Green Smoothie Recipes

Starting off your day with a green smoothie is like injecting rocket fuel into your body! Its the easiest, cheapest, yummiest and most efficient way to increase the volume of green leafy things in your diet. We all know they’re good for us but few of us have the time or desire to sit down and eat a head of lettuce or a big bunch of silverbeet! I have tried this once and I assure you I felt sick and like I never wanted to look at green leaves again!

Blending greens with fruit enriches your body with countless vitamins, minerals, chlorophyll, phytochemicals, antioxidants and enzymes in an easily-digestible form that is delicious. Swap the types of greens around daily so you don’t overload on any one in particular, and so you can reap the benefits of many different kinds of plants.

I tend to use frozen bananas as they lend a different, creamier consistency to the smoothie. You will need a high-powered blender – mine is 800 watts and goes like a tornado! The finer the machine can chop up the bits, the easier it will be to digest and the better the mouthfeel, unless you like chunky smoothies that is! These recipes make enough for 1-2 people. You can save any leftovers for later or take it to school or work with you in a wide-mouthed flask. Taste as you go and if the end result is not sweet enough, add a bit more banana, a few drops of stevia*, or a little honey or dates until you can wean your tastebuds off sweetness.

Morning Sunshine

This is what I tend to have more regularly than any other smoothie. I love the zestiness of lemons first thing in the morning. If its your first time trying this one, add the lemon slowly as it can be quite a strong punch to the face..

2 bananas
handful flat-leaf parsley
3-4 leaves silverbeet
1/2 a lemon, skin on
water to blend, approx. 2 cups

Naaaaners and Maaangers

Simple and tasty!

2 cups fresh greens such as kale, baby spinach, lettuce or a mixture
1 banana
1 mango
2 cups water

Green Blue Algae

Despite the name, this baby not only gives you the leafy things our bodies crave but a little bit of extra on the side with the chia and spirulina. I’m not a huge advocate of “superfoods” but if you have the money and are wish to experiement, they provide a bit of extra minerals and protein which can round out your diet and boost the variety of nutrients your beautiful body is getting

1 banana
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 handful frozen blue berries
2 cups water
1 teaspoon spirulina
5 leaves of kale

Berry Wicked

The pears make this one delectable and concoction… it may have the colour of mud but it certainly won’t taste like it

2 pears
1 handful frozen mixed berries
4-5 kale leaves
2 cups water

Green Green Wine

One way to use all those grapes that fall off the main vine thingy after you buy them.

6-8 leaves romaine lettuce
1 cup red grapes
1 orange
1 banana
2 cups water

ENJOY!

*Stevia is a natural, plant-derived sweetener from South America that contains no sugar or energy and so has no effect on insulin levels, and in fact works to stabilise them. It is non-carcinogenic, won’t cause blood sugar peaks and falls and is 30 times sweeter than sugar. It has been banned in the EU due to the lobbying power of artificial sweetener companies.

If you expect it to taste “sugary” then you will be surprised as its sweetness is something else entirely, and can take a bit of getting used to. I prefer to use it in baking and green smoothies rather than in tea as it tastes different depending on how you use it. You can buy it from natural health stores in liquid or powder form and a small amount goes a long way! I buy it as a liquid and 2 drops is equal to the sweetness of a teaspoon of sugar.