Green smoothies are all the rage these days, and for good reason. They are perhaps the easiest way to get your daily allowance of healthy green vegetables in a highly digestible form. You’ll find a wide variety of green smoothie recipes below featuring the various greens.
In celebration of St. Patty’s Day I whipped up a nice, big, creamy green smoothie. Don’t get a shamrock shake from McDonald’s or guzzle of a bunch of green beer, go the healthy route and drink a delicious green smoothie that will leave you feeling terrific afterwards.
If you can’t find enough four leaf clovers to green your smoothie, use whatever you have on hand, whether it be spinach, kale, lettuce, dandelion, beet greens, or a combination.
Looking for a new green to use in your smoothies? Give beet greens a try. Beet greens are quite nutritious, and their mild flavor is easily masked by a sweet fruit such as banana.
Beet greens are particularly rich in vitamins K and A. Vitamin K works in tandem with calcium to produce strong bones. If you suffer from osteoporosis or would like to reduce your chances of developing it, ample amounts of vitamin K should be a present in your diet.
Whenever I feel the need to turn my smoothie to the “green” side, I generally do so with spinach. I’m fortunate enough to have access to local, organic spinach from my CSA (community sponsored agriculture).
Spinach blends easier and isn’t as bitter as other greens like kale and dandelion, which makes it easier to create a delicious smoothie. Parents, keep this in mind when trying to get your kids to drink green smoothies.
Photo by adventuresinliving
You might be thinking to yourself, lettuce in a smoothie? That was my initial reaction. In reality, any green leafy vegetable can be blended into a smoothie.
As is the case with most greens, lettuce is a good option for anyone looking to lose weight because of its super low calorie count. 1 cup of lettuce contains about 8 calories. Lettuce has a high water content, but does offer varying health benefits depending on the type.
Photo by existentialmedia
Dandelion greens are right there with spinach and kale as my favorite smoothie green. They offer an array of health benefits and blend quite well.
What a lot of people consider a pesky lawn weed, dandelion has actually been used for centuries for medicinal purposes. Dandelion greens are rich in alkaloids (plant medicine), which give them their medicinal properties and bitterness.
Let’s delve into the various health benefits of dandelion greens before a nutritious green smoothie recipe you’re going to love.
If you’re a fan of spicy food, you’re going to dig this smoothie recipe. When I first heard someone advocate adding spices like cayenne and chili powder into a smoothie I thought it sounded rather strange, but I had to give it a try.
Fast forward to today, and I routinely add spices into my smoothies. Some of my favorites are cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, and nutmeg. Adding spices is a super easy way to enhance the taste and boost the nutrition of your smoothies.
