HOW TO: Green Smoothies

I'm a green smoothie kinda gal. I've eaten them for a while but especially within the last few weeks I've been kind of obsessed with trying new smoothie combinations. I thought I'd share some wisdom that I've learned along the way.

One big trick I learned was from my healthy food go-to lady, Rachel. She said for every smoothie you really is a blender & a couple general ingredients. With those ingredients you can mix & match making any kind of smoothie you'd like:

1) A liquid:

like Almond milk, soy milk, regular milk, juice, water, or coconut water/milk.

2) A veggie:

I prefer greens (hence green smoothie) like spinach, kale, beet greens, or shake it up with something like carrots, celery, beats, or pumpkin.

3) A fruit:

I love & have, for a long time, used exclusively mango (it keeps that nice vibrant green color) but I've expanded out my fruits & have loved every one I've tried. I also tend to buy fresh then freeze my fruits so that I don't need to add ice to make it cold but occasionally I'll cut up my own fresh fruit in which case add ice!

4) Something for smoothness:

I tend to use bananas for this (I need the potassium too) but I've tried Greek yogurt or an avocado.

Also a key ingredient that has really helped my smoothies is zest! Lemon, lime, or orange (I prefer lemon) I zest a whole lemon and keep in the freezer, take out a pinch full, & throw it in with everything else. It just adds a little "perkiness" to the smoothie too.

Other fun ingredients I like to add:
flaxseed(omega-3 & tons of fiber)
chia seeds(high in protein, omega-3, &omega-6 fatty acids)
oats (keeps you full for longer)
peanut butter (natural energy boost)
unsweetened coconut (tasty!)

Other handy tips:
- I always add the liquid & the veggie to the blender first and REALLY blend them up well (like a 30 seconds to a minute on high) or it can get "chunky".
- You really need to clean your blender RIGHT after you make the smoothie. Just add hot water & a drop of liquid detergent. Then blend & rinse. If you leave it, you'll pay the price with TONS of scrubbing.
-Give them to your kids! At first I thought Syd & Rob would be against drinking something that looked like green slime. I think I may have hid it in an opaque cup the first time. Now they love them!
- A good blender is going to make your life so much easier. Most of my "hardcore" smoothie friends have a Blendtecor a Vitamix.

Here are a couple my favorites that I've tried lately!

If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment & I'll message you back as well as comment back here.

If you are a smoothie fan, share your favorite smoothie recipe!

P.S. And if you're interested here are a couple green smoothie books I've loved: Green Smoothie Revolution& The Green Smoothie Bible .Also have to mention this is a fabulous read on planted-based health: Forks Over Knives