A good fruit smoothie recipe doesn’t have to be rocket science! And is doesn’t have to just taste “ok” to make it healthy! Check out these simple tips and tricks to make a simple yet delish smoothie for breakfast, lunch, quick energy boost, or just whenever!
SPINACH IS FOR SALADS……AND SMOOTHIES?
So, I used to be a firm believer that spinach was to be used in one thing: SALAD. I love me a good spinach salad! Really, I do!
But when I saw people start putting it in their smoothies, I was skeptical. Yes, very skeptical.
Especially when I had a conversation with a Facebook friend about this whole spinach salad/smoothie dilemma and she said, “well, it’s not that bad in a smoothie, really.”
NOT THAT BAD?
See folks, I don’t eat food so that it’s NOT THAT BAD. I eat food that’s good. And I don’t try to fool myself into believing that because something is NOT THAT BAD (we’re talking taste here, just to clarify again) that I should be eating it. I believe in being healthy and all, but why do we have to try to turn our food into things it should not be with the banner of “being more healthy?” (I’m looking at you quinoa pancakes. Sorry, but just no.)
Life’s too short to eat NOT THAT BAD food. Did I make my point yet? 😀
And then let’s go to the part where my mother used to always sneak weird stuff into my smoothies (yes, this is in my adult life when she came to visit), like wheat grass, whey protein, etc. (Btw, love you mom!) And every time I was always like, “Mom, what did you put in this?”
No foolin’ this gal.
But hey, back to spinach in smoothies. Can we make it work? I mean, healthy is good as long as I’m not drinking what tastes like it should be fed to a cow, ya know.
To be 100% honest, I’ve found that as long as the proportions are right and you have a blender that does the trick to blend it up really well, spinach does totally work in a fruit smoothie! Like you literally cannot tell it is there.
See. I’m getting in my greens. Being healthy. Owning it. BOOM.
Dude, my kids will even drink it. Which is saying a lot. Despite my best efforts, they are kinda picky little things. And I feel good giving it to them, sneaking in all that healthy stuff without the ‘NOT THAT BAD’ taste, and it’s super yum! See, we still learn to sneak stuff in, don’t we. Us moms…….
It’s like a tasty treat, except instead of overly processed and refined stuff, it sticks more to natural sweeteners and it actually contains vitamins and minerals! No there’s an idea, huh! No offense cute little on-the-go “juice” pouches, but we’ll stick with this on most days.
TIPS TO AN EASY AND YUMMY SMOOTHIE:
There really are no wrong answers with smoothies, but here are a few ideas to keep things yum.
- Putting in your liquids, then solids, then frozens really does make a difference, especially in the Blendtec that I use. It blends up so easily.
- Just a handful of spinach will do. Don’t have to go crazy!
- Using apple juice or orange juice really eliminates the need for using another sweetener. Banana is also a great natural base sweetener.
- Gotta love using some yogurt for those probiotics! Use plain, Greek, or even kefir! (I stay away from sweetened yogurts that include LOTS of sugar).
- I love using frozen fruit! It helps the smoothie be nice and cold and give it some substance. No frozen fruit? A few ice cubes can work, too. Of course, if it’s too thick, you can always thin down with a little more juice or milk.
Simple Spinach Fruit Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond milk or fruit juice we like apple or orange juice, but you could really try any!
- 1 tablespoon honey if using almond milk
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt if using juice
- 1 banana
- 1 large handful spinach
- 1 cup frozen strawberries blueberries, pineapple, or mango
Instructions
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Place ingredients into blender in order listed.
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Blend until smooth and serve!
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