Green Smoothie Recipe

HarleysMom

HarleysMom

Cathlete
I read a previous thread about a green smoothie girl website. And yes, I spent alot of time looking around there :D

Does anybody have "one" good recipe I could try before purchasing the book?

Thanks in advance!
 
Here is my favorite:

1 banana
juice of 1 lime
1 papaya or 4 fresh apricots or 1-2 mangoes (depending on what is in season)
1-2 tsp agave nectar
1-1.5 handfuls of baby spinach
2-3 cups of water + 1-2 cups ice, depending on how thick/thin/cold you like it

Blend to a smooth consistency.

I drink this for breakfast 3 or so days a week, along with 2 Corn Thins (I like some crunch).
 
I've been experimenting with green smoothies and have now found my (for the time being) ultimate combo;

- 600 ml water (= +/- 1/2 pint)

- lots of green leafy vegetables (I use spinach, kale and cress)

- 2 (small) frozen bananas

- 1 granny smith apple

- 1 to 2 cups frozen grapes

- linseed oil / linseed / oat bran / chia seeds

- sweetner (I use Stevia)

Mix in a good blender.

This gives me a really thick and cold smoothie. I try to aim for a 50/50 vegetable/fruit mix. I also vary with other frozen fruits (blueberries/mulberries/mango/raspberries/strawberries).

I like to make it in the evening for the next morning. The flavours mix really well after a night in the 'fridge.

cheers Rosemarie
 
I've posted a number of green smoothies (my original recipes--taste-tested!) in my blog here: http://thecathenation.com/forum/blog.php?b=1595 (which also has tips for making them), but here's a basic one:

1 frozen banana
8-12 oz. coconut water (depends on how thick you like it)
1 1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries or mixed berries
1 large handful baby spinach
sweetener of choice (taste and see if it needs sweetening---always take two sips, as I find the first one just gets your taste buds ready. Be sure to 'chew' the first few mouthfuls, or at least swish them around in your mouth, to start the digestion process). You could use stevia, Lo Han Kuo/Guo , agave, etc.
If it tastes too 'green,' add a squeeze of lime (I like lime with blueberries) or lemon


This is my own recipe, not from the book.

I do have the book, and it has interesting info along with recipes (though I think Victoria Boutenko's book has better info as to the health benefits. I also think Boutenko's suggestion for rotating greens is better than Openshaw's suggestion for using lots of spinach). I haven't tried the recipes yet, but they look unique (some combos I wouldn't think of, and ingredients I don't usually use, and I can't vouch for the flavor. They must be good if her kids drink them!).

She gives a basic template for making 8 cups of smoothies 2 servings), along with about 50 specific recipes.

If you do a search for "green smoothie recipe" online, you'll find LOTS of free recipe ideas. And youtube has videos showing how to make them (some by Green Smoothie Girl herself).

If you start with a few recipes (no book needed!), you'll soon find yourself getting the feel of it, and coming up with mixes YOU like. After I'd been doing a daily green smoothie for a couple of weeks, I'd wake up thinking about what combos would be good together, and I could almost taste them (that's how I came up with a peach-cilantro smoothie).
 
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Hi ladies,
I've been wanting to start drinking green smoothies for a while. What kind of mixer/blender do you use to make them? Is the green smoothie girl book worth buying if I'm a newbie?

Thanks, Kristin
 
Thanks Kathryn for the info! I guess you have to watch or you could really rack up some calories huh? :)

Much appreciated - gives me a great place to begin.
 
Kristan,....I believe Kathryn has the almighty Vitamix blender. ;)

Kathyrn, I quickly looked over your smoothie recipes on your blog....I live in such a small, rural town......and am unhappy to report that we don't have many of those ingredients. :( They do look interesting. Can't say I've ever even tried kale before. Can you believe it? I'll have to at least look for that in our produce section!!!
 
KrisS said:
Hi ladies,
I've been wanting to start drinking green smoothies for a while. What kind of mixer/blender do you use to make them? Is the green smoothie girl book worth buying if I'm a newbie?

Thanks, Kristin
Click to expand...
As Melanie mentioned, I have a Vitamix (they now sell a version on QVC that might be a better price than elsewhere).

The Vitamix and the Blendtec are the two 'blenders on steroids' that most people who are really into smoothies and raw food creations buy. But a good Oster blender might work: you may just have to chop up some ingredients more before blending, and avoid others (ie: carrots and water will blend well in a Vitamix or Blendtec, but will just make pulp in most other blenders). You also might have to blend the greens with water first. Then add other ingredients. (I usually just throw everything in at once).

Montel Williams is now selling a Vitamix/Blendtec knock-off that is about half the price, but it hasn't been out long enough for me to trust its quality. (The Vitamix comes with a 7-year warrantly, and I know of many people who have had theirs for 10 years or more with no problems. The company has also been around for something like 30 years).

If you're just beginning in smoothies, I'd recommend checking out online sources for free info (including the Green Smoothie Girl website, youtube, and just doing a search for 'green smoothie recipe') as I mentioned above.

I also recommend checking out the Amazon reviews on Openshaw's book (as well as on Victoria Boutenko's "Green for Life"---which is more info on why and how, with a few recipes--and her newer "Green Smoothie Revolution").

I frankly haven't used many recipes from any of these books, but just started by mixing chocolate soy milk (which I don't drink anymore, but did then) with a handful of frozen blueberries and a handful of spinach (first with some added agave, then with no added sweetener as my tastes changed). I didn't even use a Vitamix for that blend, just a Magic Bullet (and there are definitely more particles of unblended greens and blueberries than with the Vitamix).

Then I got into y VItamix and into experimenting with flavors I like.
 
HarleysMom said:
I guess you have to watch or you could really rack up some calories huh? :)
Click to expand...
I don't keep track of calories, but I think it's no more than with a regular meal, which is what I consider them to be (a liquid meal that is more easily assimilated than a solid meal).

I make a quart in the morning, and that keeps me going until lunch (sometimes I don't even have much for lunch because of my smoothie).

I started losing the 10 pounds I'd been trying to get rid of for years, after I started incorporating a morning green (or not-so-green) smoothie in my diet.
 
melanalyus said:
Kathyrn, I quickly looked over your smoothie recipes on your blog....I live in such a small, rural town......and am unhappy to report that we don't have many of those ingredients. :( They do look interesting. Can't say I've ever even tried kale before. Can you believe it? I'll have to at least look for that in our produce section!!!
Click to expand...
Melanie,

I never had much kale before last summer, either (when I started with the smoothies, then went mostly raw) except in canned potato-kale soup! But Dr. Joel Fuhrman classifies it as one of the most nutritionally dense foods there are, so I decided it was worth getting into.

Now, I can't imagine not having it regularly! (though I try to follow Victoria Boutenko's advice of rotating greens, because they all have different toxins in--like oxalic acid in spinach--that might cause problems if eaten daily in quantity).

I also really got into kale chips for a while.

A very basic smoothie I make when I'm not feeling too creative is frozen banana, kale, and enough water to make the right texture (a squeeze of lemon or lime can cut any unpleasantly-green flavor). It also works well with oranges added (juice if you don't have a powerful blender, peeled and seeded whole orange if you do).

Since you live in a rural town, you might have space for a garden. I cleared some extra space last year by moving some holly bushes and bulbs out of a planting area, and intend to plant some kale and other greens there this year. Kale is supposed to be even better tasting (sweeter) after a hard freeze.
 
Thanks ladies for your quick reply. My father in-law just bought a vitamix blender and it looks like I'm going to be the only one using it!

Kristin
 
This thread inspired me to look through my green smoothie books (I have both Boutenko books, as well as the "green smoothie girl" book).

Three things I have issues with in Openshaw's book, that might influence your buying decision (or not!).:
1) she's a bit fudgy when she brings up 'proof' for the healthfulness of green smoothies. At one point, she states that one study shows that oxalic acid is deactivated by blending, but she doesn't give a reference or even mention what study it is! At another point, she cites the names of several veg*n athetes, and claims that they are proof of the healthfulness of eating raw foods (nope, they prove that a veg*n/plant-based diet is healthy, but not necessarily raw foods)

2) she uses a lot of ingredients in quite a few recipes, and quite a few things that are harder to find (fresh aloe leaf, for example).

3) a BIG pet peeve of mine in recipe books: NO INDEX! So if I have some mangos on hand, and want to see what smoothies contain them, I have to page through the entire recipe section instead of being able to easily find it in the index.:mad: (Boutenko's "Green Smoothie Revolution" book has an index, and she divides the recipes into several groups: beginner recipes, savory smoothies and soups, etc.)
 
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