Green Smoothie

I contemplated calling this post, 'Not Gross Green Smoothie' because I know there are loads of you out there who would never imagine ingesting a smoothie of this color. I actually have only recently come around to green smoothies. After reading about them in many health books such as 'Kim's Beauty Detox' and Kris Carr's 'Crazy, Sexy Cancer', I tried one of my own, about 6 months ago. Actually, it was green juice, not a smoothie. My sister and I diligently started our mornings off with them for a few weeks and then stopped. I honestly never enjoyed the taste, though my sister did. We would juice romaine lettuce, cucumbers, celery, parsley and a green apple. It was intense, and though it did make me feel fresh and glowy, the taste was a turn-off for me. 

I didn't touch green juices or smoothies for a while after that experience. I figured, I eat a lot of greens anyway, why bother? Until I came across this recipe from Angela from Oh She Glows. This is my favorite cooking blog of late; Angela features really delicious vegan recipes and updates her blog every day, which is always a plus. She's also managed to make a lot of seemingly devious treats healthy, like her Vegan Brownies: Two Ways, which look incredible.


Her standard green smoothie includes almond milk, a tbsp of nut butter (I use peanut butter), chia seeds or flax seeds (I use chia), spinach (she uses fresh; I use frozen) and a frozen banana. And wouldn't you know it, it actually tastes so good. Like 'you don't even feel like you're doing something good for your body' good. Like you might actually enjoy this and look forward to it. 


So far I have also subbed in coconut milk for the almond milk and a handful of berries instead of the banana. But the frozen banana is key as it adds a creaminess and blends everything together wonderfully. 


Angela has so many other great smoothie recipes I can't wait to try, like this Pumpkin-Gingerbread Smoothie (I love anything with pumpkin). 


And for those of you who can't imagine being satisfied on just a smoothie, these are actually quite filling. You could also have this first thing, and then follow with your regular breakfast, or a lighter version, an hour later. 


One of my favorite things about starting my morning with this smoothie is that I know I have started the day right, by doing something good for my body. I also know that within an hour of waking, I have already had 2 servings of fruit/veg. 


Give it a try! You might surprise yourself. 


Note: Keep in mind a high-powered blender is key here. I have the gorgeous Vita-Mix 5200, which is amazing and manages to remove all lumps, which is vital since a mouth of frozen spinach might put you off smoothies for good.