Basic Green Smoothies - Sweet & Savory

Almost everyone should include more greens in their diet – green smoothies are an easy & delicious way to accomplish this!  Green smoothies make the nutrients in greens more available to your body, because blending breaks down the cell walls, many of which remain intact after simply chewing.  Greens mix well with almost anything.  Use fruit & greens OR veggies & greens in your smoothies.  For better digestion & assimilation, it’s best not to combine sweet fruit & veggies.  You can mix non-sweet fruits such as cucumber, tomato, sweet pepper and possibly apple with veggies.  Just make sure to listen to your body to determine if the combinations of ingredients are working well for you.

To make blending easier, place fruits or veggies into the blender container first, followed by greens.

Sweet Green Smoothies

Sweet green smoothies are an excellent way to get kids (or yourself) to eat greens!  If you or your kids are new to green smoothies, a good ratio of fruit to greens is mostly fruit with a handful or two of greens.  When you get accustomed to the taste, increase the ratio to half fruit/half greens, & eventually increase the greens to two thirds or more.  Use any fruit you like, & rotate your greens (i.e., don’t use spinach every day).  Romaine or any dark green lettuce, kale, collard greens, arugula, cilantro, parsley & even herbs like basil or mint mix very well with fruit.  I personally like to add some wild greens (such as lambsquarter & purselane – otherwise known as weeds!), for their nutrient density & their purifying & immune-boosting properties.  If desired, you can add additional ingredients such as seeds (hemp, flax, chia) or other superfoods (goji berries, coconut, maca, aloe vera, blue green algae such as spirulina or chlorella, bee products such as honey, bee pollen, royal jelly or propolis, etc.).  Again, listen to your body & use what works for you.  Experiment & have fun!

Basic Sweet Green Smoothie

- 2-3 fruits of your choice, fresh &/or frozen

- 2 handful greens, or more

- Water (& ice, if desired)

- Additional ingredients, if desired

Blend.

Check out my Banana Blueberry Green Smoothie recipe!

Savory Green Smoothies

Savory green smoothies are another great way to include more greens in your diet.  They make a fast, easy lunch that will give you energy & clarity all afternoon.  They are also a great way to try something you’ve never tried or don’t necessarily like but is very nutritious (I speak from personal experience)!  Start with just a little bit, and increase the amount of that ingredient over time if you wish.  If you dislike cauliflower or beets, just add one floret or one small chunk into your savory smoothie.  I bet you won’t even taste it – and you may come to love it (I’m still working on beets)!  J

Start with some type of watery veggie/non-sweet fruit, such as cucumber, celery, zucchini or other squash, sweet pepper, tomato and possibly green apple or red delicious apple (apple is better with other non-sweet fruits or sweet vegetables – e.g., apple/cucumber/carrot or apple/sweet pepper/celery).  Next, add any other vegetables you wish (especially sun-dried tomatoes, which provide a rich, savory flavor).  Add garlic, ginger &/or onion, if desired (leave the skin on for extra nutrition, including Omega 3 fats).  Add a small wedge of lemon (or more, peeled or not).  Include some seaweed (very supportive of thyroid health!); dulse is another ingredient with a rich, savory flavor.  Hint: for best flavor, especially when using seaweed, drink your savory smoothie within a few hours at most.  Add some type of fat (from sesame tahini or other seeds, avocado, olives or olive oil).  Then add whatever greens you like or veggies you want to sneak in.  Include any other herbs or spices you like, if desired.  Again, I personally like to add a bit of wild greens as well.  Add water.  Blend.  I like to stir in a couple of additional ingredients to blended savory smoothies, such as: sprouts, chunks of avocado, kalamata olives, scallions or red onions, sweet pepper and raw sauerkraut, to make it more like a chunky soup.  Again, experiment & enjoy!

Basic Savory Green Smoothie

- Watery veggie(s) or non-sweet fruit

- Other veggies

- Garlic, ginger &/or onion with skin on, if desired

- Lemon

- Seaweed (dulse, kelp, kombu, wakami, etc.)

- Some type of fat (e.g., sesame tahini or other seeds, avocado, olives or olive oil)

- Greens

- Other herbs and spices, if desired

- Water (room temperature or warm)

Blend.

Check out my Favorite Savory Green Smoothie recipe!