A Green Smoothie

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The easiest and most vibrant breakfasts of all — and my personal standby — is smoothies. Usually my smoothies consist of a little fruit, some nuts or seeds, lots of greens and some water mixed together in the blender. It’s quick, nutrient rich and easy to consume while on the go. Plus, you can easily tailor any smoothie recipe to meet your tastes and what you have on hand. (Just don’t forget the vegetables!)




Just getting started? Try these two easy and delicious green smoothies. Who knew it could be so easy and delicious to incorporate greens into your morning routine?


1) Serves 2
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almondmilk, soymilk, ricemilk or hempmilk
1 1/2 cups packed baby spinach
1 1/2 cups frozen cherries or berries
Method
Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.


2) Serves 2
Try this surprise smoothie for an on-the-go breakfast that's packed with the nutrients of hearty greens but tastes like a perfect blend of fruit.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups unsweetened non-dairy beverage, such as almond, rice or soy
2 dried apricots or 4 pitted dates
1 banana
1 cup chopped kale leaves
1 cup spinach leaves
1/2 cup fresh or frozen berries
Method
Combine non-dairy beverage, apricots, banana, kale, spinach and berries in a blender and blend until smooth.

Not only will green smoothies help to reduce cravings, but it will also require less time to prepare than other meals. You don’t have to think about what you’ll have for breakfast, lunch, or even dinner sometimes.

Freezing your fruit can make your green smoothie more thick and colder. I typically don’t freeze all of my fruit, but I do freeze the bananas, sometimes apples, and then I’ll freeze any fruits that are about to be too ripe. You can also pick up frozen fruit in your health food store that is organic. My favorite is frozen cherries, peaches, and strawberries. Another great idea is to purchase fresh fruit in season and then freeze it yourself for the winter.

Since I started blending my green smoothies, I’ve found some methods that make it easier to blend.

Pack your soft fruits in first, then add your frozen fruits, then add your greens on top to blend as well as any spices. Blend your green smoothie and then taste the smoothie to see if any changes are needed, i.e. more or less sweetness, then add ice if necessary. I always add ice if needed at the very end to make sure the taste of the smoothie is just what I want. Once you add ice, it’s more difficult to add fruits or greens, because your ice will begin to water down the smoothie if you blend too much.

As you drink more green smoothies each day, you will probably notice that you are able to add more greens and less fruit depending on the green that you add. The more greens you can add to your smoothie, the better you will feel, and the more nutrients you will ingest. Try to add in more greens as you get more comfortable with the greener taste and less sweetness from the fruit.

Enjoy & Feel Great!