Green Smoothies

Genesis 1:29         
And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.


Chad and I got a Ninja Blender for Christmas.  We had researched all the expensive blenders and for making green smoothies and such, this is the best one we found for the price.  If you try to make these in your regular blender, the greens will not blend well and you will have a "chunky" smoothie and it will all stick in the straw.. that is from experience..  click HERE for where we got our blender and the exact one.

We make this for breakfast in place of a meal every day now.  If we don't, we feel blah for the day.  It really has helped us feel more energetic and it gets our veggies in for the day.  I will drink these and do a workout out at the gym and have lots of energy!!

Health Benefits of Green Smoothies

1 – Natural Weight Loss
Drinking a green smoothie is the best thing you can do to lose weight.
Green smoothies provide the nutrition, vitamins, minerals, healthy carbohydrates, fiber and low fat whole food that you need to lose weight quickly, safely and effectively without starving yourself. After drinking green smoothies for a few weeks, I noticed that my cravings for junk foods were greatly reduced and I actually began craving healthy food options!

2 – Increased Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables (Particularly Greens)
The American Cancer Society recommends that we eat 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day to prevent cancer and other diseases. Green smoothies are a quick and convenient way to get your vegetables and dark, leafy greens without tasting them. The fruit masks the flavor so even though all you taste is pineapple, mango, banana or strawberry, you are consuming a healthy dose of spinach, kale, carrots, tomatoes and any other vegetable that you put in.

3 – Easy Digestibility and Nutrient Assimilation
Blending fruits and vegetables together breaks down the cells of plants and improves digestibility. Your blender unlocks the nutrients and maximizes their delivery to your body more than chewing any salad could. Smoothies are quicker and more convenient than preparing and thoroughly chewing a salad, especially when you are on the go.

4 – Antioxidants
Green smoothies are high in antioxidants and phytonutrients. Not only are you giving your body the best defenses for disease, but you are ingesting a variety of natural substances that are essential for optimum health and fitness.

5 – Increased Energy
Smoothies provide a powerful boost of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients without bogging down your digestive system. Since you are eating natural, whole foods in the most optimum form for your digestion and nutrient absorption, you will have more energy to get things done and enjoy your day.

6 – Mental Clarity and Focus
With a healthier diet comes greater mental clarity and focus.

7 – Increased Fiber Intake
Unlike fruit juice or using a juicer, green smoothies use the whole fruit and vegetable so that you get all the fiber and nutrition. Fiber is essential for good colon health and it keeps your bowels in working order.

8 – Clearer Skin
Clearer, radiant skin is an often-reported benefit to eating healthier. Smoothies are high in fiber and allow your body to eliminate toxins the right way instead of through your skin.

9 – Reduce Cravings
Green smoothies reduce cravings for junk foods, unhealthy sweets, salt and fats. You will find that after a few weeks of drinking smoothies, you will crave healthier foods such as fruits, vegetables and greens.

10 – Excellent Source Of Minerals For Healthy Bones
Green smoothies provide a rich source of minerals thanks to the dark, leafy greens. All of the bone-building nutrients are abundant including calcium, magnesium and phosphorus.

11 – Rich With Chlorophyll
Green smoothies are rich with chlorophyll which some natural health experts say enhances the immune system, purifies the blood and rejuvenates the body.


In addition to these health benefits, green smoothies are:

• Easy to make and clean up after.
• Taste amazing.
• Will keep for a couple days in the fridge.
• Are fun to make and experiment with different fruit and vegetable combinations.

Here are a few tips we have learned:

1.  Put the whole fruit and veggie in the blender.  I mean the whole thing.  With apples, the nutrients are found in the fruit and peeling as well as the stem, seeds, and core.  I cut mine it to fourths and throw it all in.  For a pineapple, buy the whole fruit and put the core in when you slice it. You can even blend up an avocado pit full of nutrients!
2.  Bananas and a slice of lime neutralize the greens and you will never taste them if you have one of those in there.
3. Blend, Blend, Blend... We blend ours for 3 minutes total and it they have a smooth consistency. 
4. Do not use the spines of kale..they are very bitter and hard to mask.
5. We like to use a mix of spinach, kale, beet tops, and  chard.  They sell them as a blend called super greens.  Start off with one handful and work your way up to more greens and less fruit.  I currently use one or two fruits and 2 very large handfuls of greens.
6. If using whey protein powder, blend everything for 3 minutes, then add protein powder and mix another 30 seconds or so.

We have a blend of antioxidant powders that we add to the smoothie and sometimes we add protein powder as well.  The antioxidants come from www.nuts.com.  It contains turmeric, cinnamon, macca, acai, cherry, noni, goji, wheatgrass, and blueberry.  We have a recipe for the ratios for those and we put a tablespoon of the mix in each smoothie.  For protein powder, Chad uses vegan powder and I use whey with stevia.

Here are a few of our favorite recipes.  Pinterest has a lot of ideas so try something new!  There are some recipes out there with more veggies and even broccoli that we will be experimenting  with and will post the good ones that we try!  Remember these are not juices, they are whole fruits and veggie smoothies!  We are currently working on our boys.  When I find the kid perfect recipe...I will post it!!  Jacob is currently drinking a protein one as we speak..now to sneak in the greens... ha ha ha!!


Morning Energizer:
1 cup water
1 apple (core,seeds, and stems)
1 banana
1 one inch slice of pineapple with core
2 dates
1 carrot
2 Tbs unsweetened organic coconut flakes
2 large handfuls of greens
1 TBS antioxidant powders (optional)
1 1/2 cups ice
1 slice of lime

Place all items in the blender in this order. Blend for 3 minutes.  Sometimes Chad adds a whole orange to this as well.

Peanut Butter Banana (chocolate optional)
1 banana
2 Tbls raw peanut butter (only peanuts in ingredient list..I make my own at Ingles) 
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 large handfuls of greens
1 cup of ice
1 scoop of protein powder (chocolate or vanilla) Chad uses Sun Warrior Blend and I use Simply Organic Whey
1 Tbs of antioxidant powder (optional)
1 cup ice

Place all items in the blend in this order and blend for 3 minutes. TIP: add everything in but the protein powder if using whey..it will be whip cream like if you don't...yup another experience. 

Strawberry Banana

1 cup coconut milk
1  banana
1 cup strawberries
2 handfuls of greens
1 scoop protein powder.
1 cup ice


Place all items in the blend in this order and blend for 3 minutes. TIP: add everything in but the protein powder if using whey.

Almond Butter Banana

1 banana
2 Tbls raw almond butter( almonds only in ingredient list..I make my own at Ingles) 
1 cup almond milk
2 large handfuls of greens
1 cup of ice
1 scoop of protein powder (chocolate or vanilla) Chad uses Sun Warrior Blend and I use Simply Organic Whey
1 Tbs of antioxidant powder (optional)
1 cup ice


Place all items in the blend in this order and blend for 3 minutes. TIP: add everything in but the protein powder if using whey