Need a way to get more greens into your daily diet? Do you have kids who struggle with eating enough greens?
I find it hard to incorporate greens in my dinner meal planning. I’m not exactly sure why. I like salad, but I honestly am not into too many green veggies. I enjoy roasted broccoli, but I just don’t like any sort of canned or even frozen veggies.
If this feels like a similar situation to you, then read on to see how I figured out a tasty and really easy way to get everyone in the family consuming dark leafy greens… and loving it!
My Green Smoothie Story
I spent years making green smoothies for my kids when they were little and I tried so many variations; some were a hit, others not so much. Originally, we drank green smoothies in the morning, but after some time I realized it was just too filling added to our breakfast. It probably would’ve made a great mid-morning snack, but at the time our schedules didn’t allow for that as we were busy with school and jobs.
That’s when I decided instead of making a salad or veggie at dinner, I’d just blend up our greens, and after a while, I came up with an amazingly delicious recipe that my whole family loved. On top of that, it is just so refreshing to drink cold greens with dinner. (It’s usually warm where I live.)
One awesome benefit is the amount of greens that go into a smoothie is way more than if you were to give everyone a serving of green salad. It’s also very simple to throw a green smoothie in the blender to boost your nutrition intake. But let me just warn you, these delicious green smoothies can become addicting!!
Health Benefits Of Dark Leafy Greens
A leafy green vegetable is any plant that has edible leaves and/or stems. Some examples include spinach, kale, beet tops, Swiss chard, beet greens, dandelion greens, microgreens and bok choy.
Leafy greens are super high in antioxidants, contain many vitamins and minerals, and are low in sugar, carbs and cholesterol. This makes them one of the top nutrient dense foods.
Some health benefits of leafy greens include supporting your cardiovascular system, aiding in digestion, protecting eyes and skin and reducing inflammation.
You can cook leafy greens or eat them raw. Green smoothies use raw leafy greens having the added benefit of lots of Vitamin C.
My Two Favorite Green Smoothies
These are the two variations of green smoothies that I came up with that everyone loves. You’ll need a good blender such as a vitamix or a nutribullet, some greens and a few other simple ingredients. Here are the basic recipes.
Green Smoothie In The Morning
Ingredients:
- 4-5 large lacinto kale leaves
- 1 handful of spinach
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 banana
- a few large ice cubes
- 2-3 cups organic unfiltered apple juice*
Directions:
Blend all ingredients in your blender and pour into 3-4 smaller cups or 1-2 large cups.
Tips:
– It’s fine to use any type of kale or try other greens, this is just my specific concoction that I really like.
– You can use a frozen banana if you have it and eliminate the ice cubes.
– *If you don’t want to use juice, you can use water (less sugar but not as much flavor). Or try other juices or nut milks if you like.
Dinner Salad Smoothie
Ingredients:
- Spinach and/or lacinto kale (enough to almost fill a blender)
- 1-2 limes
- 2-3 cups of apple juice
- 1 tsp freshly chopped ginger
- 3-4 mint leaves
- ice cubes
Directions:
Blend all ingredients in your blender and pour into 3-4 smaller cups or 1-2 large cups.
Tips:
– Let me just say, the limes and ginger really make this smoothie! This smoothie is so tangy and refreshing! If you love limes, you may even want to substitute lime juice for apple juice. Or once again, you can use water if you prefer less sugar.
– Sometimes, I don’t have ice cubes but I really like cold smoothies… As long as I have my juice chilled in the fridge, my smoothie is still nice and cold even without ice cubes.
– I love to prep meals ahead of time (while I’m making another meal) so I minimize my time in the kitchen. You can put all the green smoothie ingredients in a blender and stick it in the fridge. Then blend right before drinking. This helps cool down all the ingredients, giving your smoothie that nice chill that I swear makes it that much better!
More Green Smoothie Ideas
You can tailor your green smoothies to include all sorts of delicious and nutritious ingredients so that you are giving your body exactly what it needs.
I have often used a handful of almonds, hemp seeds, or other nuts or seeds to give it added fat and protein. Another thought is to add your protein, collagen or other supplements to your smoothie. Mushroom powders are really nutritious as well. It’s definitely an efficient (and tastier) way to consume supplement powders.
Fruit is a nice way to give it that sweetness it might need to cut the bitterness of the kale. It is also a game changer when giving green smoothies to your kids! Experiment with blueberries, strawberries, apples, mangoes, or bananas.
Final Thoughts
Green smoothies are an excellent and easy way to get nutritional benefits from dark leafy greens that your body needs to thrive.
Try my two recipes and let me know if you love them like I do. And, if your not into them, don’t give up!!! Have fun being creative with different ingredients to make smoothies that you and your family will not be able to resist!
I would love to hear what you think of my smoothie creations and even more so, I would be thrilled to hear your green smoothie ideas in the comment section below!
Can’t wait to see you again, In The Kitchen With Me! XOXOXO
Thank you for this excellent article on the Best Ingredients For Green Smoothies Allie, I had some trouble with the ice not mixing well in the smoothie I made this morning and found your site when looking for some better ideas for ingredients to include.
I have always enjoyed spinach and this looks like a very healthy and probably a little sweet recipe too with the banana included in it.
The salad smoothie looks very intriguing with mint, ginger and apple juice.
Glad you tried it! It’s fun to try out new ideas for ingredients. Ice can be a problem sometimes in blenders. Maybe try smaller chunks or crushed ice. Thank you for your comment.
Smoothies are a very good way to spice up your day with a whole lot of vitamins and minerals in a healthy way. I’m only a little bit concerned with too much sugar from fruits, but your second recipe seems to avoid that. Or maybe I could replace the apple juice from the first recipe with a real apple haha and leave out the banana,the possibilities are endless! Thanks for this information!
Yes the possibilities are endless! Thank you for your comment and if sugar is a concern, always use the purest form of fruit, like you said an apple is a good idea.