Green Smoothie

Green smoothies are this crazy health-nut thing that I always thought sounded completely revolting.  Kale  and spinach in a fruit smoothie??  Yuck!  Or so I thought.  Sometime last fall, my roommate got a new blender and decided to try a green smoothie.  Well God bless her, because I tried making one soon after (taking careful notes on hers, of course) and with some tweaking found it delicious.  Here’s a loose formula:

1/2 c unsweetened plant milk (I like almond or soy)

1/2 c water

1 frozen, very ripe banana

1/2 c thawed frozen greens (spinach, kale, collards, mustard greens, etc) OR a big handful of raw greens (Only go this route if you have a really good blender.  It doesn’t work so great with an immersion blender)

1/2 c other fruit (mango, strawberries, blueberries, etc), fresh or frozen

Optional:

a date or two, pitted (hides any bitterness from the greens)  OR some other sweetener.  But dates are a whole food, so I like to think they’re good for me.  Also, honey freezes in the blender.

a spoonful of ground flax seed

and if you really want it to be hearty and thick, add about 1/4 c dry oatmeal.  I do this for a meal on the run.

1.  Blenderize until smooth.  Sometimes it works better if you add things one at a time.

2.  Enjoy drinking something sweet and cold and good for you!  And if you use strawberries, try not to look at it.  Go for blueberries if you’re concerned about appearances 😉