It’s a rare day that goes by in our home when we don’t make a fruit smoothie. Call us addicted. It’s a wonderful addiction to have!
Since I have 3 little ones and a husband that rely on me to help them get in maximum nutrition with each and every bite they take, I frequently use our family’s beloved smoothies as a way of getting that nutrition in without fight and without fuss.
One of our favorite ways to do this is by adding fresh greens to our delicious fruit smoothies. Summer is the perfect time to learn how to make your own green smoothies with the abundance of greens that are out at your local farmer’s market, in your CSA box, or even in your own garden!
We love to make a mix of frozen berries, (which we pick and freeze in season each summer), bananas, cultured dairy or coconut products, a sweetener of choice, and of course, lots of greens. We make one most mornings and my children will slurp this down in 2 seconds flat and be asking for more.
The beauty of the green smoothie is that I can easily serve up the equivalent of a salad portion of these very dark and beneficial greens, in a form that is extremely digestible, makes it easy for the body to absorb all of the fantastic nutrients, and that everyone will happily devour!
Rather than write about how I make them, I thought I would just do a show-and-tell:
(If only I could finish the video by reaching out and handing the smoothie to you– I guess you’ll just have to try making one yourself!)
To recap (or for those who didn’t watch the video)…
Benefits of Fresh, Dark Leafy Greens
- Contain vitamins C, E, and K
- High in Beta-Carotene
- Minerals- high in iron, calcium and many important trace minerals as well
- Greens have phytonutrients and antioxidants, which protect cells from damage (may help to prevent cancer, among other things)
- Amino acids (the building blocks of protein- greens contain more than you might think!)
- Improve quality and quantity of red blood cells, as well as circulation
- Help to eliminate bad breath!
- Detoxifying for the body because of their chlorophyll content (this is what makes them green), which supports the liver and helps to pull toxins, including heavy metals, out of the body
- Contain crucial Omega-3 fatty acids (not mentioned in the video- but very important!)
- Lastly, greens are also high in enzymes (which aid digestion), they boost energy levels, they help to strengthen the immune system and more!
Stephanie’s Basic Green Smoothie Recipe:
Serves 2
1 cup kefir/yogurt (or other dairy substitute, like coconut milk)
A good handful of green leaves, with the stems removed- Your choice of any dark, leafy like spinach, kale, swiss chard, collards, mustard greens, turnip or beet greens, or even a dark green lettuce. You can cram as much or as little in as you like, depending on your tastes and preferences.
1 cup frozen or fresh berries (blueberry, strawberries, raspberry, or any other kind you like!)
1 frozen or fresh banana
1 Tbsp. raw honey or other sweetener to taste
Purified water (enough to get a smooth blend and pourable consistency- add more as needed while blending)
- Combine all in your blender, starting with liquids on the bottom (the order I have the ingredients in is a good way to do it).
- Add water almost to just under the top of your fruit level.
- Put the lid on and start blending. Add more water as necessary.
- Blend for about 20-60 seconds, depending on your blender and how powerful it is. In my VitaMix, I rarely blend for more than 30 seconds, usually less. In my previous Oster blender, it was often more like a minute in total.
More Green Smoothie Resource:
Spinach… I don’t see any spinach! @ Heavenly Homemakers
The Wonders of Green Smoothies @ Passionate Homemaking
Green Smoothies with Kale @ Kitchen Stewardship
Are you smoothie fans in your home? How do you ensure that you get enough of your leafy greens?
About Stephanie
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Fresh Healthy Vending products usually dictates that operators visit and restock,Fresh Vending machines have succeeded in a host of common areas across the country,Fresh Healthy Vending is committed to assisting locations across the US provide healthy snacks conveniently through state of the art vending systems.
secure way to start a business, then it is wise to invest in Fresh Vending franchises,committed to assisting locations across the US provide healthy snacks conveniently Fresh Vending machines have succeeded in a host of common areas across the country .
secure way to start a business, then it is wise to invest in Fresh Vending franchises,committed to assisting locations across the US provide healthy snacks conveniently Fresh Vending machines have succeeded in a host of common areas across the country .
Fresh healthy vending locations finding places to install your machines is made easily accomplished via our heavily national database of schools, shopping malls, health clubs, hospitals and office buildings where new Fresh Vending machines can be successfully operated.
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I perfected my smoothy recipe without the kids knowing there was spinach in it for the simple fact that by the time they learned it had spinach they couldn’t say they didn’t like it because they had gladly drank them for a month prior. Blueberries mask the color the best imo.
I LOVE having a smoothie for breakfast knowing that it is FULL of nutrient s.
I’ve been making green smoothies for awhile now, and they’re still a challenge. I find a brozen banana is almost indespensible and the best combo ever is banana and pineapple! I put a tablespoon of coconot oil in each one in order to get that into my body consistently, and I find it helps to create a nice creamy texture. I dehydrate garden produce each summer and have been putting a teaspoon of 2-3 different powders (e.g. beet root and radish leaf) in my smoothies. This is great for convenience and winter consumption. I keep a notebook in the kitchen and write down all the ingredients I put in each creation, then a comment to help me decide if I want to try or improve on that one again in the future.
Wouldn’t it be great to have Smoothies avaliable in; airports, schools & work places?
We put in wheatgrass, sprouted sunflower seeds & spring mix lettuce in our smoothies. We have these 1st thing in the morning…
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