I know green smoothies / green monsters are scary to most people. My little brothers “ew” every time I make one. But there are so many reasons to drink them like adding more greens to your diet, their high vitamin, mineral and fiber content, and their ability to curb food cravings while giving you a natural energy boost. So despite their frightening swamp thing appearance, you want to drink them! And here are some easy ways to make green smoothies very tasty:
The no brainers:
Fruit – Add an apple to sweeten it up and a banana to add more sweet taste and a creamy texture. Then there are scores of other fruits you can add too. I personally love adding cherries, blueberries, oranges or strawberries. A good green smoothie ratio is about 60% vegetables to 40% fruit so don’t over do it! It’s called a green smoothie, not a fruit smoothie
Lemon juice - This is the most effective way I have found to cut down any bitter flavor the vegetables may have. Add about a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice to your smoothie and viola! things start tasting much better.
The tricks I learned from the blog-o-sphere pros:
Almond milk – Try using almond milk as a base instead of water. What I actually do is use about half almond milk and half water for my base or around there. It makes the whole smoothie much more palatable.
Nut butters – 1 to 2 tbsp of a natural nut butter is adds a little bit of great flavor and smooth texture. Plus it adds some more protein to your smoothie.
Cinnamon – I notice that it doesn’t really add cinnamon flavor, it just seems to cover some of that bitter green veggie flavor.
My own sweetener preference:
Stevia – Some people like to add agave or honey, but I forgo added sugars–even natural ones. I think stevia is a great natural sweetener so I add about a teaspoon if I think my smoothie will need it.
I start everyday with a green smoothie. It keeps me balanced. This morning’s concoction? 1/2 cup of water, 1 cup of almond milk, handful of spinach leaves, handful of romaine, 3 pieces celery, 1/2 cup green pea pods, 1 tbsp carrot juice powder, 1 apple, 1 banana, 1/2 orange , 2 tbsp peanut butter, 2 tbsp flax oil, 1 tsp of tumeric and 1 tsp stevia. It was a big smoothie! I gave a cup to my mom, put one in the fridge for later and drank one myself.
I know green smoothies / green monsters are scary to most people. My little brothers “ew” every time I make one. But there are so many reasons to drink them like adding more greens to your diet, their high vitamin, mineral and fiber content, and their ability to curb food cravings while giving you a natural energy boost. So despite their frightening swamp thing appearance, you want to drink them! And here are some easy ways to make green smoothies very tasty:
The no brainers:
The tricks I learned from the blog-o-sphere pros:
My own sweetener preference:
I start everyday with a green smoothie. It keeps me balanced. This morning’s concoction? 1/2 cup of water, 1 cup of almond milk, handful of spinach leaves, handful of romaine, 3 pieces celery, 1/2 cup green pea pods, 1 tbsp carrot juice powder, 1 apple, 1 banana, 1/2 orange , 2 tbsp peanut butter, 2 tbsp flax oil, 1 tsp of tumeric and 1 tsp stevia. It was a big smoothie! I gave a cup to my mom, put one in the fridge for later and drank one myself.