when choosing an blender.
The two blenders are in tight competition for the green smoothie makers market :-). Although many people may choose a more affordable option (such as Omni , Ninja, or other) I found that a cheaper blender just wasn’t doing the job when it came to blending tough greens and veggies (and nuts, and seeds…).
So if you can afford it, the investment is well worth the money.
As far as which blender to choose: Vitamix versus Blendtec?
Well, I can assure you personally that both these blenders make green smoothies like champs! They turn spinach, kale, almonds, sunflower seeds, berries, bananas and water into delicious green smoothies in a matter of seconds (for realzzz).
The bottom line:
Both blenders are great choices if you want to become a hard core, green smoothie drinking machine like I am. No leafy chunks with either blender and the smoothies were made in easily under 2 minutes.
If you like more features, care how it looks/fits on your counter and like frothier smoothies— I say go with the Blendtec.
If you prefer creamy smoothies, a simple look, and a super solid blender— go with the Vitamix.
Both have 7 year warranties, blend like kings and will make your green smoothie days even more exciting.
Save some money and help the environment!
If you need to save some money, you can buy the refurbished version right through Blendtec and Vitamix. They still come with the rockin’ warranty and look brand new— it’s really a great way to save some money!
Buy a Blendtec Total Blender
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For all my blending recipes – including smoothies, soups, nut butters and milks, I use Vitamix. If you don’t already own a VitaMix, I strongly encourage you to check out what this machine is capable of! For more information about VitaMix you can go directly to the VitaMix website. You may also want to read my post about the Best Blender.
I LOVE my VitaMix and highly recommend investing in one if you are ready to make serious changes to your diet. I have had mine for almost 5 years and use it daily!
If you decide to purchase Vitamix – be sure to use Promotional Code 06-004554 to get free shipping.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
If you have a favorite recipe, why not submit it here in the comment section of this smoothie recipes blog for others to enjoy too!
I also welcome any comments, questions and suggestions. Thanks!
by Joanna | Salads, Soups
Green smoothies are great, but they are sweet-tasting, and sometimes, for whatever reason, we want a more savory flavor.
Plus, the fruit content in many smoothie recipes may be a problem for some people with diabetes and blood sugar issues.
Also, the smoothies are really, …well… smooth (duh!)- almost like baby food – which is important for good assimilation of nutrients, especially if you add hard-to-chew greens, such as kale or collard greens. So, for variety, you may want to add some crunchiness to your meals from time to time.
Whatever the reason, I encourage to add some Green Power Soup and Salad Recipes to your blending repertoire :-).
Low-Calorie, Low-Sugar, Low-Fat Raw Blended Soups and Salads
Ingredients For Blended Soups: Green Power Soups are made of juicy vegetables and leafy greens. The idea is that you create a soup base first, by blending the tough ingredients with some water, and then add softer ingredients, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach and zucchini and blend everything at low speed to add texture. The soup should have thick, creamy consistency with crunchy texture, and can be eaten from a bowl.
Best Ingredients for Blended Salads. Green Power Salads are made of primarily juicy vegetables and greens, that are blended at lower speeds than smoothies, for shorter times, WITHOUT ANY WATER. They have thicker consistency, crunchy texture, and can be eaten from a bowl like a soup or stew.
The best ingredients for blended salads include cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, peppers, and zucchini, with only delicate greens added, such as spinach or lettuce. The reason not to add hard and bitter greens such as kale is that you are only blending the mixture to a consistency of thick salsa or stew – and these ingredients would make it unpalatable.
Herbs, Sprouts and Condiments. You will want to add lots of herbs, such as basil, dill, parsley, cilantro, and other for outrageously delicious taste. Sprouts are also terrific to add to the blend or just sprinkle on top. If you don’t have fresh herbs, dried herbs are fine too. You may also experiment with other condiments, such as curry powder or hot sauce, onion or garlic.
Sweeteners. Even though this is supposed be a savory tasting recipe, adding some sweetness is really important. Of course, you may skip sweeteners altogether, but – unless you have strong reasons to do it – I really advise you to also add a little bit of sweetness for more yumminess. I like to add some sweet fruits, for example, a piece of a sweet pear, apple, a few strawberries, or grapes, but you may choose to add a little bit of honey, agave syrup, or some other sweetener to make the blended salad even more delicious.
Green Power Creamy Avocado Energy Soup
As I said, the only difference between soup and salad is just that you add a bit of liquid, such as water, to your soup; whereas salads require no added liquid – which makes them a little bit more tricky to do, especially if you don’t have a powerful blender (see the tips below).
So, let’s start with a soup recipe that I put together in a spur of the moment – my husband was coming home soon and I wanted to make a blended salad, but did not have the usual juicy ingredients in my kitchen that are required for salad, such as tomatoes and cucumbers.
I blended the tougher ingredients first – in this case celery with a piece of avocado and a bit of water to create a soup base, and then added other ingredients on low speed to create some texture.
Here are the ingredients that I used (just because I had them in my kitchen at the moment) – and the soup turned out quite tasty!
Ingredients for soup base:
1 large stalk celery
2 lettuce leaves
1/2 small avocado
Blend well on high speed. This will create a nice creamy base.
Ingredients for texture:
1 small zucchini
1/2 pear or a bit of agave (for sweetness)
fresh basil leaves to taste (from my window garden)
a small piece of green onion
Blend on lowest speed that will get the job done. Optionally, you may just chop these ingredients and mix them with the liquid. I also a pinch of salt.
Pour into a bowl and enjoy!
Live Avocado-Cucumber Soup
Here is another soup recipe from my soup ebook. This rich and creamy blend of avocados, cucumbers, and cilantro is luscious and satisfying. It is garnished with pieces of cucumber and cashew sour cream. (To make cashew sour cream simply blend a handful of cashews with water and add a splash of lemon juice.)
Simple and delicious!
Live Avocado-Cucumber Soup
Ingredients
- 2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, peeled and diced
- 4 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and chopped
- ½ jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus a few springs for garnish
- 4 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ cup water
- For garnish:
- 1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1 julienned radish, for garnish
- ½ red bell pepper, cut into strips, for garnish
- ½ cup fresh corn kernels, for garnish
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Variations:
- Substitute cilantro with fresh dill, chopped for Cucumber-Dill soup.
- Add 1 cup chopped spinach or lettuce.
Instructions
- Put the avocados, cucumbers, jalapeno pepper, cilantro, lime juice, lemon juice, water and a dash of salt, if using, in a blender and process until smooth. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about one1 hour or up to 3 hours. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish each portion with radish, bell pepper, corn, and cilantro. Serves 4-6.
- Garnish with cashew sour cream. To make cashew sour cream, squeeze some lemon juice into cashew cream.
3.1
https://greenreset.com/green-blended-salads/
How to Make a Blended Salad?
This is important.
Because you are not going to add any water to your salad, so it is important to start with ingredients that contain most water – tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. – so, cut them into pieces and put them into your blender FIRST. Switch your blender ON and keep it on the lowest speed that will get the job done. Next, gradually keep adding other ingredients – leafy greens and herbs. If adding honey or other sweetener, add it to the mix at the end, so it doesn’t just stick to the container.
This is important especially if you are using a regular blender to make the blended salad, and not VitaMix – which is the best blender on the market to make green smoothies and blended salads. It’s expensive, but totally worth it!
Low-Calorie, Fat-Free Blended Salad Recipe (No Salad Dressing Required!)
The problem with many salads is that the greens are soaked in fatty dressings with many unhealthy ingredients. Of course, you may make healthy low fat salad dressing yourself using a blender, like I describe in one of my other posts.
This Italian-flavored Green Power Salad requires no salad dressing whatsoever – and it still tastes delicious!
Ingredients:
• 1 stalk celery
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 cucumber
• 2 scallions
• some fresh basil leaves (adjust quantity to taste)
• some fresh oregano (can substitute dried oregano)
• raw honey or raw agave nectar (adjust quantity to taste)
• optional jalapeno or other hot pepper
• 5 oz spinach
• optional toppings: handful sweet bell pepper, diced, 1 chopped celery stalk
Step 1.
Save 1/2 tomato and a piece of cucumber for garnish. Blend the remaining tomatoes, cucumber and celery in your blender.
Step 2.
Chop the remaining ingredients and add to your blender and blend on slow speed. If you don’t have a powerful blender, then you may want to add spinach gradually as you blend. Remember to use low speed. If you have a Vitamix, use the pusher to help do the job.
Step 3.
Pour the salad into a bowl. Chop remaining tomato and cucumber and sprinkle on top.
Enjoy!
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
If you have a favorite recipe, why not submit it here in the comment section of this smoothie recipes blog for others to enjoy too!
I also welcome any comments, questions and suggestions. Thanks!
