Green Smoothies

For awhile now, I've been intrigued with the idea of making green smoothies. I made some assumptions that it would probably taste horrible, look horrible and pretty much just be all around horrible!

But since greens are one of the richest sources of proteins for humans, contain essential amino acids, are a good source of omega-3 unsaturated fat, magnesium and calcium ... and consuming fruits and veggies this way is the best way to digest the full nutrients ... I figured why not give it a try!

After giving it a try and coming up with the right combination of greens and fruits it is amazingly good and yummy. It's best when you use a ratio of 60% fruits and 40% veggies. I don't think the kiddos even know what all I put in it (which says that it can't taste too much like green veggies!) ... but they love eating these and always ask me to make them a smoothie (then I tell them to go play while I make it so they don't see what I put in it!). You consume between 4-8 servings of fruits and veggies when you eat a green smoothie. Our kiddos love eating fruit and veggies, but this is a great way to get in a bunch of extra servings.

So here's what I do ...
Place about 2 cups liquid in the blender (I use a combo of water, kefir and yogurt), then add 3 handfuls of greens ... we like spinach, but you can also use romaine, kale, celery, etc. Blend this together (otherwise the greens won't puree).
Then add the fruit ... I typically add 1 banana (I use frozen), 1 c. frozen strawberries, 1/2 c. frozen blueberries and some frozen mixed berries. Blend this all together, adding more liquid if necessary.
*Note: I make enough for me and 3 kiddos ... so you might need to alter this recipe.

Some other fruits that work well are apples, oranges, mangoes, pineapple, mixed berries, pears and avacado. You can use fresh or frozen with most varieties.

You can also add some honey or other sweetener if it's too bitter for you (or just try adding more fruits to gradually get the veggie ratio up).
And for some extra nutritional boosters add some ground flaxseed and coconut oil!