Green Smoothies

pianolover2012
pianolover2012 Posts: 168 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have been doing a green smoothie for my breakfast daily. LOVE the way it makes me feel and also LOVE the fact that I get my veggies and fruits in for the day. Anyone else have success while using the green smoothie in their diet plan?
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Replies

  • Celeigh12
    Celeigh12 Posts: 763 Member
    Yes, love them! It's a great way to get veggies and fiber in quickly. What do you like in yours?
  • pianolover2012
    pianolover2012 Posts: 168 Member
    I love to add spinach, mand. oranges, greek yogurt, applesauce, bananas, frozen strawberries and frozen blueberries. Yummy! Tell me about your green smoothie please!
  • kokoforskinny
    kokoforskinny Posts: 91 Member
    Can you please post your recipe here. I would like to try it.
  • JustANumber85
    JustANumber85 Posts: 644 Member
    cant wait for my magic bullet tomorrow to try one!
  • LizCO2DC
    LizCO2DC Posts: 92 Member
    I too almost make one every day. Here is my recipe!

    Water
    1/2 banana
    Protein powder (non-flavored)
    2 large hand fulls of spinach and kale
    Frozen Mango
    Frozen Pineapple

    Tastes absolutely delicious and is REALLY good for you.
  • nzahedi50
    nzahedi50 Posts: 3
    I bought a Nutri Bullet a few months ago and love it. I have a veggie/fruit smoothie most days for lunch. I mix Kale, Spinach, Carrots, Celery, 1/2 a banana and half a cup of frozen berries, with a cup of water and a spoonful of flax seeds. It makes me feel green inside and gives me so much energy. I recommend this higly!
  • annu75
    annu75 Posts: 3
    That sounds lovely. I am defintely going to try that,
    except no banana since I hardly have banana at the house everyda y :-)
  • happycauseIride
    happycauseIride Posts: 536 Member
    I have a magic bullet and have been intrigued by the green smoothies but never tried one. Keep posting recipes so I can try one.
  • tomusiakl
    tomusiakl Posts: 225 Member
    I have smoothies daily as well.I have around 24 ounces daily. Its a must for breakfast everyday. In the afternoons I have another one as well. I have a very green one right now on my desk at work. The ingredients are: Kale, parsley, cilantro, watercress, ginger,cucumber, zucchini ,celery and banana.

    The one I had for breakfast had almond milk, kale, blueberries, wheat germ and flax seed.

    Smoothies work for me. Helping to maintain my weight.
  • johnny059qn
    johnny059qn Posts: 163 Member
    bump
  • Celeigh12
    Celeigh12 Posts: 763 Member
    I need vegetables and their fiber in my diet more than fruit (I'm not low carb by any means, just mindful of them as I have a habit of overdoing them) so mine are primarily veggie based with a tiny bit of fruit. I have a Vitamix blender and I think it could pulverize rocks if I felt like adding them to my daily smoothie :bigsmile:. Mine vary a little based on what I have in the fridge, but here is an example of what I like:

    1 pear
    1 kiwi, with skin
    Small handful of baby carrots
    2 stalks celery
    1 little cucumber
    1/2 bunch of parsley
    Several stems of mint
    A few handfuls of spinach
    A few handfuls of baby kale
    A few stalks of Swiss chard
    1/2 cup of water

    The fruit is just enough to sweeten. Otherwise it just tastes like a big glass of fresh. I'm not sure how else to describe it.
  • LaviMc
    LaviMc Posts: 355 Member
    I like to make mine with spinach, frozen blueberries, frozen strawberries, frozen blackberries, a small gala apple, flax seed, almond milk, and protein powder (I have vanilla, but you can't really taste it once other things have been added). If it's not sweet enough, I'll usually add a dash of agave nectar, but usually it's sweet enough with all the other good stuff.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    My base green smoothie formula is this (makes two smoothies):

    60g Kale
    60g Spinach
    28g Unsweetened vanilla protein powder
    1 cup Unsweetened almond milk
    1 1/4 cup Water
    1/2-1oz Avocado
    60-90g Bell pepper (just depends on the pepper size since I always just use half a pepper)
    90-130g Cucumber (again, use half, depends on size for actual weight)
    45-55g Radish (typically two large or three smaller)
    80-100g of Carrot
    70-100g Broccoli (I adjust depending on how large the above variable weight veggies are)
    50-60g Frozen fruit (kind varies)
    35-50g Frozen or fresh fruit (kind varies)
    Juice of one lemon
    Half a teaspoon of cinnamon

    For the fruit, I typically just use whatever was on sale and I stocked up on and might have frozen. I've used all of the following:
    Pineapple
    Banana
    Blueberry
    Blackberry
    Strawberry
    Raspberry
    Grape
    Kiwi
    Mango
    Apple

    But I basically pack it full of almost all veggies and just use the fruit for a little bit of sweetness. Frozen banana gives the best texture, but fresh pineapple gives the best flavor punch. And while I prefer red bell pepper to the green bell pepper, I just buy whichever is cheaper.
  • pianolover2012
    pianolover2012 Posts: 168 Member
    I vary my fruits and veggies daily so that I get a variety. I add something green (kale, spinach, lettuce, garden mix), then I add some type of frozen fruit ( strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, peaches). Then I add 1/2 banana ( I need the potassium), 1/4 cup of greek yogurt, a dab of juice (apple or whatever). My favorite ingredient is mandarin oranges because it gives it a nice citrus taste. Some ppl add protein powder, but I haven't tried that yet. Fruits are great in "masking" the green taste if you are not a fan of kale, etc. Be careful with kale because a lot of it will make you go to the restroom a LOT. Have fun- I try to put whatever is good for me in the blender. I also try to use what I have on hand. Don't forget kiwi and watermelon. Some ppl use cantalope also.
  • pianolover2012
    pianolover2012 Posts: 168 Member
    I also add Chia seeds per Dr. Oz. You can add more vegetables like carrots also if you wish.
  • pianolover2012
    pianolover2012 Posts: 168 Member
    Like this recipe...
  • pianolover2012
    pianolover2012 Posts: 168 Member
    I haven't tried the protein powder. What would be the advantages/tastes?
  • buglet55
    buglet55 Posts: 7 Member
    Going to have to try some of these! Thanks for the ideas!
  • wonderwomn27
    wonderwomn27 Posts: 40 Member
    what do you put in your green smoothie?
  • peggyalex
    peggyalex Posts: 174 Member
    I reall need to get a magic bullet or something so I can try these!
  • deltalbarbie
    deltalbarbie Posts: 50
    bump
  • RhineDHP
    RhineDHP Posts: 1,025 Member
    I haven't read all the other comments but I wanted to ask:


    What does it taste like? What's the texture?

    I've never eaten a vegetable smoothie before, and I don't own protein powder (heard some people whip the protein into smoothie form)

    I'd be willingto try this out to get my daily servings of vegetables, but drinking spinach sounds.....a little unappealing.
  • pianolover2012
    pianolover2012 Posts: 168 Member
    I reall need to get a magic bullet or something so I can try these!

    You don't need special equipment- I use the hamilton personal blender- does fine.
  • pianolover2012
    pianolover2012 Posts: 168 Member
    I haven't read all the other comments but I wanted to ask:


    What does it taste like? What's the texture?

    I've never eaten a vegetable smoothie before, and I don't own protein powder (heard some people whip the protein into smoothie form)

    I'd be willingto try this out to get my daily servings of vegetables, but drinking spinach sounds.....a little unappealing.

    That is one reason that I use some sort of fruit as my base. You cannot even tell that you have "green stuff" in it. The colors may be a little challenging depending on what you use it it, but the taste is awesome. I put in honey sometimes also to add a sweetness if I cut back on the fruit. Some ppl vary the different types of "healthy" sweeteners but I find that my mandarin oranges help mask the green taste.
  • pianolover2012
    pianolover2012 Posts: 168 Member
    what do you put in your green smoothie?

    I vary my fruits and veggies daily so that I get a variety. I add something green (kale, spinach, lettuce, garden mix), then I add some type of frozen fruit ( strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, peaches). Then I add 1/2 banana ( I need the potassium), 1/4 cup of greek yogurt, a dab of juice (apple or whatever). My favorite ingredient is mandarin oranges because it gives it a nice citrus taste. Some ppl add protein powder, but I haven't tried that yet. Fruits are great in "masking" the green taste if you are not a fan of kale, etc. Be careful with kale because a lot of it will make you go to the restroom a LOT. Have fun- I try to put whatever is good for me in the blender. I also try to use what I have on hand. Don't forget kiwi and watermelon. Some ppl use cantalope also.
  • ladyrider55
    ladyrider55 Posts: 316 Member
    Last year I started a daily regimen of 3 Mile speed walking (miss it this yr.) and found drinking a protein smoothie prior to walking worked for me. I came up with this and I find it's quite tasty! I'll drink it before I'm out the door when I need something quick...

    1 C. Silk lite original
    1/2 - 1 banana
    1/2 serving peanut butter
    1 scoop vanilla protein powder
    2 T. wheat germ

    I read over the "green smoothie" recipes you all posted and they sound great, I'm looking forward to trying them! :smile:
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    I haven't tried the protein powder. What would be the advantages/tastes?

    For me I add the protein powder because most often I'm using the green smoothie in place of something else, either breakfast, lunch, or a snack. And since I typically have protein for any of those meals I want to still get my protein in. I don't really taste the protein powder at all. The only reason I started using the one I do is because when I was using an unflavored powder I was getting from the bulk foods section it gave it a mildly chalky taste. So I found an unsweetened vanilla one that had the same stats that I started using instead.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member

    What does it taste like? What's the texture?

    I've never eaten a vegetable smoothie before, and I don't own protein powder (heard some people whip the protein into smoothie form)

    I'd be willingto try this out to get my daily servings of vegetables, but drinking spinach sounds.....a little unappealing.

    Mine are thick and similar to something you would get at Jamba Juice. We got a Ninja blender from Bed Bath and Beyond with a 20% off coupon and it cost no more than a standard blender. The trick I've found is to pack the greens in tightly and blend them with the liquid first, until they are smooth. And then add all the rest of the veggies and the bit of fruit and blend until smooth again. Never be afraid to let it blend for what you might think is "too long", because it won't be.

    It's hard to describe. It doesn't taste like straight veggies but it also doesn't taste just like fruit. It's just very refreshing and has a mild veggie/fruity taste.

    For me, it's actually not really adding any extra veggies or anything to my diet. When I drink one for lunch, it almost the exact equivalent to the salads or veggie sautes I used to make for myself, both in amount of veggies and protein. The only difference is that protein is coming from the powder instead of chicken breast.

    Also, I'll sip a smoothie for around 30-45 minutes before it's gone rather than finishing my breakfast or lunch in 10-20 minutes (depending on how slowly I make myself eat). And it often ends up feeling more filling than when I just sat down and ate my salads or sautes for lunch instead.
  • kokoforskinny
    kokoforskinny Posts: 91 Member
    I vary my fruits and veggies daily so that I get a variety. I add something green (kale, spinach, lettuce, garden mix), then I add some type of frozen fruit ( strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, peaches). Then I add 1/2 banana ( I need the potassium), 1/4 cup of greek yogurt, a dab of juice (apple or whatever). My favorite ingredient is mandarin oranges because it gives it a nice citrus taste. Some ppl add protein powder, but I haven't tried that yet. Fruits are great in "masking" the green taste if you are not a fan of kale, etc. Be careful with kale because a lot of it will make you go to the restroom a LOT. Have fun- I try to put whatever is good for me in the blender. I also try to use what I have on hand. Don't forget kiwi and watermelon. Some ppl use cantalope also.

    thank you so much
  • MelStren
    MelStren Posts: 457 Member
    Bump. I want to find this later!

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