To be candid, the first time my friend told me she’d “tossed a handful of spinach” into the chocolate breakfast smoothie she was sipping… I grimaced. “There’s spinach… in there? How are you drinking that?” I inquired, wrinkling my nose with suspicion that she either had incredible willpower or no taste buds. “You really can’t taste it!” she insisted, as she then progressed to tell me all about the legendary blender she and her husband recently received as a wedding gift that made it possible to chop the pungent leafs into tiny pieces that simply faded into the creamy shake. While I was still skeptical, keeping one brow raised as she recited recipes, my curiosity was ignited. Not to mention, she looked great and I was apt to try anything that helped get her there!
Now first, let’s cover a few ground rules of creating a green smoothie that you actually look forward to drinking:
- That blender my friend mentioned? You need it. A high powered blender is essential to cut the veggies fine enough to where you can’t detect them. Trust me; nothing kills your blending buzz like gagging over a slimy spinach stem in your straw. Ninja, Vitamix or Nutribullet are a few popular choices. While a bit of a splurge, these models’ multiple uses extend far past the realm of smoothies and you’ll quickly find they have quite the return on investment!
- Next, it’s all about the blend. Be sure to add at least two kinds of fruit to your smoothie to help sweeten the ripe taste of the greens. Slicing and freezing your fruit in freezer safe gallon bags prior to blending is a great alternative to using ice and will create a creamier treat.
- Check out the Environmental Working Group’s dirty dozen list of produce you may want to consider purchasing organic (to avoid pesticides).
- Always be sure to clean all produce and peel those with tough exteriors, like apples, as well.
- Also, consider blending your concoction the night before and securing the smoothie tightly sealed in a mason jar in the refrigerator so you have a nutritious breakfast to go when you’re racing out the door in the morning.
Last but not least, consider a few of these tried and true delicious green smoothie recipes to get you blending in the right direction!
The husband and wife blogging duo behind Two Peas and Their Pod offer a creamy, dreamy Coconut Green Smoothie recipe that even their kids can’t get enough of!
Sally’s Baking Addiction touts a slimming, super food loaded green smoothie to help refresh you and keep the pounds at bay.
This creamy peanut butter and banana flavored concoction packs in a whole cup of kale! Sweetened by maple syrup and almond milk, it still qualifies as a sweet tooth worthy treat!
Enjoy!!
