Guest post by Jen Hansard, co-founder of Simple Green Smoothies.
We have a super simple and healthy recipe we’ve been itchin’ to share with you!!! As a crazy-busy passionate mom, I’ve been known to fuel my body with processed junk. Like those days when we found ourselves at Starbucks twice in one day…or driving through Taco Bell for dinner…again.
I was starved for time, low on energy and just….overwhelmed.
Can you relate?
Well, I discovered something that quickly changed our lives— green smoothies. This blended drink of fresh fruits and dark leafy greens gave us energy, a fast healthy meal and transformed our bodies from the inside out.
No joke. And our free Simple 7 is how we made this healthy habit really stick for the past 2 1/2 years… and going strong. Now we have over 500,000 people from all around the world hooked on the green smoothie lifestyle too. I hope you’ll join us!
5 Green smoothie tips to get you started:
Before we share our most popular green smoothie recipe, we need to welcome you into the world of green smoothies with a few important tips…
1. Follow the 60/40 formula.
When you’re making your first few green smoothies, don’t just throw things in the blender. Chances are, it’ll taste nasty if you wing it right out of the gate. To save you a few smoothie-fails, bust out those cute lil’ measuring cups and follow this simple formula: 60% fruits to 40% leafy greens.
2. Blend in stages to avoid leafy chunks.
Chewing your green smoothie is no fun! To get a “smooth” green smoothie experience, blend up your leafy greens and liquid-base first. Then add your remaining fruits and blend again.
3. Ditch the ice and freeze some fruits.
Want your green smoothie to be extra chilly? Freeze your favorite fruits like ripe bananas (peel first), grapes, pineapple or berries. This is also a great way to not waste ripe fruits (like those brown bananas on your counter). You can also freeze your leafy greens in a freezer-safe bag. Just make sure to add your frozen greens straight to the blender (don’t defrost these fragile lil’ guys).
4. Use raw natural sweeteners.
Add naturally sweet fruits to any smoothie that tastes bitter or a bit too “green.” By sticking with naturally sweet fruits like bananas, mango, apples, pears or pitted dates, we avoid artificial sweeteners and processed sugars.
5. Make smoothies ahead for the perfect fast food.
We know life can get crazy busy— especially in the morning. That’s why we think green smoothies are the healthiest fast food for people who are constantly on the go.
You can blend your green smoothie the night before and store it in your fridge (up to 2 days). Use an airtight lid to limit oxidation and keep it as fresh as possible. When ready to drink, give it a good shake before you open.
If you follow these five green smoothie tips, we pinky promise your green smoothies will be love at first sip! Now, here’s a favorite recipe we make for friends and family who’ve never tried a green smoothie before…
Beginner’s Luck Green Smoothie
Ingredients
- 2 cups spinach
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup mango
- 1 cup pineapple
- 2 bananas, Use at least one frozen fruit to chill your smoothie. We often use frozen mangos and bananas our green smoothies.
Instructions
Recipe Notes
PSSST! Got an allergy to mango or pineapple, or not a big fan of bananas? You can substitute any fruit with another fruit with a one-to-one ratio.
Also don’t miss our Simple Green Smoothie book!
Nutrition Facts
If you made this recipe or have a favorite of your own, we’d love to hear about it in the comments below (we’ll read every one).
Are you a green smoothie fan, yet?
If you want more recipes and green smoothie tips, you should join Simple 7! For seven straight days, you’ll be blending a daily green smoothie + embracing a healthy habit that’ll transform your life. #kaleyeah
Whether you’re passionate about raising an awesome family, traveling the world, reading new books, creating the latest fashion trend, starting a new job or something totally different… we want to make sure you’re able to go after that as best as possible. You need LOTS of energy and nutrients to fuel you passions.
Join our FREE 7-day green smoothie challenge and get instant access to green smoothie recipes (that really taste good), a shopping list and a guidebook to help you along each day. You got this!
A note from Lisa: If you’re really into smoothies and would like a copy of the best smoothie recipes on 100 Days of Real Food, you can grab it from our Free Membership Area
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Easy Slow Cooker Steak Chili
Hi Gia,
When I use water only with my smoothie it always gets bubbly & frothy, separates and floats to the top (yuck). I’m putting the spinach/kale in first with 1cup water, then adding fruit, ground flax seeds, scoop protein powder, I then add the second cup of water after everything is well blended. But it seems to get a lot of air mixed in. I try not to mix it too long, but same results every time. Is this the way it is ? -Lisa
Thank you so much for posting this! Measuring everything out and blending the greens first has been a game changer. No more nasty green foam on top of my smoothies!
Glad to hear it helped! – Nicole
I used Almond milk for the liquid, added peeled apple, used frozen mango and pineapple, and also added a scoop of vanilla greek yogurt for protein and probiotics and this is absolutely delicious! Will make it regularly.
That sounds delicious! – Nicole
which green leaf did u add?
What’s the sugar content of this recipe? Type 2 diabetic asking :)
And … is there an alternative to lowering sugars? I’m guessing less pineapple and mango?
Thank you
Hi, This recipe has 34 grams of sugar. Adding less pineapple would lower the sugar content. – Nicole
Gavino
if you are type 2. Half Fruit (Pears or Apple) If you have thyroid issues avoid pears.
Add half cup green. (Spinach, Kale, Lettuce) Little bit of curry leaves and Basil leaves or mint leaves, Flax seeds (1 spoon), Black pepper powder (1/4) tea spoon, cinnamon powder (1/4) teas poon & Turmeric (1/4) teaspoon. Black salt to taste and some drop of lemon. Blend well and enjoy. Have it in the morning 1 hr before breakfast and in the evening before 5 pm. Hope all other parameters are good.
You can substitute the high sugar fruits (banana, mango, pineapple) with low sugar fruits (strawberries, blueberries, etc.). If it’s not sweet enough then you can always add some Erythritol which has no effect on blood sugar levels.
Can this be accomplished with frozen spinach?
Yes! Just make sure you toss them straight into the blender, no defrosting. – Nicole
Sorry if this is a stupid question, but does anyone know exactly how many servings of your 5 a day one smoothie would be? Thanks! :)
Gia, I would expect that you measure each ingredient and what you do with it after that, you are still getting that amount.It may not measure exactly the same, but what they measured in natural state is what you’re getting nutritionally.
Love! I used arugula & spinach, and substituted strawberries for pineapple (frozen). So yummy!
SO DELICIOUS! This is such a great recipe!
A super simple and healthy recipe!!!!
Can I use ice instead of Water???
Hi Gia, in order to get a smooth consistency, we recommend using a liquid of your choice. You can still add ice cubes with it. – Nicole