Green Smoothie
Written by Karen on March 27th, 2009
Sometimes I take a theme and run it to the ground. But this green thing is so vibrant and energizing and seasonal…you get the point.
I know everyone has their own recipe for the perfect smoothie…me, too! OK, ‘perfect’ in the sense that it uses whatever suits my mood that morning and just so happens to be healthy, too. I love the versatility of the ingredients, and for that I also love my freezer. It allows me to use whatever ‘was’ in season from the farmer’s market and bring it out for my morning blend. Some people do coffee – I do smoothies.
What makes the smoothie green is the addition of ‘green leafies,’ as I call them. You can use kale, chard, beet greens, spinach, radish greens or whatever greens you have on hand. The idea is to give your morning beverage an extra dose of nutrients (especially fiber and Omega 3s) which in turn provides more energy and kick starts our metabolism into high gear.
Karen’s Green Smoothie – Makes 3 cups
Notes:
* I use frozen fruit which acts as ice without dilution.
* This recipe is dairy free, but you can add yogurt or kefir for extra calcium and probiotics.
* Sometimes I use almond or walnut butter when I don’t have avocado (but I also heard you can freeze them…which I must try.)
* Get creative with your flavors – use chocolate almond milk and vanilla extract; coconut milk and pineapple; peaches and cinnamon.
* For the ultimate treat, I serve mine over homemade granola.
1 cup frozen fruit (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, mango)
½ banana
½ avocado
1 handful fresh greens
1 cup almond milk (next week: recipe for homemade)
½ cup cranberry or pomegranate juice
1 scoop protein powder
1 TB flax oil
Whirl away! Add more liquid, even water, for desired consistency.
For additional recipe ideas, check out Rawsome Creations by my friend, Brenda Hinton.
27
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Why not flax seeds? They’d be fresh ground, thus preserving the oil and provide fiber.
27
PM
Carrie,
Yes, flax seeds are better as long as people have a blender that will grind them. Otherwise, they just pass thru your system and you miss the nutrients.
Karens last blog post..Green Smoothie
29
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Yum
Karen, do you buy frozen fruit or fresh and freeze it yourself. Any thoughts on one being better than the other?
Michelle @ Find Your Balances last blog post..Fight back with farm fresh
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Michelle,
I use frozen fruits from the farmers market (even have a dedicated freezer for that and soups,) as well as frozen wild blueberries from Trader Joe’s, and acai from our local health food store. I also cut up bananas and freeze them. Oops – sometimes I add applesauce, too – there are SO many options!
22
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Hi Karen, Just jumped onto your wonderful web site. I LOVE the recipes, especially the green smoothy and gluten free stuff. I’ll be recommending this great resource to my coaching clients. Take care, Becca
Becca Pronchick, CPCCs last blog post..Meditation Class – Emotional Freedom Techniques