Green Smoothies

acceber88

So, I've been thinking of making some green smoothies. I make regualr fruit ones so I was just goingt o throw a few greens in with it.

What greens are best? I know spinach and kale can be used but what else? I currently have some spring greens sitting in the fridge, will they work?

Recipes ideas welcome

daffodilsoup

It all depends on how "green" you want your smoothie to taste. Greens like spinach, spring mix and romaine are all very mild and will usually disappear in smoothies, but greens like kale, collard greens - hell, even broccoli - are pretty robust, but certainly not unpleasant, especially when paired with other "strong" flavors like pineapple or peanut butter. Just make sure you blend it all very well until it comes out nice and smooth!

TrekJogger

Green smoothies are my obsession right now! So far I have only used spinach and kale (both of which are DELICIOUS--alone or together) but I don't see why you couldn't use spring greens. My go-to recipe is a cup of greens, a cup of almond milk, half an apple, a third of a banana, and a tablespoon of flax seeds (and two ice cubes). I've also done a half cup of mango or pineapple in place of the apple. So delicious! And my two-year-old daughter loves them, too, and you can bet those are the only greens she's willing to consume! I don't have a very powerful blender, so the greens and flax seeds do make it a little gritty, but it's not a big deal.

kathylynbow

I've discovered a love for green smoothies, and I would never touch spinach before! I normally use 1 cup of coconut water, 1 cup of spinach, 1 cup of frozen mixed fruit (pineapple, strawberries, peaches) 1 tblsp coconut oil, 1 tbl ground flax and a touch of Truvia. I've been loving it! Sometimes I throw in 1/2 a banana too and some ice if I want it thicker. The recipe I had called for 2 cups of spinach but I found it to be too overwhelming of spinach flavor for me. Spinach is so good for you, so I played around with it until I got something I would enjoy. I've never tried kale, though I've been tempted to give it a go. I hate to mess around with something I already like so well!

Dayquasar

I use all greens I just had a smoothie with 50g collard greens, 1 banana, 1tsp dulse (seaweed), 1 orange, and 1/2 cup water- delicious! Check out these sites for recipes:


http://www.incrediblesmoothies.com/

http://www.vega-licious.com/

http://almostrawvegan.com/

http://www.terawarner.com/ - she also does a free 3 day green smoothie challange

alie001

I just broke down and bought a VitaMix since I "killed" my blender and almost my Magic Bullet. I made my first green smoothie in it this morning and now I see what all the fuss was about. It really is amazing...I HATE most veggies but I stuff them all in the blender and I am golden! Dayquasar, those sites are fantastic thanks for sharing!

rswood62

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bellaa_x0

the "skinny green monster smoothie" from skinnytaste.com is delicious! i've made it twice now

annascrapper

I just made a green smoothie of 2 cups spinach 1/2 cup pineapple 1/2 cup mango 1tsp coconut flavor
1 cup coconut water some goji berries chia seeds and cacao nibs. Seriously Good Stuff!

Linli_Anne

A couple of my favourites:

2 c. spinach
1 navel orange
1/2 med banana
1/2 cup dry curd cottage cheese
1 cup low fat milk.


Another:
2 c. spinach
1 c. frozen blueberries
1/3 long english cucumber
1/2 c. dry curd cottage cheese
1 cup low fat milk

alli_baba

I just broke down and bought a VitaMix since I "killed" my blender and almost my Magic Bullet.

I love my VitaMix for green smoothies!

My general recipe is:

1 scoop vanilla protein powder
small handful of nuts (usually almonds)
200 grams of spinach
50 grams of frozen cranberries, blueberries,raspberries, or cherries (cranberries are my favorite, but others are good)
100 grams of carrots
1 cup of water

(I blend this down as I have a smaller Vitamix container and the spinach takes up a bit of room)

Then I add:
120 grams of frozen strawberries
60 grams of broccoli
More water, if needed

And blend again (sometimes I add a sweetener if it's a bit tart). Makes about 2 large smoothies -- so yummy!

redraidergirl2009

any greens really, even romaine. I like to throw in romaine sometimes because it makes it taste more refreshing. But yes, spring mix will work. I usually get a bag of something and freeze it and use those and keep it from my regular greens.

You can get ideas from smoothie shops, like most have a tropical smoothie, just get a tropical frozen fruit bag and throw some in with some orange juice. Or if you don't do juice, do tea or water. I really like to use tea instead.

BackInSoFL

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__RANDY__

Dovettaz

I have been making green smoothies with cilantro, parsley, the juice of a lemon, spinach, coconut water, half a apple and ice. Very tasty and it sure is filling.

deannakittygirl

So, I've been thinking of making some green smoothies. I make regualr fruit ones so I was just goingt o throw a few greens in with it.

What greens are best? I know spinach and kale can be used but what else? I currently have some spring greens sitting in the fridge, will they work?

Recipes ideas welcome

yep they sure will. also you can just keep your bag of greens in freezer to keep since its just for smoothies anyway.
my favorite smoothie is

1/2-1 cup almond milk
1 cup grapes
2 cups spinach
1 tablespoon almond butter or peanut butter
1 banana frozen

you can use just water as well instead of almond milk. if you like add more nut butter...I just try to keep calories a bit lower

Jennnifit

You could also use romain lettuce. My favorite green is baby spinach and I use about 2-3 cups. There's so many recipes out there and it also takes some experimenting, but my most favorite green smoothie is 2-3 cups baby spinach, 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, water, 4-6 oz fresh frozen pineapple, 3/4-1 cup frozen mango, 1 tbsp chia seeds and a drop of coconut extract. Tastes like I'm drinking the tropics :-) I also often add a half or full scoop of vanilla whey protein powder. Sometimes coconut water, too. This counts as a meal and is filling for me.

Tricialew32

the "skinny green monster smoothie" from skinnytaste.com is delicious! i've made it twice now

I love this recipe also.
I substitute Coconut milk for Almond milk and Almond butter or PB2 for peanut butter
Sometimes If I don't have yogurt, I'll used cottage cheese or Vanilla Whey protein powder
but if you don't do artificial sweeteners don't use most flavored protein powder as they usually contain aspartame (equal) or sucralose (splenda).

meagalayne

Here's a link to a bunch of them that I've experimented with other the last month or so:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/910985-strawberry-coconut-protein-smoothie-with-spinach

And here's another thread. Just search in the forums for "green smoothie"
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/910699-smoothies

LesaLu4

Green smoothies are awesome. I generally use spinach and kale. I love the color of them. And the look on co-workers faces when they ask "What are you drinking??!!" is priceless.

A few ideas that no one else has mentioned yet is to add a few of the following to your green smoothie....

1/4 cup of raw quick oats (i love the flavor and it makes them very filling)
a few mint or even basil leaves (it really changes the flavor and the mint is so refreshing)

It is so fun to experiement with the different flavors to keep it interesting.

Enjoy!!

tremilla

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dnish53

I love my green smoothies. I just make a whole blender and then I have it ready to go everyday. This week I used 4 c.of Kale, 1 c. of English cucumbers, 1 c. - carrots, 1 - banana, 3 T Chia seeds, 1/2 c of 2% milk, 1 c of water, 1 c of blueberries, and 3 scoops of protein mix. I also add a little lemon juice. This gives me 1-2 smoothies everyday. Healthy and low cal.

I thought I would hate kale when I found a recipe but absolutely love it now. My husband hates seeing the blender every time he opens up our fridge, but oh well.