I am so not a veggie lover. I could never eat all the veggies in a day that I’m suppose to so instead I’ve figured out a way to get around that. I drink them!
The idea of green smoothies first came to me after reading many blogs on the subject. I had already been making myself a fruit smoothie everyday to get my required fruits in, so it really appealed to me that I could add some veggies at the same time and be done with it. So that’s what I do.
Every day for lunch I make myself a big tall glass of yummy green smoothie otherwise known as hulk juice to my kids. They are absolutely delicious and believe it or not I actually crave them now if I don’t have one. You can’t really taste the spinach at all and the fruit adds a nice touch of sweetness. This is how I make mine but there are many different varieties and combinations you could try.
Org Junkie’s Daily Green Smoothie
One blender full of baby spinach (or a combination of any type of greens)
Approx 1 1/2 cups of cold water
Pulse and puree first two ingredients for a couple of minutes until well blended
(Note: because I don’t have a fancy blender, blending the spinach and water FIRST is the one step that made the biggest difference for me towards creating a green smoothie that was nice and creamy instead of thick and pasty)
Add to blender two to three cups of frozen fruit (any kind you like, I usually use the mixed fruit from M&M’s)
One banana
Blend until mixed and creamy
Add a couple of tablespoons of ground flax
Blend again
Drink up and enjoy!
(equals two servings)
Now if you are a bit reluctant to go all in at first you might want to start with a higher ratio of fruit to greens until you get use to it. There really are no rules. It’s just such a great way to get in a whole bunch of fruits and veggies in a really easy and delicious way.
If you have trouble eating your veggies, drinking them is a great alternative!
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That’s a GREAT idea, Laura. I like veggies but love the idea of making sure I get everything in without forgetting AND doing it without adding anything more than natural fruit sweetness.
YUM!
I love that idea and especially that it’s made without milk. Who knew I’d run into healthy recipes on your blog :)
Hilarious!!! My friends and I have a private mom’s board and a lot of us already drink or are gonna try this smoothie. One of the girls posted about it a couple of weeks ago and now i see it here too. Yes I started my green smoothies on St. Patricks day and am drinking them daily.
LOL, yes that would have made sense for me to post this on Wednesday. Always a day late and a dollar short :)
WOW that looks nice and simple. I am going to try this tonight. I never thought of drinking my veggies.
I really, really need to do this!
I made a green smoothie similar to that the other day and my daughter looks at it and was like, “What is that?” LOL!
Hugs
Kim
Hmm this sounds awesome, I just happen to have all the ingredients. One of my favorites in the summer is blending cucumbers and strawberries, the combination to me is so refreshing, especially on a hot day. I too have a smoothie each morning, I call it my breakfast to go.. mine usually is filled with at least 3-4 fruits, some honey, plain yogurt, a 1/4 c, of one minute oatmeal and juice. Sometimes I add the flax seed instead of the oats. This actually fills me and holds me most of the morning
Thanks for sharing your treat
I really wanna try this but I’m a big weenie! :) I really don’t like spinach. But maybe I’ll give it a go with just a little spinach at first. Can you use frozen spinach (which I have in my freezer for some reason) or should it only be fresh?
I don’t think frozen spinach would be as good but you could always try blending up a small serving to test it out.
I am going to try this tomorrow morning! Way to start out a Monday!!
- Seanna
http://www.twogirlsandanappetite.blogpsot.com
I didn’t believe this sounded good when a friend told me about adding spinach awhile back. But we tried it last week, and I am hooked. They ARE yummy. I put a little cocoa pwder in mine, with milk, and protein pwdr, the spinach and the frozen banana…oh my goodness. Delish. Anything really goes though. If you haven’t tried it yet readers….do it. It’s great.
So true, that’s the beauty of it isn’t it…anything goes!!
Echoing what Sheena said, I’m a weenie too! My mom always tried to pound into my head how absolutely wonderful spinach is for your body, but um… there are only so many ways to eat that stuff. Who knew you could just blend it into a sweet smoothie?!
The key is blending up the spinach and water first…give it a shot, you might be surprised!
So does this just make one serving size? Is this all you eat/drink for lunch? Or do you have it with your lunch? Just trying to see how I can fit this in my diet. Thanks – I think I’ll give it a try!
It actually makes two of those glasses you see and I give the other one to my son to drink. He loves them too!
I usually have this smoothie along with a WW whole wheat tortilla rolled up with black beans and salsa inside. Yummy!
I’m a green smoothie drinker and I just wanted to say that instead of all that water, I usually use at least a cup of orange juice in mine. It just taste so much better.
I like to use the water to cut down on calories but occasionally for a treat I will add some fruit and veggie juice.
The idea of drinking something green makes me scared, but I’m willing to give it a try!
I am not a veggie girl at all so I might have to try this out this summer if the spinach we have planted actually grows :)
My eyes hit the M&M part of your post and I thought you were suggesting we add M&Ms to our smoothie. YUM!!! Candy and spinach!!
Glad you’re enjoying your green smoothies. I can’t believe how good they are!
LOL, do you not have M&M stores in the US? It’s basically a store that sells just frozen products.
Does it really taste good…like really?? Or do you have to chug it & plug your nose to get it down?
Nope no chugging. I used to before I figured out the whole blend with water thing first. Now it’s perfect!!
Love me some green smoothies! I just had one on St. Patrick’s Day that I wrote about on my blog. It was sooo tasty and pretty too. I have had them in the past but this one was the best so far. There are so many variations you can do it’s amazing. Yours sounds tasty with all that fruit!
Is the recipe one serving?
I have made some green smoothies before, but like you said they were kind of grainy. I’ll have to try your trick of doing the greenery first.
Hi! So glad people are drinking their greens! I just wanted to add that it’s really important to vary the greens you use because using the same ones every day can actually become toxic (it’s one of nature’s methods of keeping animals from eating certain plants to extinction). So, maybe try swiss chard one day, spinach the next, etc.! I’ve been drinking green drinks since I was little (my parents were hippies and had me drinking spirulina before I could walk) but this is by far the least “green” tasting way to do it. Be not afraid!
So funny. I also have been drinking green snoothies lately and did a post about it on St. Patty’s Day. I really don’t even taste the spinach. My favorite one (as of this second anyway, subject to change w/o notice:) is 1 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup pineapple, 1 fresh mango, at least a cup of spinach (but I use more), 1 stalk celery, water and ice to taste. Yummy. There is also a green smoothie challenge I am doing right now you can look at if you want. http://www.greensmoothiequeen.com/gogreen/0310ripplemaker
Happy Green Smoothie-ing!
Hi Laura!
I’m might just have to try this… especially this summer when I’ve grown our own spinach in the garden! You have so many great ideas here, I’ll have to come back and check out more! I just wanted to thank you for visiting my blog the other day (from Lynnette’s GTKY)… so glad you could come by! ?
So interesting! I’ll have to try this…
I am highly allergic to bananas. (I know, weird.) Any recommendations for what to replace it with? Sometimes the consistency gets weird if you leave it out.
Vanilla Yogurt! I make my smoothies with Vanilla yogurt, splash of OJ, blender-ful of Spinach and frozen berries. De-Lish!
Awesome! Thanks :)
I do green smoothies too, but I think you add more greens to yours. Which is good because it makes it healthier.
I am so not a veggie eater either! I hate them actually. I am a junk food junkie:) However, like you I have found a way to get all my fruits and veggies recommended in one smoothie. Actually they are in 4oz. of Mona Vie acai berry juice. I can mix anything with it and it tastes great! Thanks for this recipe…I’ll add it to my growing collection.
Great post! My hubby uses spinach in his too. He often adds basil and even cilantro too for an extra zing. You really can’t taste the spinach, the fruit takes over. Sometimes we add soymilk or almond milk if we want something a little bit creamy. :)
I make a smoothie from a recipe in Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food. I adapted it to suit my tastes: 1 cup pomegranate juice, 1/3 cup yogurt (I use Greek), 1-2 teaspoons honey and 1 cup frozen berries. After I blend that, I add a handful or two of spinach and blend again. It changes the color somewhat, but doesn’t look “green.” I use any kind of berries — sometimes blueberries, sometimes raspberries or strawberries and sometimes mixed berries.
I’ve also made this using a banana (not frozen) instead of the yogurt. It’s also very good.
Supposedly this makes 2 servings, but it’s always one generous serving for me.
We love green smoothies here! We have them everyday. (we do have a vitamix so it makes it easier!)
My current favorite is orange, pear, kale and ice. Super yummy!
Green grapes, kiwi, pineapple, frozen banana and spinach is a huge hit with the kids too.
Green smoothies are awesome. Another great thing to add is avocado — sounds weird but is definitely good! Now, I’m eyeing the spinach in my garden — it’s not quite ready yet though!
And thanks for clearing up what M&M was — I was thinking candy too :D
Wow, I love seeing other people’s combos for Green Smoothies! I’ve been using wildharvested dandelions (read: pulled weeds!) and turnip greens that grew through the winter in my garden! I throw in a half an apple, a couple of carrots, some fresh ginger, and a half an avocado with lots of filtered water and whatever else the spirit leads me to put in there and it’s amazing! I feel full all day until dinner (probably from the avocado!). Spring is totally the time for greens!
Carrie
http://www.OrganicThrifty.com
Very helpful post, and a great way to eat the daily recommended dose of fruits and vegetables. Thank you.
I would of never thought of using spinach! You have inspired me to try it out!! Thanks!!
I just made the Green Smoothie…and I am shocked that there is no taste of spinach AT ALL!! I used a blend of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries for the fruit, so my shake came out a dark purple. This may have help others to get beyond the first drink of something green! I also froze my banana before I added it. This is my new daily breakfast (and treat)! Thanks for sharing!
So glad you shared. I had used a recipe from another site, with no mention of the water + spinach start up. I fried my cheap blender trying to make it all work at once. I’ve stopped just because my blender had bit the dust. Now I will buy another one and do it the way you described!!
Oh my gosh, so yummy and healthy. My husband and I are on a health food kick right now. How are things going, Laura? :)
Add some Salba seeds to make it the perfect smoothie!
I love smoothies…any color! The kids love it, too. Great way to get veggies in them.
I finally just this week talked my Smoothie Queen friend (aka Raw Betty) into starting a blog posting her smoothie recipes because she is so creative with her smoothie recipes and has even taught smoothie making classes at local health food stores. She has one post started but her goal is to post one recipe a day. I’m excited to follow her blog and get some new ideas. Check it out: http://rawbetty.blogspot.com/
I tried it and it is delicious! Yum. My 18mon. old who is so picky, but will drink anything likes it for breakfast. Thanks!
I used to drink these everyday. I would buy my spinach from BJ’s warehouse and put it in baggies in the freezer. Very yummy out of the freezer because the whole smoothie became like an icee. I stopped drinking them for two reasons, I started having a reaction to the strawberrys, having terrible stomach cramps and I read an article that spinach should only be eaten if it is organic and the price for the organic was double. Do you worry about that or do you buy organic? We dont buy organic but I was afraid that consuming so much each day might be a bad idea.
Hello Dear,
I’ve had your site on my Heart at Home Blog’s side bar for years on home organization BUT I didn’t know you drank Green Smoothies!
LOVE Green Smoothies! I drink them every day sometimes 3 or 4 times a day.
Come see our forum and, recipes and videos at Feel free to post this with links back here at http://greensmoothies.ning.com/
In your first picture, it looks like there is something yellow on top of the spinach in the blender- ? What is that ?
Can’t wait to try your smoothie- will be purchasing spinach on my next shopping trip! Do you think whey protein would work added to it?
Hi Teresa, sorry about my bad picture taking skills, the yellow on top is just the light from the range hood shining down is all.
Whey protein would definitely work. Enjoy!