Green smoothie love

On the last day of 10 day juice cleanse, I met a man who shared his secrets of the green smoothie with me. I fell hard in love. Below I’ll give a flexible recipe. As you practice with more and  more smoothies, you’ll come to understand the constitution of the green smoothie that fits you best.

Recipe for green smoothie love:

Yield: about 3-4 pint glasses, 1 full blender jar

Equipment: Quality blender

First, add 1-2 inches of water just above the blades in the blender jar.

Then pick 1-2 of the following leafy greens

• 1-2 cups salad greens
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 small head lettuce
• 4-6 leaves of kale

Then add in some other green veggies:

• ½ zucchini
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 cucumber

Also, add some creamy fruits: pick one or more of these types of creamy fruits to make your smoothie smooth

• 1-4 small bananas (frozen works well but fresh is ok too)
• 1/2 avocado
• eggfruit
• sapote (mamey sapote, chicos)

Additionally, you can add other fruits for extra taste and sweetness:

• 1 apple
• 1/2 cup ripe jackfruit
• 1/2 cup mango
• 1-2 lilikoi

Then think about other superfood add-ins: (to boost your smoothie with extra nutrition add a serving or two of the following:

• microalgae, chlorella, spirulina
• flaxseed
• hemp seed
• soaked chia seeds
• maca powder
• goji berries
• bee pollen
• shredded coconut

I recommend getting used to having smoothies that are less sweet but, if the smoothie isn’t sweet enough for you add a little of the following….

• honey
• maple syrup
• stevia

Steps:

To get the most out of your green smoothie it is best to use a blender with a high horsepower at maximum speed. It ionizes all the nutrients so that you body absorbs them instantly. We use a 3 horsepower Blendtec.

With water cover in the first 1-2 inches in the blender jar, add the greens first, then pile on other veggies and fruits. To make more room in the blender, “pulse” it until the greens are chopped. Add the rest of your selection of ingredients and a few ice cubes to cool it down a little. Blend on high for for two, 30 second intervals.

A little bit more about Green Smoothies:

For an in-depth lowdown on green smoothies I recommend the book Green for Life by Victoria Boutenko.

Green for Life: The Updated Classic on Green Smoothie Nutrition

Consuming regular green smoothies has many lifestyle and health benefits.

Lifestyle benefits:

• Time – quick meals means less time in the kitchen and more time for you.
• Efficiency – portable meals – take with you to work, in the car, to the beach : )
• Convenience – potable meals – no need to chew to easily assimilate these nutrients (not to mention you don’t really need to chop them fine either)

Health benefits

• Individual amino acids and protein: Helps to deliver essential and individual amino acids (proteins commonly found in plants) instead of complex proteins (commonly found in animal products), which are harder for the body to assimilate
• High source of fiber – we all know we need fiber in our diets to “eliminate toxins” and a green smoothie (16oz or 2 cups) you can consume at least ¼ of your daily recommendation.
• Alkalinity – By replacing some of your diet with green smoothies, you will help to alkalize your pH levels making it less likely that disease will take hold in your body (in acid conditions).