Blending the Perfect Green Smoothie

Green smoothies have been popular for the past few years, and with good reason. These smoothies blended with fruits and leafy greens are nutrient-packed, gives your body energy, and helps transform your body inside and out. If you are like me, the first thought of a green coloured smoothie might sound a bit unappealing, but the fruits mask up both the smell and taste of the leafy greens. Akshaya and Udayan, and even the baby have been drinking (or sometimes eating) a variety of green smoothies ever since they were little. It makes for a nutritious breakfast, a snack, or even a great addition to lunch. The recipe for the children’s favourite blend can be found below.

To blend your own green smoothie, simply follow the guidelines below. If you are making a smoothie bowl, reduce the liquid base to about 2 Tbsp to prevent your smoothie from being too runny to eat. Alternatively, you can use 2 Tbsp of Greek yogurt and omit the liquid completely.

1. Choose your liquid base (1/2 cup):

• Filtered water
• Milk
• Almond Milk (Silk brand almond milk contains no carrageenan)
• Cashew Milk
• Rice Milk
• Coconut water (I use CocoLibre coconut water)

2. Choose your greens (1 cup):

• Spinach
• Collard greens
• Beet greens
• Kale
• Romaine lettuce

3. Choose your fruit (1.5 -2cups):

• Banana
• Apple
• Mango
• Peach
• Pineapple
• Papaya
• Berries (strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry)
• Avocado

* Click on the links to read more about each superfood!

4. Choose your extras (1 Tbsp):

• Chia seeds
• Flax seeds
• Cinnamon (1 tsp.)
• Nut butter (I use MaraNatha brand almond butter)
• Honey

5. Add ice (if not using frozen fruit), blend until smooth, & enjoy!

NOTE:

• Use ripe fruits for the best flavour.
• Frozen fruit can be used instead of ice.
• Maintain a 60:40 ratio of fruits to leafy greens for the best taste.
• Ripe bananas offer natural sweetness.
• Blend leafy greens bit by bit with your choice of liquid to ensure everything blends smoothly.
• Store extra smoothie in the refridgerator for up to two days.
• Smoothie tastes best when chilled.

MY RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1 very ripe frozen banana
• 1 cup mango, cubed
• 1 Tbsp flaxseed
• 1 Tbsp honey

Instructions:

Wash and prep the fruits and spinach. Add the water and spinach to the blender, and blend until smooth. Add the fruits and blend again until smooth. Add the honey and flaxseeds and blend.

Click here to read more about the health benefits of green smoothies.

Feature Image: activelynorthwest.com