Salad in a Glass: My Favorite Way to Enjoy Greens

I can hear you now. You’re looking at the green concoction below and thinking to yourself: What is that? Well, my friend*, that is a beautiful green smoothie. Green as in spinach. Yes, spinach…in a smoothie! Trust me, it’s not as gross as it sounds.


I credit Angela (founder of The Green Monster Movement) for getting me started on green smoothies (or green monsters as she likes to call them). I had heard of them before but I didn’t actually try them until I started following her blog; her enthusiasm is pretty contagious and I before I knew it I was popping spinach in the blender and hoping for the best! My first attempt was less than stellar and it took awhile for me to find a smoothie that I liked. (Note: It’s fun to experiment, but sometimes I still come up with a combination that I’m not crazy about.) Before I knew it I was drinking my kale, my collards, and just about any other leafy green I could find. Trust me, these babies can be addicting! My current favorite, however, is just a nice simple green smoothie made with spinach and banana. In fact, I just finished one.

The great thing about green smoothies is that you don’t have to have a lot of fancy equipment to try them, they are SUPER healthy, and really fast and easy to make. What could be better, right?

I have heard that the secret to fabulous green smoothies is the proper ratio of greens to fruit. I think it's something like 60% greens and 40% fruit. To me that seems a little overcomplicated, though. I just throw things in the blender and try it until I like it! But this is a good guideline and it serves as a reminder not to get over-zealous with the greens. Its also key to remember to mix up the greens: try as many different types of fresh organic greens as you have available to you. Mixing it up is key!
Victoria Boutenko has a great book called Green for Life that explains more about the importance of greens in your diet and how you can incorporate them into your lifestyle. I have not read the book yet (I am waiting for it to arrive from the inter-library loan system), but I have heard great things about it. She has another book, The Green Smoothie Revolution that I can't wait to get my hands on (it's also on its way). Both sound like awesome and enlightening reads!

Now, here is my recipe for one of my favorite green smoothies. This smoothie is so creamy and yummy, I just know you’re going love it!

Audrey's Creamy-Dreamy Green Smoothie

• a couple large handfuls of washed organic baby spinach (use less if you’re just starting out)
• 1 cup of almond milk (I use unsweetened or sweetened Almond Breeze in vanilla or original.)
• 1-2 tablespoons of chia seeds or ground flax seed
• 1 ripe banana (you can freeze it first but I prefer not to—especially in winter. Brrr!)
• 1/2 of an (uncooked) zucchini, chopped or sliced (this is entirely optional)

That’s it! Throw everything in your blender and blend until it is smooooth as can be. Pour into a fancy glass and sip away! Delicious!!!

Go to the Green Monster Movement’s website for plenty more recipes from Angela and readers.



Smoothies not your thing? Well they should be! Just kidding. If you want some great raw green soups (a.k.a., blended salads) to try check out Gena’s post here.

By the way, I hope you all had a nice feastday yesterday.

 

*I don’t think I’ll ever be able to say “my friend” again without thinking of John McCain.

P.S. Check out this giveaway for a chance to win some YouBars!