Green Smoothies ♥
Fourteen Tips + Five Recipes to Get You Started

How to Make Green Smoothies with Leafy Greens ♥ AVeggieVenture.com. 14 Tips + 5 Sample Recipes.
How to make green smoothies, including Fourteen Tips and Five Sample Recipes so you can create your own delicious, healthy smoothies. Just pick some fruit, grab some fresh greens (spinach or Swiss chard or kale or other greens), add a few pantry ingredients of your own choice, then set your blender to a good whirl. You've got a Green Smoothie!

Real Food, Fresh & Flexible. Year-Round Kitchen Staple. Great for Meal Prep. Low Fat. Vegetarian. Easily Vegan. Naturally Gluten Free. Great for Meal Prep.


Confession Time

While I wanted to try green smoothies, I really didn't expect to like them. But I do! At first, I experimented with "how much green" tastes good – and fast learned that I like "more than less" green but "not a ton" of green.

Then for the last few years, my morning routine regularly includes a green smoothie – most often, with milk to fulfill the Weight Watchers milk/calcium/protein requirement. I call it "breakfast in a glass".

How to Make a Green Smoothie

Green Smoothies are fast, easy and (can be) very pretty! I've collected some favorite Green Smoothie recipes here, just to inspire. And tips? You bet, lots of tips!

Because in the end, for a Green Smoothie to work, it's got to suit you. Here's what works for me, let me know what works for you!

GREEN SMOOTHIE TIPS

or Skip to Five Recipes That Work

START WITH FRUIT, THEN ADD GREENS The trick is to start with fruit, then add green to taste.

The first Green Smoothie, I started with a single leaf of Swiss chard – and the taste was all fruit.

For the second Green Smoothie, I used two leaves of chard, brightened with lemon juice – and this tasted decidedly bright and green and VERY alive. I loved it!

The third Green Smoothie, I used three leaves of chard, that was a bit much to my taste.

You'll quickly learn how much green suits you at first. Over time, you can increase it.

WHOLE FRUIT If you can, keep to "whole" fruit (versus juice) so that you get the full benefit of fiber:calories. If need be, thin the smoothie with water or milk instead of fruit juice.

SUBSTITUTE VEGETABLES FOR FRUIT No doubt, fruit is the source of the calories and sugars (albeit, natural fruit sugars, not processed sugar) in smoothies. To switch things up, substitute cucumber for fruit (for low calories) or avocado (for richness).

They aren't "green smoothies" but I love-love-love a Tomato Smoothie.

CHOOSING GREENS Especially for your first Green Smoothies, stick to tender greens like leaf lettuce, spinach and Swiss chard. Beet greens can also be tender but tend to muddy the smoothie color. Kale can be good but at least to my taste, is too earthy and green tasting for smoothies.

If you're in the grocery store, touch the leaves, if they're tender to the touch, they'll make great Green Smoothies.

KEEP IT BRIGHT Citrus juice is an important brightener so keep some lemons and limes on hand. I have great luck with not just the juice of a lemon or lime but the whole lemon or lime (skin sliced off, of course).

FAMILIARITY MATTERS Banana tastes "familiar" and adds creaminess. Banana is especially good when you're first starting to experiment with Green Smoothies.

WHAT KIND OF MILK? Milk of course adds creaminess too, even skim milk. Buttermilk adds a little "tang" and over the years, it's become my favorite dairy for smoothies of all sorts. Plant-based milks like almond milk and soy milk work too.

Can you use fruit juice? Of course. But women, especially, I think, should choose milk-based smoothies for protein and calcium.

TRAIN YOUR TASTEBUDS Try to avoid adding processed sugar, teach your tastebuds to appreciate things sweetened only with fruit.

That said, there may be times when a little sugar works. When my then 90-something father lived with us, he'd refuse many vegetables but happily drink up smoothies made with lots of fruits and veggies plus a little sugar. I wrote about it here, and a Cucumber Smoothies.

GREENS vs FRESH HERBS It takes a LOT of fresh herbs (like mint, say) to be equivalent taste-wise and color-wise of a single leaf of chard, say. So I use fresh herbs just as a flavor accent, not as the "green".

DO YOU NEED A SPECIAL HIGH-POWERED (i.e., HIGH-PRICED) BLENDER? No way, you really don't! All my smoothies are made with a regular $25 blender from Target or the like.

Yes, a lot of food bloggers are raving about their Vita-Mix blenders and maybe one day you'll decide one is worth the investment too. In the mean time? Just drink up, green smoothies are amazing!

Chances are good though, that you'll want to let your blender work for its keep vs a few pulses or two. For Green Smoothies, I usually run the blender for a good minute or two.

NEED MORE CALORIES? If extra calories or extra protein are important, add an egg. This may be raw food but feel free to skip the shell. :-) Since the egg is "raw", all the standard precautions apply for pregnant women, those with compromised immune systems. You cay buy pasteurized eggs, this helps.

How to Make Green Smoothies with Leafy Greens ♥ AVeggieVenture.com. 14 Tips + 5 Sample Recipes.

PRETTY GREEN COLOR? NOT ALWAYS Don't be surprised when green smoothies don't always turn out a pretty green color. This tip comes from my clever cousin Barb who makes smoothies in a Vitamix. She says, "When the smoothie looks like poop, you put it in a solid glass. When it's a pretty color, you put it in a clear glass." Light-colored fruits (think pears) will help but then again, blueberries are delicious so maybe it's time to get out a colored cup!

ONE FOR NOW, TWO FOR LATER Here's a revelation, smoothies keep! So now I make a blenderful, drink a glass and put the rest into one-cup glass jars for the fridge. Later on, a quick stir and my smoothie is good to go. There's more info about making smoothies ahead of time, Make-Ahead Smoothies.

SMOOTHIES & WEIGHT WATCHERS When Weight Watchers launched PointsPlus in 2010, fruit servings became "free". That meant that technically, the smoothies made with just fruit and vegetables were considered "free". Frankly, I ignored this and chose to calculate calories and points the way I always did, because fruit calories can add up really fast for those of us who really love fruit.

But then? When Weight Watchers switched to SmartPoints and then Freestyle? Under these new systems, whole fruits and vegetables remain "free" but smoothies, well, sorry, they're not free, not ever. And, let me bet that you'll be kinda shocked at how many points are in a smoothie – not even the giant cups at smoothie places, just a one-cup serving. Yikes!

MAGIC RECIPES! If you create your own Green Smoothie, leave the magic recipe in a comment!

And do read the comments from other readers, they are packed full of great tips and ideas! This is a very active recipe, one of A Veggie Venture's most popular!

Are Smoothies Healthy?

When my elderly father lived with us, I used smoothes to coax liquid, vegetables and fruits to his diet. (I wrote about smoothies as we age with Cucumber Smoothies.)

Healthy Smoothies: Recipes & Tips ♥ KitchenParade.com, green smoothies, make-ahead smoothies and more.





GREEN SMOOTHIE I

ORANGE - BANANA - CHARD
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 10 minutes
Makes about 8 ounces (about 1 cup)

Zest of an orange
1 whole seedless orange, cut in quarters, flesh and sections (yes, pith and all, for fiber)
1/2 banana
1 large Swiss chard leaf (ribs sliced away)
Water to thin
1 tablespoon wheat germ or flax seed

Blend all ingredients in the blender. Taste and adjust.



GREEN SMOOTHIE II

ORANGE - BANANA - PLUM - LEMON - MORE CHARD
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 10 minutes
Makes about 8 ounces (about 1 cup)

Zest of an orange
1 whole seedless orange, cut in quarters, flesh and sections (yes, pith and all, for fiber)
1/2 banana
1 Italian plum
Juice of a lemon - an important brightener
3 large Swiss chard leaves (ribs sliced away)

Blend all ingredients in the blender. Taste and adjust.



GREEN SMOOTHIE III

BANANA - LIME - APPLE - MILK - CHARD (pretty pale green color!)
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 10 minutes
Makes about 16 ounces (about 2 cups)

1/2 banana
Zest & juice of a lime
2 large Swiss chard leaves (center ribs sliced away)
1 small apple (4 ounces), cored but skin on
1 cup skim milk

Blend all ingredients in the blender. Taste and adjust.



GREEN SMOOTHIE IV

BANANA - LEMON - APPLE - MILK - PLUM - MINT (a soggy green)
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 10 minutes
Makes about 16 ounces (about 2 cups)

1/2 banana
Zest & juice of a lemon
1 small apple (4 ounces), cored but skin on
2 Italian plums, pitted, skins on
1 cup skim milk
About 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint, leaves only

Blend all ingredients in the blender. Taste and adjust.



GREEN SMOOTHIE V

AVOCADO - BANANA - GRAPES - PEANUT BUTTER - SPINACH (a pretty green)
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 10 minutes
Makes about 24 ounces (about 3 cups)

1 banana
1 cup frozen grapes
1/2 avocado
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 handful (30g) fresh spinach, including stems
1-1/2 cups buttermilk

Blend all ingredients in the blender. Taste and adjust.




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Still Hungry?



More Favorite Smoothie Recipes

~ Beet Smoothies ~
~ Strawberry Rhubarb Smoothies ~
~ Tomato Smoothie ~
~ Weight Watchers Smoothie Recipes ~
~ more drinks & smoothie recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture

~ Cantaloupe Smoothie ~
~ Mango Lassi with Fresh Mint ~
~ Mango & Beet Smoothies ~
~ more smoothie recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column






Looking for healthy new ways to cook vegetables? A Veggie Venture is home to hundreds of super-organized quick, easy and healthful vegetable recipes and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables. Join "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg to explore the exciting world of common and not-so-common vegetables, seasonal to staples, savory to sweet, salads to sides, soups to supper, simple to special.

© Copyright Kitchen Parade
2007, 2012, 2014 (repub), 2015, 2019 & 2020


Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. Okay I have to admit that no matter how much you try convincing me... I don't want my smoothie to be green :)

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  2. I make a green drink every morning. 20 month old granddaughter drinks more and more as she gets older (surprised me!). I'm using commercial preparations, so these recipes are inspiring -- especially as I read each one and see another one behind it. Reminds me of an early (very early) cooking experience, scrambled eggs with blue food color. Guess what blue + yellow =? I had to close my eyes to eat it. Now green is pavlovian...

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  3. Hey - now you're teaching me how to use kama? You're amazing, dear Alanna - I would have never thought of adding kama to a green smoothie, but then I'm yet to learn to like green smoothies in the first place. I'm definitely willing to try, however..
    Lovely post!

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  4. I love the color of your green smoothie -- maybe I'm nuts, but I find it so appealing. Will try each of these recipes -- all good ideas.

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  5. I have to admit I did go ew, but I eat more green things than anyone I know, so I don't know what that was about?

    Maybe power of suggestion...hmmm...green drinks are lovely...that's it!

    Great that Susan g is getting the her grandchild started with "green" foods early...

    Here's to green drinks!

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  6. Mmm, I love green smoothies... My favorite combination is kiwi + strawberries + spinach, but I might try some of yours! (with soymilk, of course :)

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  7. Hi,
    I'm a huge fan of green smoothies, too. I'm a simple gal and happy with the easy to make spinach banana. But, I do get crazy sometimes and make it with apple, spinach and cinnamon :)

    I have some easy raw vegan recipes on my blog if you're interested. So healthy and good! I promise :)

    Cheers!
    Kristen Suzanne
    -------
    www.KristensRaw.com
    www.KristensRaw.blogspot.com

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  8. Yay green smoothies! I make one every day for my husband and I for after our lunch. My 15-month-old gets so excited when he hears the blender running. My favorite item for a green smoothie is raw spinach. I throw in a handful. You really can't taste it, so I add a Swiss chard leaf too. Lately, I've been adding a sprinkling of dried seaweed. That, you have to be careful with, unless you enjoy the taste! I don't. But it adds a lot of calcium. I also put in apples, bananas, or plums. Sometimes grapes. It's fun to dump stuff in there, and it's very rare we don't like the results!

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  9. My idea of a green smoothie would use lime sorbet or mint chocolate chip ice cream... :^)

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  10. Lovely idea. Especially the one with Kama!

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  11. Random question for when you use oranges. You zest and then put the zest and the rest of it all in the blender. Is it possible to skip this step and just cut up the orange? I dont have a zester (I know, its on the list)

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  12. I know a lot of people do the banana/spinach or banana/chard thing - but what about banana kale! My fav green smoothie is banana, kale, soymilk, flaxseeds, and bit of maple syrup. It is such a vibrant green colour. Kale is a nutritional powerhouse, and this is a great way to get more in your diet (it is a bit scary for some!) I know it sounds crazy, but trust me when I say, it tastes good. I have gotten several people hooked on it!

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  13. Cynthia ~ Someday I'll slip you one and then you'll be sorry you waited so long! (And hmm. How about, say, purple, like from radichhio?)

    Susan G ~ Oh I hope this inspires experimentation! Do report in if it does!

    Pille ~ Thanks m'dear, for the kama and the compliment!!

    Lydia ~ I really like the green color, too. It shouts "I'm alive" to me.

    Meg ~ Here, here!(Hmm. In that context, is it hear, hear??)

    Peggy ~ Nice to find a green smoothie fan! Great combination, thanks for sharing!

    Kristen ~ Spinach & banana, yum.

    Diane ~ WHAT an inspiration! I'm going to imagine your little one running to the kitchen every time I make a green smoothie! Thank you so much for sharing that.

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  14. Tricia ~ :-))))

    Meeta ~ Thanks!

    Asara ~ Hmmm. My first reaction is 'no' it wouldn't work because between the zest and the section skins is all that pith, the white gunk. But then again, there IS that cranberry salad that includes the whole orange so maybe it would work just fine??? It's worth a try - let me know how it goes!

    Cordelia ~ Ah yes, kale, another vegetable I don't have enough experience with. Love your maple syrup idea.

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  15. there's one thing I add to my smoothies to make them green, and that's wheatgrass!

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  16. I just ran across your green smoothie post, which made me laugh, as just the other day I was searching for kale recipes to use up some aging kale in my fridge and ended up making and posting about this: http://riceandbeansindc.blogspot.com/2007/10/breakfast-my-favorite-meal-of-day-post.html

    It was delicious and only tasted like kale with the first sip or two-after that the banana flavour took over. Ill try some swiss chard next time-since that is the green that is currently moldering in my crisper drawer! Thanks for the futher inspiration!

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  17. I'm not sure you need to add the milk...greens are loaded with calcium. Do you know of the "Raw Family"? The Boutenko family healed themselves of all diseases by living on green smoothies (nondairy) and raw food. An amazing story!

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  18. My favorite green smoothie -and I have one every morning for breakfast - is....1/2 bunch of dino kale, 1 or 2 meyer lemons (we have a tree), 2 organic apples, 2 cups water, 1 TB flax oil, 2 TB flax seeds or meal. YUM! AS I learned from Victoria Boutenko, lemon or banana will really cut the green taste and transform it into something incredibly refreshing. Everyone I've offered this to loves it and wants more. My energy has soared since I've been drinking these for breakfast.

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  19. It's smoothie weather! These sound amazing. And *healthful*! ;) I added this link to today's smoothie post. Thanks, Alanna!

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  20. AnonymousJune 21, 2008

    I use blueberries and red leaf greens a lot, and my smoothie is more like purple. Even with greens it is very blue. : ) Thanks for the recipes.

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  21. AnonymousJuly 19, 2008

    My son has been sucking down smoothies along with me since he was about 11 months old. When he hears the blender going he gets a big smile and starting running to get his share! I started using the recipes from Green for Life and now we make our own variations.

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  22. Made my first green smoothie today. I bought some organic baby spinach at Costco and red seedless grapes. I put the grapes in the freezer first so the smoothie would be cold. Also added some berry/papaya juice and couldn't even tast the spinach. IT WAS GOOD...

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  23. I just made one with 2 leaves of org. chard; 1 kirbie cucumber; 1/2 frozen banana; 1/2 apple; a few bites of unripe mango (I wish it had been ripe); :-( squirt of raw agave nectar; + water to blend. It was good but not great. Next time I'll add apple juice instead of apple and throw in a few ice cubes to ice it up.

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  24. Hey there...
    I am new to the whole green smoothies thing. I have to be careful do to fruit allergies but wanted to get healthy...well...I have tried this new smoothies and i feel fastastic....
    I start with 1 cup of fruit&veggies juice as my base.
    then add a whole cubed apple.
    2 big handfuls of raw spinach.
    1/2 cup of frozen bluberries.
    5 large frozen strawberries.
    2 TB of ground flax.
    one TB of green tea powder.
    and liquid omegas 3 6 9
    and blend...
    Omg I loved it, felt amazing, and kept me full for hours..
    Now i have one for breakie...a healthy lunch..then another smoothies for dinner...
    I have lost 6 pounds so far in 2 weeks..
    Im so happy!!!!

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  25. I have been doing green smoothies now for the last few days. I have a husband and three children that are hooked on processed foods. These have been a great "treat" for them. They weren't crazy about the color at first, but once they tasted it, they were hooked! My ideal smoothie has been with kale, spinach, fresh pineapple, a pear, 2 bananas, frozen strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. The berries turn the smoothie brown, but they taste delicious! The frozen fruits make the smoothie "cold," which is what my children prefer. I also have been adding some reduced-fat tofu. I will be making these for the family each morning. The kids are looking forward to them. They are asking for them now. For those of you who are skeptical about this, don't be. Try it! They are fun to make...just be sure you have a good blender! It's so open-ended, and each smoothie is deliciously different!

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  26. AnonymousJuly 15, 2009

    1 cup vanilla soymilk
    1 scoop vanilla protein powder
    3 leaves green leaf lettuce
    1 mini cucumber

    Blend it up. It actually tastes quite good. A little pulpy, but it has a fresh vanilla milkshake flavor to it.

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  27. O-M-G!!! I just discovered Green Smoothies. I recently sold my soul&body to a gym for a 2 yr contract (LOL) and i've been trying to incoporate a lot of veggies, fruits, grains, and dairy into my diet; but i was getting bored with just fruit smoothies. The weather is great and I have so much fruit that is overripening before I even get a chance to eat them. I bought a watermelon and had plenty of it for days. And as for veggies, I am not a big fan of raw veggies except for carrots, and I got tired of tryign to come up with recipes to cook veggies
    With this new green smoothie concept, Today I threw about 1-2 cups of spinach in a blender, about a cup of watermelon, and about 1/3 cup of lemon juice, and WOW!!!!! so refreshing!! So yummy!!
    I've had vegetable juices in the past, but i stopped drinking them because i realized how they lacked fiber which is essential and turned to smoothies. I am so happy and excited... I hope to get others hooked on this idea...

    btw: i need to have some liquid for my smoothies so i try to use a a low-cal fruit juice, or I brew a batch of green tea and keep it in the fridge. I'm still not convinved about using milk but i'll try it one day :)
    best of luck girls and stay healthy!

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  28. I just made a great green smoothie and am drinking it right now! It is actually very sweet and yummy. Here is the recipe:

    * 1 whole avocado
    * 1/2 celery stalk, chopped
    * 1/2 small cucumber, chopped
    * 3 baby carrots
    * small handful of blueberries
    * Key lime pie yogurt
    * A few scoops of vanilla ice cream/frozen yogurt
    * A small amount of vanilla soymilk
    * 1 individual packet of Splenda sweetener

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  29. What an amazing assortment of green smoothies! I linked to it in my latest post in celebration of International Green Smoothie Day tomorrow!

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  30. I've been drinking green smoothies for eleven months now with my husband and two kids. We are hooked and owning a Vita-mix is a treat that makes life so much easier and enjoyable- I'd recommend a Vita-mix to any avid green smoothie maker!
    Just one comment though after reading some of the above comments: combining calcium with iron is a BAD idea!(ie. putting milk or yogurt into our iron rich green smoothies). Many studies have shown that calcium and iron compete in our bodies and when we consume these two minerals together our bodies have to choose which one to use since they are not compatible together at the same time. Our bodies will usually choose calcium.
    As a pregnant woman, I suffered from iron deficiency early in my pregnancy and my midwife asked me if I was combing these two minerals in my diet. I hadn't been adding milk to my smoothies but I was drinking my smoothies with breakfast which usually included milk with my cereal or an egg or something. As soon as I stopped this combination, I felt a world of difference. i had way more energy because my body could use the iron I was giving it. I was advised by my midwife to absolutely have calcium in my diet, but to have a calcium source at least two hours before or after the green smoothie to give my bosy space to adaquately absorb each mineral.
    Also, I do agree that having a vitamin C or citrus fruit included in the green smoothie is essential, as vit c encourages our bodies to absorb the iron. vitamin C and iron are a perfect combination.
    Happy green smoothie drinking!
    rbiffert

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  31. Hi, great recipes. However, I wanted to note. Why do so many feel they need to drink milk to get calcium??? we are one of the few countried that consumes loads of milk and yet have some of the worst osteoporosis rats in the world. Always remember that milk will lead more to leaching of calcium from bones than helping. The calcium and protein fight for obsoprtion and the protein tends to win. Since milk is also so acidic, your body will leech calcium from your bones to make the blood more alkaline. There is a reason why cultures that drink little to no milk, have a much, much better history with regard to bone disease, etc. You are better off getting our calcium from Kale or Spinach anyday over milk! The whole milk thing was bought into by people years ago when the dairy industry marketing machine pushed it on everyone for years and still do. They have to make money you know...at our expense. I just don't want to see a fellow greenie fall into the milk/calcium trap!

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  32. Thanks for the green smoothie advice! I'm a newbie so I need all the help I can get 8D

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  33. my Green smoothie that has replaced my morning coffee. It's so rejuvenating, and keeps me awake and alert for hours. I can't find a combination that makes it taste good so I make it then gulp it down.

    Handful spinach
    handful (large) of cilantro
    half pealed cucumber
    1 apple (any color)
    juice of an orange or grapefruit
    2 celery stalks

    sometimes regarding what i have on hand in the fridge I may switch up the spinach with red lettuce, or the cilantro with basil or the cucumber with leeks (I know they are more oniony but they are good for you)

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  34. I have those same glasses as in your picture :) Can't wait to try some of your recipes, I LOVE GREEN SMOOTHIES!

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  35. medaevalmomApril 04, 2011

    Green smoothies, well.. any color in general really have been a hot topic among our church friends recently.
    So, this morning I jumped in and served my kids the `green goblin`lol. the texture needs work, but the flavor is tasty.
    i used:
    1/2 cup each raw celery, kale, zucchini (skin on, cucumber (english, skin on), green grapes
    one whole green apple,
    1 cup romaine lettuce (deveined)
    I belended in the food processor, blending after each additiona and for about a minute at the end with a couple cups of water.
    I too am leery of adding dairy or soy anymore, due to low iron issues, so.. how can I improve the texture of my smoothie without adding yougurt or soy milk?

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  36. MedaevalMom - Ha, love the 'green goblin' name!! How about a frozen banana to 'cream' up your smoothies? It will add sweetness to. If this doesn't work for you, I'll check on Facebook, people always have good ideas!

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  37. AnonymousJuly 26, 2011

    I am sort of new to green smoothies, but LOVING them so far and very happy that my guy (who dislikes all things vegetable) also really likes them - and asks for them now. Helping to kick our love of salt also. To make it "stick to my ribs" a bit longer, I add 1-2 tbl raw coconut oil - good fat, no taste. Eager to try several new recipes... Using a Ninja blender - so far so good. I love that I can just put it all in the blender and go, instead of adding a little as I go.

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  38. I love green smoothies but I have a problem with the texture and before spending so much money on a Vita Mix I have a Ninja and would love any tips on the right way to go about blending with it. But this summer I planted 3 kale plants and I and am about to harvest some of the kale. I am going to freeze most of it since it is hard to find organic greens of any kind in my area in the winter so I can have healthy green smoothies in the winter I also froze a bunch of blueberries to as I add those to my smoothies. My smoothie of choice is a banana which I have a bag of pieces of bananas in the freezer to, a few leaves of kale or in a pinch spinach, a cup of frozen berries, lemon juice, and a orange. I add enough of coconut water to make everything blend better. I heard that is better to use than using milk and adds a different taste than just purified water.

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  39. Agreed with what everyone else said about the calcium stuff. You should look into how much calcium is in greens, much more than dairy. Dairy actually negates calcium absorption. Look into it! :3

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  40. Green Smoothies are amazing!!!! My all time favorite green smoothie is My Mega Mean Lean Green Machine!
    Makes 5 smoothies:
    2 whole avacados (pref. hass)
    2 cups of Kale
    1 cup of Spinach
    2 bananas (frozen)
    1/2 cup of blueberries
    1/2 cup of raspberries
    1 container of Honey Greek Yogurt
    Handful of Chia Seeds
    Handful of Psyllium husks (ground)
    1/4 cup of ground flax seeds
    1/4 cup of Berry flavored Wheat Grass
    1/4 cup of vanilla Whey Protein Powder
    Fill blender with Almond Milk
    If it all doesn't fit in blender, blend as you go along or use less of each one for your personal taste.
    This smoothie is beyond jam packed of good for you nutrition and it just tastes sweet..the harsh veggie flavor is cancelled out by the sweet fruits and honey yogurt. I know people add a capsule of probiotic powder and extra fiber powder...If you have an ice cream maker this mix also makes for a creamy ice cream that kids will love..they will get tons of veggie and fruit nutrition with a sweet creamy taste that they will never know it's good for them!!!! Enjoy!!!

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  41. Crazy for green smoothies. They are helping me regain a baseline of health.

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  42. I'm new to green smoothies, but I'm trying them about every other day. Today I experimented with broccoli slaw as well as spinach (and in my case, half a frozen banana, a few pieces of canteloupe, some left-over cukes and tomatoes, chia seed, and almond milk). I have quite a strong hand blender that can double as a food processor - next time I will blend a little longer. It wasn't quite 'smooth' but surprisingly good tasting. (I'm the kind that does much better without a whole lot of sweets in the mornings).

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  43. I just made green smoothie III today and LOVED it! Problem is, I was counting on it being only 4 points in WW. I put the recipe into etools and it came up as 6. :( Bummer! Are your points listings the new Points Plus or the old Points?

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  44. Hi Katrina ~ So glad you liked the green smoothie.

    As for points, my recipes go back to 2002, there are more than 1600 recipes. Since WW announced its change in points to PointsPlus late in 2010, all new recipes include both sets of points (and say so). I'm slowly updating nine years worth of recipes with PointsPlus but it's a manual process, even updating each one to say "Old Points".

    So sorry for your surprise. ;-(

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  45. I only have a magic bullet mini blender, but that didn't stop me from trying these delicious drinks. Everyday I make 4 individual drinks in my little blender. I use 80%greens/1 apple & 1 lemon and fill will water first to get my stomach acids going. Then I make 80%greens and assorted berries then 80%greens and kiwi, at last my fav. 80%greens/pineapple. I do strain mine as my blender doesn't blend well enough, but I don't care, as long as I get my fix every morning that is all that matters to me. My brain feels fantastic now, and my body is getting better every day. I just wanted to people to know you don't need anything fancy to make these drinks, you just need to switch up your greens, I buy 3-4 different greens for the week, and the following week I switch to new greens.

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  46. Great site! I whipped one up for the first time this morning- 2 celery stalks, 1 mini red pepper- handful of strawberries-half a banana-dash of juice-peach yogurt-and hemp hearts!!! It tasted great! I'm off to buy Swiss chard and kale to give it a go, never had them ever before!

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  47. AnonymousJuly 30, 2012

    thanks for the ideas, and low in calories too, seems sometimes adding so much fruit to cover the taste of the greens ups the calories too much.. just got into making green smoothies and still trying to figure out what greens work best since I'm reading you have to rotate your greens.I tried arugula yesterday and it was way too bitter for my tastes... think I'm going to try the swiss chard next, and the mint recipe looks really good too.

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  68. I'm a little late here lol... but I make my smoothies with about
    - 4 cups of ice water,
    - 2 to- 4 cups of chopped kale (for extra green I might add or substitute collard greens, chard, spinach, parsley, etc.) Sometimes I like these very green which is a taste that everyone might not like.
    - 1-2 whole lemons (peeled & de-seeded of course :)
    Either an orange, apple, pear or a pink grapefruit (or some kind of seasonal fruit)
    - 1 to 2 cups of mixed frozen fruit (the best is the pineapple/peach/mango/strawberry blend sold by various companies) amt depends on how sweet you want it. Frozen fruits make it like a shake.
    - Sometimes I add a banana if I can spare the calories (same with flaxseed and chia seeds... these are high in calories so I use sparingly)

    - for creaminess and low calorie add unsweetened almond milk
    - for sweetness 1 or 2 packets of stevia

    I make a blenderful (Ninja Professional is great!) for breakfast and then store the rest of it in the fridge and drink during the day when I'm hungry. They are filling.

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  69. I loooove Green Smoothies! I just use my magic bullet. They all start with 1/2 frozen banana. They seem to need it to become smooth. I add ground flax, and sometimes protein powder. I have a bag of frozen mixed fruit at hand always. I add 1 or 2 types of whatever veggies I have in the fridge (kale, romain lettuce, celery, tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, spinach) ... some water, and top it off with a few pieces of fruit from my frozen bag. I then add a pinch of ginger. Always tasty. No matter what I have done!

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  70. Myrna in West Palm Beach, FLSeptember 23, 2014

    Alanna .. I have read your green smoothies and I WILL try it ONE Day ... Right now I am dealing with an over abundance of carambola from the tree in our front yard. I've sliced, diced ... and I am going to try smoothies with canned pineapple and a mandarin or two. What could be bad???

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  71. Using a Vita-Mix - 2 cups water, kale, chard, cilantro (including all the stems), to fill the pitcher, 4 cloves garlic, 1/3 cup (or so) lemon, dash salt, 1 cup oatmeal, blend while I get out the frozen bananas. Add an apple or 2, cut up, and 3 to 4 frozen bananas (frozen in chunks). Yum, yum! For those who are hesitant about drinking green - have you ever had a McDonald's St. Patrick's Day shake? Adding a handful of almonds converts the 2 cups water to almond milk - and you don't have to do it separately. Enjoy. God bless. Mary

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  72. Hi. This is the green récipe we blend here in Mexico. Nopal, celery, ,pineapple, grapefuit and parsley. You can find all the ingredients in the freezer section of our local supermarkets already portion packed, for people who are hurried in the morning.
    It is very popular in restaurants. You can order it instead of orange juice.
    Muchos saludos.

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  73. These look awesome! I love how daring you are by adding the whole orange, peel and all. I will definitely try these.

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  74. This looks great Alanna, I can't wait to try these smoothies recipes with my new ninja blender. I love how it is easy to make these at home and cheap (Buying smoothies at a juice bar can set you back quite a few bucks. At home, combining fruits and vegetables won’t cost you more than a few cents).

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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe, whether a current recipe or a long-ago favorite. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. ~ Alanna