This weeks recipe post is brought to you by the awesome Jen and Jadah of Simple Green Smoothies. I first heard about them through instagram and immediately started following their fantastic feed of daily green smoothie tips because we have all heard about how amazing green smoothies are for us by now, but I think the trick is learning how to make them right and actually knowing some good recipes. So lucky for us they have put together 5 green smoothie tips to help us get started. Plus a delicious beginners recipe to kick off your green smoothie love.
5 GREEN SMOOTHIE TIPS TO GET YOU STARTED
1 | FOLLOW THE 2+2+3 FORMULA
When you're making your first few green smoothies, don't just throw things in the blender. Chances are, it'll taste nasty if you wing it right out of the gate. To save you a few smoothie-fails, bust out those cute lil' measuring cups and learn how to make your own green smoothie. [quick formula to follow is 2 cups leafy greens, 2 cups liquid, and 3 cups fruit]
2 | BLEND IN STAGES TO AVOID LEAFY CHUNKS
Chewing your green smoothie is no fun! To get a "smooth" green smoothie experience, blend up your leafy greens and liquid-base first. Then add your remaining fruits and blend again.
3 | DITCH THE ICE AND FREEZE SOME FRUITS
Want your green smoothie to be extra chilly? Freeze your favorite fruits like ripe bananas, grapes, pineapple or berries. This is also a great way to not waste ripe fruits [like those brown bananas on your counter]. You can also freeze your leafy greens in a freezer-safe bag. Just make sure to add your frozen greens straight to the blender [don't defrost those fragile lil' guys].
4 | USE RAW NATURAL SWEETENERS
Add naturally sweet fruits to any smoothie that tastes bitter or a bit too "green". By sticking with naturally sweet fruits like bananas, mango, apples, pears or pitted date, we avoid artificial sweeteners and processed sugars.
5 | MAKE SMOOTHIES AHEAD FOR THE PERFECT FAST FOOD
We know life can get crazy busy - especially in the morning. That's why we think green smoothies are the healthiest fast food for people who are constantly on the go. You can prep and blend your green smoothie the night before and store it in your fridge [up to 2 days]. Use an airtight lid to limit oxidation and keep it as fresh as possible. When ready to drink, give it a good shake before you open.
If you follow these five green smoothie tips, we pinky promise your green smoothies will be love at first sip!
BEGINNER'S LUCK SMOOTHIE RECIPE
The Beginner's Luck Green Smoothie is a great starter smoothie for beginners. It's full of iron, potassium and vitamins galore - and tastes like a tropical treat from all the island fruit. So head to the grocery store now and give this smoothie a try. We have a feeling you will be pleasantly surprised.
| INGREDIENTS |
2 cups spinach, fresh
2 cups water
1 cup pineapple
1 cup mango
2 bananas
- serves 2 -
| DIRECTIONS |
Blend spinach and water until smooth. Next add the remaining fruits and blend again. [use at least one frozen fruit to make the green smoothie cold]
Tip: If you aren't a big fan of bananas, feel free to substitute for another fruit. You can even freeze the bananas first to reduce the flavor.
I know I post a lot of dessert recipes and it probably seems as if I don't eat super healthy, but I actually care a lot about taking care of your body and giving it the proper fuel it needs to handle your busy life. Green Smoothies are so great because they give you a natural energy booster, they are packed with disease-fighting antioxidants, and you might even lose some weight in the process. So now we can all jump on the green smoothie bandwagon and see what everyone else has been raving about! Be sure to check out Simple Green Smoothies for more delicious recipes.
