Recipe · Smoothie

Smoothie Tuesday – How to make a delicious green smoothie

Name: Smoothie Tuesday – How to make a delicious green smoothie
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1–2

Eleven simple tips for creating tasty green smoothies, from choosing your greens to pairing fruit and adding super foods.

By Caleb

Sep 29, 2009

Smoothie Tuesday – How to make a delicious green smoothie

TOTAL: 5 min
SERVES: 1–2

Learning how to make tasty green smoothies is key in a raw food diet, or for anybody that just wants to eat healthier. The first time I ever had a green smoothie I was repulsed. Why? Because that is ALL it was – nothing but pure greens. I didn’t even want to finish the glass of fresh greens my host had given me. I felt horrible. I can’t remember if I managed to put the concoction down or if somebody else finished it.

Fast forward a year later and I have been enjoying tasty green smoothies all year long. I would say in short the key is adding fruit. How much fruit and the type of fruit all depends on your taste and what you are in the mood for. So I am offering up 11 tips for creating a palatable green smoothie.

If you don’t already include green smoothies in your diet I highly recommend it. Anytime my co-workers see me drinking my green smoothies they always comment on how awful it looks, especially when it’s spinach based, as it creates a neon green glow. Little do they know what I am drinking not only tastes great, but is good for my health. So I would encourage you to start trying green smoothies if you haven’t already, and if you have, keep it up and try new things so you don’t get bored.

Method

Be careful with your choice of greens. Spinach is a great green to use as the flavor is easily masked with as little as one banana. Kale will be strong and bitter but leaves like chard tend to be sweeter.

Avoid bitter tasting greens such as kale, unless you are wanting a "greener" taste to your smoothie. Some people really like that, but I prefer sweet smooth tastes, and only occasionally opt for something more on the bitter side.

When making smoothies more on the bitter side, try balancing it out a bit with something like an apple that won't overpower the flavor of your green, but won't make it so strong that it's hard to finish the drink. Carrot juice is another option; it's generally slightly sweet in taste.

Start with a handful of your favorite green and then add about 6 oz of your favorite fruit. Experiment with different combinations of fruit. Fruit "pairing" can really help you develop a great smoothie. Mixed berries are always a good option, and another one of my favorites is banana and mango.

Add other ingredients to your drink to smooth out the flavor. Almond and hemp milk are nice alternatives to milk, soy and water. I also like adding nut butter to my smoothies; flax seed will add texture to your morning fuel and provide you with a healthy dose of omega-3.

Add spices to your smoothie. I haven't experimented with this too much, but I have added fresh mint before that created a very pleasing taste. Again, "pairing" is important here. I wouldn't recommend mint in a mixed berry smoothie (but perhaps I am wrong). It would be better suited for a smoothie with banana and granny smith apples.

You can make your smoothie even healthier by adding super foods. I often use my smoothies to take strongly bitter supplements such as oregano oil and pumpkin seed oil, but adding other super foods such as goji berries can really add a lot to a smoothie. One of my favorites is the Love Yourself Smoothie, which includes flax seed oil and an avocado.

Treat yourself to a liquid dessert. One of my favorite smoothies is the Raw Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie, and though it doesn't call for greens I often add them anyway. This tasty drink really does taste like a Reese's! So experiment with things like raw cacao.

Keep experimenting! Sure, you will come up with some drinks that don't taste that great, but I have yet to create something I couldn't finish.

When you first start creating smoothies, start simple. One of the smoothies I used to make a lot was nothing more than a giant handful of spinach, one banana, a tablespoon of Amazing Grass Chocolate Green SuperFood and a cup of water.

Visit other web sites. Not only will you be given ideas for smoothie creations, but you will gain inspiration for your own creations. One of my favorite sites to find ideas is GoneRaw.com, an all raw food community.

Bivy foodRawGreen SmoothieSuperfood

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