My Favorite Green Smoothie

Those of you who visit my blog regularly are already aware of my love of smoothies and my Ninja blender.  I've posted my Coffee Banana Smoothie recipe and Fig & Peach Green Smoothie but I've never posted a basic smoothie because I've never really used a consistent recipe.  From trial and error and Internet research I have come up with a basic ratio of greens to fruits that will not taste too green.  I like to get my extra veggies in a smoothie but I don't necessarily want it to taste like veggies! 

 

Another reason I find it hard to follow recipes is that I try to use up what I have in the fridge, freezer and fruit basket and these tend to change with whats in season (or how long it's been since I went shopping!) 

All that being said, this is a recipe that I follow more often than not, I tend to have all of these ingredients handy.  The lime and ginger give this smoothie a very refreshing flavor. 

• 1/2 - 1 apple, cored with skin on
• 1/2 - 1 pear, cored with skin on
• juice from 1/2 lime
• 1/2" piece of peeled ginger
• 2-3 cups of mixed greens, fresh or frozen.  I ALWAYS use kale or spinach and preferable a mixture of the two.  If you have Trader Joe's in your area I love their Organic Power Greens which is a mix of baby spinach, baby kale and baby chard.
• 1/4 cup green parsley **
• 1/4 cup dandelion greens **
• 1 Tablespoon ground flax seeds
• water as needed to blend, around 8 ounces
• If I am using a majority of frozen ingredients no ice is needed but I like my smoothies very cold so I need ice when using fresh veggies. 

Blend well, drink immediately.

**the dandelion and parsley definitely have a stronger flavor than the other greens, if it's your first time trying a green smoothie, go easy on these or eliminate all together...some might call them an acquirred taste but the nutritional and detox value is worth it once you get used to it!

 

 

As I said above my recipe is constantly changing.  Here are some of my other ideas:

• Use all pear or all apple instead of a mix.
• Eliminate pear/apple altogether and use pineapple instead.
• Eliminate ginger and use raspberries, blueberries or strawberries instead of apple/pear.
• Add celery, cucumber, broccoli or Brussels sprouts.

• I keep the the dandelion greens and parsley frozen because I only use a little at a time and I can't use them up fast enough to keep fresh.
• Keep in mind that the dandelion greens are very bitter, a more flavorful fruit helps with taste.
• Adding ground flax or chia seeds are for additional fiber and healthy fat, I find the smoothies keep me full longer with the flax or chia seeds added.

The possibilities are endless but I try to keep the basic ratio of about 3 cups of greens to one cup of fruit.  Often times I will taste and adjust as I go, the beauty of it is that I know that no matter what I come up with I am giving my body a jolt of veggies and fruit and tons of wonderful vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants.

 

 

 

 Do you have a favorite green smoothie recipe?