Green Smoothies

There has been a lot of hype about Green Smoothies lately.

About two years ago, I was watching Wife Swap on TV. They used to have Friday marathons and as a hungover college student in Starkville, MS I found it highly entertaining. One episode in particular featured a mom that forced her children to drink green smoothies every day for breakfast. Of course, since it was reality TV, they made her look like a heath freak. (You can't be healthy and be chosen for this program, you have to be completely looney.)

Just looking at the green smoothie made me lose my appetite.

But, in Austin, green smoothies are everywhere. After being around them for a while, I decided to open my mind and give them a try. Let's talk about the options.

Here is Sarah's version of a beginner green smoothie:

If you want to ease into the green smoothie movement (I'm trying, I really am). Start with this easy smoothie, and move your way up to Katie's recipe, which is much more nutrient dense and energizing.

1/4 cup Nonfat plain greek yogurt

1/2 cup Blueberries

1 ripe, frozen Banana (you can also use a fresh banana and add ice)

A handful of Kale, Swiss Chard, or Spinach

1-2 tbsp Honey

Throw all of the above ingredients into the blender, adding honey to sweeten.

My "green" smoothie is not green per se, but it has a few nutrient rich ingredients that can really start your day off on the right foot (without diving in head first to the green movement).

Cheers!

Sarah

Okay, now that you've tried Sarah's basic and not-so-green-green-smoothie, you can advance to my version:

Blend:

2 stalks of kale

handful of spinach

3 oz carrot juice

1 frozen banana

4 frozen strawberries (for sweetness).

This sounds like a lot of veggies for a smoothie, but trust me this thing will change your life. The green pigment is SO bright that it completely takes over the color of the other ingredients.

When I first approached smoothies, I had no idea what I was doing. Through the grapevine, I heard that I should freeze bananas, but no one provided real instruction on how to do this. So I just threw a bunch of bananas in the freezer and called it a day. I soon learned that you actually have to peel the bananas first before you freeze them. Remember this as you are preparing your smoothies. I peel the bananas and break them in half, place in a freezer Ziploc and toss in the freezer. Easy!

This green smoothie is just as sweet and appetizing as your usual berry smoothie. You are essentially dosing yourself with hidden nutrition. (It's genius if you think about it.) You will be shocked at how delicious it is, and how good you feel afterwards. It's a great way to start the day.

Give green a chance,

Katie