Green Smoothie Ideas

by Valerie on January 14, 2012 · 13 comments

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It has been a while since I posted about green smoothies, but lately I have not had the time or mojo to make juice, so have been fulfilling my 16oz of a green drink a day promise with green smoothies.  So I have definitely had smoothies on the brain. Gena’s recent post with this beautiful salad also reminded me of when green smoothies were on every blog, as a result of Angela starting the Green Monster Movement.  Last weekend, when I wrote my Breakfast Bias post, I decided I needed to do a follow-up with all my favorite green smoothie options.

When people are not shuddering at my green smoothies, they often ask me how I could possibly like them.  The thing is, I never really found the taste that prominent, and now that I am going on three years of drinking them, I especially do not taste the greens.  That said, I have a few favorites from my archives and blogger friends:

  • Super quick green smoothie – this is the standard banana spinach combination you see on many blogs. The only difference is that I like adding some chia seeds to thicken the smoothie.
  • Red, White & Blue Smoothie – no one said green smoothies had ot be green, just that they should contain greens.  I love using raw cacao in smoothies, and this is a great smoothie if you are afraid of spinach. It also tastes like dessert.
  • Pink-Topped Carob Smoothie – another long-standing favorite. The carob also masks the greens.
  • Kale Cranberry Smoothie – this is a great refreshing smoothie Wendy created. One of my favorites when I want something hydrating, like green juice, but only want to make a smoothie because of time constraints.
  • Mellow Green Smoothie – this recipe from Gena contains romaine, tahini and bananas and, if you use vanilla protein powder as she recommends, kind of tastes like a smooth vanilla shake, except it has romaine, which you really cannot taste.
  • Green Smoothie with Banana, Hemp, and Kale – another Gena recipe that is fantastic and mellow. 
  • German Chocolate Zucchini Smoothie – the spinach in this smoothie is supplemented with frozen zucchini juice pulp, which makes it marvelously smooth

The above favorites have been in heavy rotation lately, but I also like playing with new combinations, like this Tropical Tango Smoothie or this Festive Cranberry Chocolate Smoothie.  I also really love Heather’s Green Mango Coconut Smoothie, but have run out of my spirulina sample, so I need to get some to add to it.  It is good without too, and a nice way to get Swiss Chard in.  You can see more smoothie ideas (most are green smoothies of some kind) in my smoothies & beverages recipe tab (see above for the drop down menu for gluten-free allergy-friendly recipes).  Do you have any favorite green smoothie combinations?

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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Heather @Gluten-Free Cat January 14, 2012 at 4:04 pm

Thanks so much for mentioning my Green Mango Coconut Smoothie and for brightening up my brrrrr cold morning with fun twitter talk and a delicious CLE inspired smoothie! Have a great weekend!

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2 Valerie January 14, 2012 at 10:40 pm

You are so welcome! I am glad we got to chat a bit on twitter.

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3 bitt January 14, 2012 at 6:38 pm

Great ideas! I am working on getting my smoothies more green. I found it really funny that a lot of people called smoothies Green Monsters. I had first heard of Green Smoothies in the book Green for Life by Victoria Boutenko. But my first green smoothie was at a vegan smoothie/juice bat back in 2000, it was called Swamp Thing. And I know Anne Wigmore was doing blended soups and smoothies way before that. Everyone has their own spin on it.

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4 Valerie January 14, 2012 at 10:40 pm

Could not agree more! I started having green smoothies and green juice when I lived in New York, but only started making them when I moved to DC.

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5 Tara @ such.different.skies January 14, 2012 at 9:52 pm

Awesome post Val, thank you. I’ve just starting getting re-inspired with daily green smoothies too. Mine are choc full of mustard greens, romaine, spinach, pear, coconut shreds, cacao, sunflower seeds and almond milk.
And they always taste so much better out of a jar and straw, rather than a normal glass!
:)
Have an awesome weekend
Tara

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6 Valerie January 14, 2012 at 10:39 pm

I am impressed you do mustard greens in a green smoothie – I have never tried that.

So true about the jar, though I also like smoothies is a bowl :)

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7 Shirley @ gfe January 14, 2012 at 10:25 pm

I used to think that green smoothies were the weirdest possible thing … UNTIL I had one, and then I was hooked instantly. The person who says they are weird has never had one or one with the right ingredients. 😉 What a great roundup, and I love the photo Valerie! It’s perfect for your urban viewpoint, plus I love the jar filled to the very brim. :-)

Shirley

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8 Valerie January 14, 2012 at 10:39 pm

Thanks Shirley – I am grateful for that one bit of good light – that spot is about the only truly good photography spot, and I have grown fond of the backdrop matching my urban viewpoint. And so glad you enjoyed the roundup too :) I agree, it’s all about the right ingredients!

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9 Gena January 19, 2012 at 10:36 pm

What a great roundup!!! I’ve been on a smoothie kick this week, partially as a means of decreasing my breakfast prep time, and I will use this post as further inspiration.

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