Green Smoothies

My History with Green Smoothies:

Ahhh...green smoothies you keep me healthy! It's no secret that I am not a fan of lettuce. I have never liked it, on a salad, a sandwich, a burrito, you name it...I picked off every speck of green I could. There was something about the texture and taste of it that just made me feel like I was eating grass! Ewww! Well, after seeing one of my health idols, Kris Carr, chug green smoothies and juices in her amazing documentary Crazy Sexy Cancer, I knew it was time to give it a try. So to start with, I looked online for "green smoothie recipes" and I noticed a lot of them mentioned using spinach, so I picked up some spinach at the store and blended it with a banana, some frozen fruit, and some water and it was like a magic trick- I couldn't even taste the spinach!!! I was onto something good! That was about 2 years ago and since then my smoothies have gone through quite a few changes!

-I've burned through 3 blenders and now I finally have a strong one...A VitaMix!!
-I've tried them with various powders: Brown Rice Protein Powder, Whey Protein Powder, and even Hemp Protein Powder, but now I just keep them simple: greens + fruit ( :
-I've experimented with all kinds of fruits and veggies...luckily my avocado phase is over- yuck!
-I've even "greened up" my smoothie routine by using an amazing glass straw and only glass jars and cups

 So that leads me to where I'm at now, celebrating the deliciousness of a pure and simple fruit and greens smoothie. I've learned a lot about green smoothies from Victoria Boutenko who has written the master guide for green smoothies, called Green Smoothie Revolution: The Radical Leap Toward Natural Health. In this short and easy to read book she outlines the benefits, uses, and recipes for a variety of green smoothies.

Here are some of the benefits of green smoothies as mentioned in Green Smoothie Revolution:


1-They are easy for our bodies to digest (the blender has already done the work of breaking them down for us) now we can assimilate several times more nutrients from them since we won't have to expend the work digesting them.

2-They are a complete food in how all their fiber is intact (not juiced, dried, or cooked). Also because the greens are high in fiber, it slows down the absorption of the sugars in the fruit of the smoothie.

3-They're palatable for all ages (from young kids to older adults, the taste and nutrition is well liked by all).

4-They are chlorophyl-rich (this is important because the molecule of chlorophyl closely resembles the molecule of human blood, so drinking a smoothie is "...like receiving a healthy blood transfusion"!

5- They are easy to make and clean up (I know I make mine in under 5 minutes in the morning)

6- We reduce the use of oils and salts, traditionally used when consuming greens in salad form (Darn no salads, I'm so sad ) : ha ha!)

Who's ready to make a smoothie? But before we do, let's learn some Ashley Green Smoothie Math!

Here's what you need to make a green smoothie:

1/2 cup water

1 room temperature banana

1 frozen banana (or two halves from your "banana bank"... basically a container where I keep several bananas frozen in my freezer for smoothie making- I break mine in half so they are easier for me to take out and blend)

2 cups greens (spinach is the best for beginners because you can hardly taste it, Swiss chard also has little flavor in smoothies, kale, collards or dandelion greens).  This pic shows about 1 cup, I usually use two of these.

1 cup or more of frozen fruit (you want this thing to taste good right? Well you're going to need some fruit!  I like to use frozen organic fruit as much as possible- but oh boy are they pricey!)  My frozen favorites: strawberries, raspberries, pineapple, peaches, blueberries, cherries.  My room-temperature favorites: an orange or mango. 


That's it!  I'm constantly coming up with new mixtures of fruits for my smoothies, so feel free to do the same, the possibilities are endless!  Here's a few extra ingredients I sometimes add to my smoothies:

Need more protein?  Try Hemp Seeds- this is a great gluten-free/raw/vegan way to add some extra protein into your smoothie.  Although you can eat these plain, I add them to my smoothies and don't even know they're there.  I usually add hemp seeds to my morning smoothies just to give me an extra boost for my day.  If you notice that you're hungry shortly after your smoothie, you may consider adding hemp seeds (or just another banana) to it.

Chocolate craving? Try Carob Powder- comes from ground carob pods (look like pea pods).  This excellent alternative to chocolate is stimulant-free, caffeine-free, theobromine-free, has 3x more calcium than chocolate.  I found mine at a local health food store in the bulk food section.  I add about 2 tsp. to some of my berry/cherry smoothies because it reminds me of chocolate-covered strawberries!  Another type of chocolate I like is this kind, raw cacao...it's delicious!

Tasting a little too green? Try Agave Nectar- (pronounced ah-GAH-vay) This healthy, all-natural sweetener which is derived from the nectar of the agave plant (the same one that makes tequila).  The main thing I like about agave nectar is that it has a low glycemic index, which means I won't get a sugar-rush from adding it to my smoothies.  Agave was more of a common ingredient in my smoothies when I was just starting out with the greens, now I use it much less, but it still a "must-have" in my pantry. 

Well, that about sums up the "nuts and bolts" or should I say, "fruits and greens" of my smoothie making.  Jump on over to my "Recipes" page to find some fun smoothie recipes you can try out!