Green Smoothies

In my never ending quest for better health, I have discovered 'the green smoothie.' 

Okay, yeah its gross looking, but you have to consider the bigger picture. 

Many people, including myself, have a difficult time fitting healthy and fresh foods into their diet.  Whether its because we are busy, we forget to eat, we eat junk...you can't exactly throw a salad in your purse the way you can a Snickers bar.

Having a green smoothie everyday is like a health insurance policy.  You get fiber, vitamins and minerals of fruits and vegatables and get to down it all through a straw.

At first green smoothies seem really gross, and green.  But, after getting use to the color, you notice that it tastes fresh and sweet.  Green smoothies can take on many different shapes and forms, and you can customize it to fit your tastes.

Here is what it looks like when I make a green smoothie: 

Here are the ingredients for my favorite green smoothie.  I used a frozen acai berry packet ( found in the frozen section at Whole Foods), two stalks of celery, one frozen banana, one apple sliced and cored, one pear sliced and cored and half a lemon peeled.  I also threw in a handful of blueberries and some strawberries ( I use what I have on hand).



For the 'green' part of the smoothie I added a few handfuls of baby spinach and around five leaves of romaine lettuce ( torn to fit into blender).



Blend 14 oz of water with your 'greens' until pureed. ( I really like the 'power greens' mix they sell at Whole Foods, but they were out the last time I was there.  It has baby swiss chard, baby kale and baby spinach.) 

Add all of your sliced fruit, veggies and frozen berry packet to blender.  Blend until smooth. 

Okay..this one didn't turn out so green.  The acai berry packet tends to turn things more brown than green.  But it adds sweetness and antioxidants.  I promise this tastes good ( you taste banana more than anything). If you didn't add the smoothie packet it would be very green.

This is usually enough to last me two days.  I will put the extra in an airtight container and store it in the fridge.  It makes a quick and easy breakfast when you are on the go.

There are so many different ways you can make a green smoothie.  You can add and omit anything you like or dislike.  I suggest changing it up to see how it turns out. 

Disclaimer:  I used a Vitamix blender. I have used a few different blenders and have not found one that performs quite like this one does.  It will puree whole foods, including skins and greens into a smooth consistency.  You can also make hot soups with it by adding the raw ingredients and blending on high, the soups come out steaming hot due to how fast the blades spin ( creating heat).  The motor has 2.25 Horsepower, it is easy to clean, and they come with a 10 year warranty. I will probably do a whole separate blog post on my love for the Vitamix blender one day. 

Peace, love and green smoothies,
Caitlin