Simple Green Smoothie

Simple Green Smoothie

Green smoothies are nothing new, but a lot of us have avoided them for fear of the unknown.  Green leaves in a blender doesn’t sound very appealing.  And I definitely have been one of those skeptics, mostly preferring to eat, not drink, my dark green leafies.  But I’m turning a corner and have started to incorporate more green smoothies into my weekly routine.  I feel a little like . . . so 20 minutes ago, a late-adapter you might say.  One reason I’ve been so late to the table is that I have yet to buy a big expensive blender like a VitaMix or BlendTec which makes smoothie making super easy.  I own a Ninja blender which does a pretty good job, but I put up with a little graininess for the nutritional benefits of these power-packed jars of Nutrition Nirvana!  Give’m a try.

To help you get started I’ve included a step-by-step guide from one of the most popular green smoothie blogs around:  Simple Green Smoothies.  Jadah and Jen have been challenging folks all around the world to add green smoothies to the daily routine with amazing results.  I don’t necessarily suggest you turn your entire diet into a blended concoction, but their recipes are innovative, healthy and delicious.

A word about blenders and juicing.  I am NOT a proponent of juicing blenders where pulp and skins shoot out of the machine leaving just the juice of the fruit or vegetable.  What a massive waste of valuable nutrients and FIBER.  Fiber is such an essential part of our diet, so needed for proper digestion, removal of waste products like cholesterol, prevention of cancers like colon cancer, stabilization of blood sugar, appetite control to name a few functions.  Choose a blender where you can blend the entire fruit and vegetable, skins and all.  This might mean I will need to save up to purchase a more powerful blender, but for now I’ll keep using my Ninja blender and put up with some graininess.  At least I’m not losing valuable nutrients to the garbage or the compost pile.