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!
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 starting January 22, 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 download them right here –
Easy Slow Cooker Steak Chili
I love making the green drinks I feel so much better and have enough energy to get threw the day…
Can this be a breakfast smoothie?
yes it can be a breakfast smoothie cuz it will fill you up
Been making my green smoothie with your recipe and experimented as well. So far, love it and feel more energetic
Hello. I have always been a fan of healthy drinks,smoothies etc. I have a wide pallet and can eat almost anything. For the last few weeks I have been drinking smoothies made at home. Mine consist of; frozen blueberries, frozen sometimes mixed fruit containing blueberries,strawberries,and mango. I add spinach,kale, spirulina powder and beet root powder. I use spirulina and the boot root once a day in the mornings and a banana also. I just read concerns about eating raw kale. Is it OK to use raw kale in my smoothies? And do you believe the smoothies I am making are healthy? I know they are but just wanted another opinion. I dont need sweetness, the fruit is plenty and I use only water,half a blender full, to mix it everything in.
Hi there. You might want to pose this question here: https://www.simplegreensmoothies.com/. You can always switch out kale for spinach.
I’ve been making morning smoothies for me and my husband for about 3 months. Heavy on the fruit, with some veg. We went to get our annual checkups and both of our blood glucose levels spiked to pre-diabetes! His was 106, mine was 104! They had both been in the 80s a year ago. We are thin, get exercise, eat very healthy foods (nothing processed), all organic, etc. It appears as though these smoothies are the cause in our fasting blood sugar levels. Is anyone aware of this phenomenon?
Yes, that is a big difference in blood sugar but no, I’ve not heard of that being an issue for other. For myself personally, my smoothies are heavy on protein (yogurt or nut butter), greens, and just enough fruit to add some sweetness. :)
Thank U Thank U ThankU. 4 UR time to make this available, they R very delicious, was needing new ways to enjoy my vegetables since that’s mostly all I eat, very hard 2 digest meat, they R a life changer 4 my soul. Many blessings to you
I want to give my personal experience in the ER as a warning to others about oxalates. I would have green smoothies that include spinach and chard about 5 days a week. I didn’t realize that these two ingredients can boost oxalates so high that kidney stones will result Ultimately, kidney failure can occur. Please avoid spinach and chard in smoothies (kale is okay). Look up hyperoxalueria for more info.
Hey, I’m about to move into a flat and really want to try these recipes for breakfast smoothies, however it would be very early in the morning and I have a very loud blender! Would I be able to make this in the evening and store it in the fridge for the morning?
You can, depending on what is in it. Greens can make it bitter if it sits for a long time.
Hi Amy,
What is chard? I did not see the answer to Andrew’s question. Did the smoothies cause his issue which sent him to the ER?
Hi. Swiss chard is another green. I can’t answer that about Andrew because I’ve no idea.
Yes the sugars (natural ) will speed you up and give you energy. I make smoothies for weight loss, add Garcinia, and the weight goes off. The fruits fight disease on their own. The blood system is near perfect. I can exercise a little even desk bound, havent needed to join a gym yet but thinking of it.
Is the spinach cooked before blending or raw?
It’s raw.