Green Smoothie adventures! Or mis-adventures.

goodmonster

I have just started taking part in the green smoothie craze- it's like juicing but since some of us are poor *le sigh* we instead take to our blenders instead of our juicers.
It's a bit contradictory (...I can't spell to save my life, don't hate me if some words are spelled incorrectly!) as to which one -juicing or smoothie-ing- is better for you: Some say that juicing is better because all you are drinking is literally THE JUICE so you are getting all of that nutrition; others say "what about the peel?!" and say that smoothie-ing is better because all of the structure in the greens isn't demolished therefore you get more of a 'cleansing effect'; etc etc the arguments go on an on.
Like I mentioned, I 'smoothie' simply because I own a blender, not a juicer.

Anyway; I wanted to come on here and see if anyone had any fabulous smoothie adventures of their own; currently I'm on a spinach kick for my 'green' in the green smoothie but I know the importance of rotating your greens. I love this green smoothie thing because there is so much you can do with it! There really isn't any right or wrong way to go about your smoothie. Well not really.

For example, yesterday I tried making my smoothie with strawberries, mango, banana, peach, spinach, and mustard greens.
I don't know what I was thinking, I was too far into my 'ADVENTURE!!!' frame of mind. I like mustard greens, in small amounts.
But in a smoothie where I put in a huge handful of the stuff, it was bad mojo.

It tasted like I was drinking a cold sweet soup followed by a ravenous aftertaste of liquid pepper.

Freakin' gnarly.

So...don't put mustard greens in your smoothie. Or if you are gung-ho about it (or have an intense love of pepper) then give it a go, let me know if you see any difference.

So does anyone else have green smoothie recipes they would like to share? Just remember the 'green' part means that it's not green food dye (ha) but actual greens of some sort. I'd love to hear them!!

liaalyn

I would LOVE to hear other peoples adventures too. I currently use 1 cup juice (whatever has the lowest sugar around the orange juice section) a handful of frozen fruits (peaches, strawberries, cherries...whatever) and a big handful of baby spinach (also my favorite) sounds a lot like yours. So good!

MaggieMay131

Personally, I think that smoothies are better... you said "juicing is better because all you are drinking is literally the juice so you are getting all of that nutrition"... to the contrary, I've read that when you juice something, all the good bits are taken out! Anyway, I digress...

I make smoothies all the frickin time and I love them!! I usually use a combo of coconut milk (from the can, not the box), frozen berries, almond butter and some greens. (usually spinach)

But, check out this website - he's usually got some interesting recipes to share. Click around the site for all the other recipes. I hope this helps!
http://www.primaltoad.com/primal-smoothie-recipes/

midonhau

I make my smoothie with:

1 scoop chocolate whey protein mix
1 cup soy milk
1 banana
1 cup chopped spinach or kale
1 cup frozen strawberries

Sometimes, I nix the greens and the berries and add some peanut butter for a protein filled smoothie.

dadoffo

A bowl of spinach and 2 bananas on 2 qts of water.

Ange_

I have only recently discovered green smoothies and now i'm a huge fan. I have even got my boyfriend onto them and we have them for breakfast every morning!

This morning my smoothie consisted of: mango, banana, kiwi fruit, a handful of spinach rocket and kale mix, bean shoots, chia seeds, protein powder and almond milk.

It was ok, but i've had better. I could really taste the bean shoots a lot and it was my first time having bean shoots in one before. i definitely prefer the spinach/kale/rocket mix or just plain spinach.

Another good green i've had is cucumber. My favourite (and first green smoothie) thus far would be:
cucumber, mango, spinach, mint, chia, water, protein powder, ginger and lime juice. It had a lovely fresh tang.

I've also enjoyed pear in my smoothies although discovered that it is much better to peal them first otherwise they get this gritty texture which isn't great.

I'm sure green smoothies would be healthier than just juice as you get the fibre. Not that there is anything wrong with juice. But everyone always says eat the fruit over the juice, and that is what smoothies do. I'm sure though you could add some juice from things you can't really blend into a smoothie. Like celery. That is unless you have a very expensive, very enviable Vitamix which apparently can pulverise everything.

Yay for green smoothies!!!!

Ange_

i forgot to say also, the green tops of strawberries also work well int smoothies. too.

laursey

Laursey's Green Smoothie:
3 cups spinach
1 frozen banana
1 cup of strawberries
1 cup of water
Splash of orange juice

This is amazing! Only 214 calories for two large glasses. It's a great breakfast meal replacement!

MaggieMay131

shoooot, I'm sorry, it looks like he's charging for his e-book now. didn't mean to promote something that wasn't free! yikes.

perceptualobfuscator

I'm a huge fan of kale in smoothies, as well as any kind of dark berry. Yum!!

My university has a smoothie place that often adds cabbage, and its been delicious so far, even though it seems counter-intuitive for some reason.

Love all the recipes so far!!

goodmonster

Holy-!! So many fabulous things to try now and I've only posted in the last few minutes
Ya'll are awesome.

I also know how important it is to 'rotate your greens' (plus I'm terrified of getting bored of spinach...nnoo!) and since mustard greens is a terrible idea (ha) what are some other good subs for spinach?
I know kale is a good one, I saw someone have an interesting idea of the tops of strawberries...?

little_gothic_girl

i tried green smoothies a few times and was really excited about it, but when i made them it was way way bitter and tasted alot like slightly sweet cucumber peel. Not impressed. i think i will just have to change around my recipes until i find one i like. i used apple, banana, soy milk, strawberries and once i used kale and once spinach. i read above someone using orange juice, i may try that, maybe the sweet would cut the bitter? and i think ill skip the banana next time. anyway, i will deff be checking back here to hear others adventures

goodmonster

I know that 'funky green taste' isn't for everyone at first, and it is a strange thing your first few sips while you think "wait, I'm drinking a salad".
Also if you're worried about the bitter taste you don't have to add as much green into it- that's the beauty of the adventure!

I've got a friend who also started the green smoothie conquest and thought her first smoothie was super icky; but cut back on her greens by about half (so hers was a small handful of kale instead of a whopping handful) and liked it much more.

Some stuff is a learned taste (like me with asparagus. I call it my 'big girl food' because I hated it at first. But I digress...) so keep trying!

Ange_

It is scientifically proven that some people are 'Super tasters' when it comes to bitter taste (and other tastes too actually). This makes it very difficult for them to eat a lot of green veggies. I'm definitely not luckily and don't taste the spinach in smoothies at all.
I imagine though that super tasters would have difficulties with green smoothies. I think probably adding more sugar (honey or something) might help although of course that is going to make it less healthy.

Although i haven't tried most of these (did try the strawberry tops and they were good), but i have read a lot about this and will be trying some of the following.
Other things i've read you can use in smoothies:

Cooked sweet potato (apparently raw isn't good for you as it has some kind of protein absorbing blocking enzyme)
Pumpkin
Avocardo - make it very creamy


Other green things:
Cucumber
lettuce - all sorts although i believe iceberg doesn't have a lot of nutrients, but those frilly ones would be good
Bok Choy (Pac Choy and all those other sorts of chinese green vegetables).
sprouts (i didn't overly enjoy bean shoots, but i think that alpha might be nice, will try soon!)
Silverbeat
Beat tops (when you get the tops, the leaves that it comes with)
Carrot tops (if you buy carrots with the tops included or grow your own)
Fennel tops (yum... i love these in so many things. Tastes like aniseed a bit)

Sweet potato leaves (i have often used these as substitutes for spinach in salads)
herbs such as mint, coriander etc. obviously these will create a strong taste in the smoothie
Celery leaves (not the celery itself unless you have a vitamin, or juice it in a juicer)


i think just go to a grocery store (preferable a farmers market or asian grocery store if you are lucky enough to have one) and just buy random green things and try them out. Obviously oniony things wouldn't be good. But there are so many different kinds of lettuce and surely that would be rotating greens enough anyway.

Just don't try eating potato leaves as they are poisonous. I think also rubarb leaves might be too, so perhaps if you are going to try eating something unusual read up on it first.

trinityj1

Surprisingly, celery works great in smoothies. Just don't put more than three stalks in or your smoothie won't blend smooth.

psych101

mmm green smoothies are good!!

I always throw a bunch of spinach into mine. I've experimented with different added ingredients but always stick with the spinach for that green injection!!

Other add ins:

Beetroot - you thought bright green was weird, try reddy brown!!
Tofu
avocado - soooo good
chia seeds
almond butter

I've heard of someone using purslane (sp?) but not sure what that is!

mmm tummy rumbling now

goodmonster

ok wait hold up- what's chia seeds? (I know I should just google it but I like this method better )

uniquemoves

**bump**

Bentley2718

My favorite is:
- pea and rice protein mix
- chia seeds
- peanut butter (optional depending on calories)
- spinach or kale
- frozen raspberries
- almond milk
- ice

I've also made really good smoothies with:
- apple
- raspberries
- strawberries
- beet juice
- ice

Bentley2718

ok wait hold up- what's chia seeds? (I know I should just google it but I like this method better )

They're a seed, high in omega 3 fatty acids, fiber, and antioxidants. Like flaxseed but better because of the antioxidants. Also, they can make good egg substitutes when mixed with water.

iheartyarn

i do smoothies and my juicer.. i am not an exclusive with either

subs for spinach though i love kale and collards..

shaycg21

http://www.fitfabulousforever.com/green-smoothies-for-the-no-sugar-challenge

I found this link yesterday.

Funny someone should mention the purslane b/c I saw them eating it on Dr. Oz one day this week. We own a green house and have a ton of this. I am going to try some and let you know!!

emmaleigh47

bump - ideas for later

daffodilsoup

I prefer smoothies to juice, but that's really because a) juice doesn't fill me up and I'd rather spend the calories on something that satisfies, b) I like the texture and c) I feel like juicing takes a LOT of produce for a little bit of juice.

For higher calorie, I like half an avocado, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, a scoop or two of vanilla rice/pea protein, baby spinach, and lots and lots of ice.

Lower calorie, I have two: pureed pumpkin, unsweetened almond milk, a scoop or two of vanilla rice/pea protein, ice, and cinnamon/nutmeg/ginger, or a scoop or two of rice/pea protein, ice, unsweetened almond milk and chilled coffee.

MisterDubs303

Bumpity bump.

SandyMilton

THIS Is definitely something I need to pick up doing again - I love smoothies! Admittedly I've never had a green smoothie myself but plan to start!

marymac2

My daily green smoothie is 50gr kale, 25 gr spinach (or carrot tops), one broccolini, 100gr strawberries, a cup of frozen mango slices and 2 glasses of water. I use my Vitamix and it makes it very smooth. Measurements are not really important, it's just a habit I've got into.

RainbootsToBikinis

bump