Recipe: Green Smoothie

With Spring in full bloom, it is time to switch out our hearty warm bowls of oatmeal for a refreshing smoothie. One of my favourite smoothies is a green smoothie full of nutrition and fiber. After a number of trials and errors, I can safely say that my current recipe is delicious without the strong earthy green taste.  If you are looking for a healthier breakfast option then keen on reading!

Green smoothies are notorious for being unpleasant on the palette, but I believe they can be both flavourful and nutritious with the right ingredients. Finding the balance between frozen and fresh ingredients is the key to a creamy and refreshing smoothie. 

The key ingredient in any smoothie recipe is frozen bananas. Frozen bananas create a creamy base for any smoothie combination. with a small dash of milk, you have the base for a smoothie or smoothie bowl. I usually purchase a bunch of ripe bananas from Food Lovers which I peel, slice (optional), and freeze on the day of purchase. I recommend investing in reusable freezer bags to reduce your plastic consumption. 

With your base in mind, the next step is ascertaining what your flavour combination will be. For a green smoothie, you would need to choose your favourite leafy green, this can be spinach or kale. I personally prefer baby spinach as the flavour is not as harsh. Your greens can be fresh or frozen depending on the lifespan of the greens purchased. A meal prep suggestion would be to wash, drain and freeze the leaves in portioned freezer bags or ice cube trays. If you use an ice tray you would need to add water to the tray to hold the leaves together. 

We now have the base and the flavour profile. The next step is to add your supporting ingredients to make it a balanced meal. Firstly I add protein source which is in the form of nut butter. Almond butter or peanut butter works well in the smoothie to add a nutty element. Thereafter, I add seeds for added vitamins. The seeds can be either ground or whole such as flax seeds, chia seeds, or hemp seeds. 

My optional ingredients are frozen/fresh mango chunks, for added sweetness and to enhance the creamy texture. If you do not have mango you can add dates or honey. I personally prefer my smoothies without additional sweetness as ripe bananas can provide sufficient sweetness. Another optional ingredient is The Real Thing - Green Power Powder. The reason for this ingredient is the inclusion of chlorella and spirulina which are superfood powders that help with improving your gut health. Ginger is another optional ingredient that adds great flavour and antioxidants to your smoothie. 

Once you have all your ingredients in your blender you can add your liquid such as milk, water, coconut water or freshly squeezed orange juice. If you want a more chilled smoothie you may add ice cubes to your blender. 

A pro tip for making a creamy smoothie that has a vibrant green colour is to blend your greens, nut butter, and seeds with a splash of water first. Once blended add your frozen banana. This will ensure you do not have pieces of green leaves whilst enjoying your smoothie. If you are adding mango and green powder, this will be added in the initial blending with the green leaves. 

With the above in mind, I made an infographic for quick reference whenever you want to make a green smoothie at home. 

If you enjoy making smoothies as well then please leave your recipe in the comments below for me to try. If you try any of these I would love to hear your feedback so please tag me (@rivpillay) in your posts and comment down below.

With love,

Riv