By Kelsey Casselbury
So over salad? Yes, we hear you. Getting in those greens isn’t always the easiest of tasks—unless you’re doing so in smoothie form. These beverages might be called green smoothies, but with the right ingredients, you can blend them into all the colors of the rainbow. Just take heed to follow a simple formula, or you might be cringing on first sip.
1 cup cooked beets
1 cup raw spinach
2 cups almond milk
1 cup banana slices
2 cups strawberries
Nutritional bonus: Beets boast vitamin C, fiber, potassium, folate, and manganese. Plus, that red color comes from powerful antioxidants.
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
2 each frozen bananas
2 tbsps. ground flaxseed
2 tbsps. honey
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 cups vanilla soy milk
Nutritional bonus: Pumpkin is chock-full of vitamin A, which does only good things for your hair, eyes, teeth, and bones.
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced mango
1 peeled orange
2 cups coconut water
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
Nutritional bonus: Turmeric is a superfood and a rich source of curcumin, an antioxidant. It’s anti-inflammatory and helps your skin’s health.
2 cups raw spinach
2 cups water or coconut water
1 cup diced mango
1 cup chopped pineapple
1 cup frozen banana
Nutritional bonus: You really can’t beat spinach for its mild taste and powerful nutritional punch. Fiber, phosphorus, zinc, choline, iron, folate, and vitamin K, A, B1, B2, B6—it essentially has it all.
2 cups cauliflower puree
2 cups coconut milk
1 cup frozen banana
2 cups pineapple
1 tsp. blue spirulina powder
1 tbsp. chia seeds
Nutritional bonus: Blue spirulina powder isn’t the most common of ingredients, but it can be found at health stores or online. This stunningly-hued powder provides protein, phytonutrients, and iron.
2 cups red cabbage
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
2 cups blueberries
1 cup strawberries
Nutritional bonus: You’re getting those all-important antioxidants from the blueberries and strawberries, but that red cabbage is going to give you phytonutrients, fiber, and vitamins C, K, and B6.
• If you want a creamier smoothie, add a frozen banana.
br• Too thick? Blend in a little water to thin the beverage without changing the flavor.
br• When adding ingredients to the blender, layer from smallest to largest pieces, with liquid at the bottom.
br• Want a little extra burst of flavor? Add fresh mint to the blender.
So over salad? Yes, we hear you. Getting in those greens isn’t always the easiest of tasks—unless you’re doing so in smoothie form. These beverages might be called green smoothies, but with the right ingredients, you can blend them into all the colors of the rainbow. Just take heed to follow a simple formula, or you might be cringing on first sip.
The 60/40 Formula
It’s tempting to rummage through your fridge and throw all those leafy leftovers into the blender. Heed this advice: Don’t. That won’t work. Instead, blend up 60 percent fruit to 40 percent vegetables (you might have some liquid or other ingredients in there, too). This ensures that the sweetness of the fruit will mask the bitterness of the greens.Greens and More
Spinach and kale are kind of the catch-all when it comes to smoothies. Don’t rule out other vegetables—from ruby beets to snow-white cauliflower, nearly all vegetables are fair game when it comes to the blender. Try out some of these colorful combos:Ruby Red Smoothie
Serves 21 cup cooked beets
1 cup raw spinach
2 cups almond milk
1 cup banana slices
2 cups strawberries
Nutritional bonus: Beets boast vitamin C, fiber, potassium, folate, and manganese. Plus, that red color comes from powerful antioxidants.
Orange Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
Serves 22/3 cup pumpkin puree
2 each frozen bananas
2 tbsps. ground flaxseed
2 tbsps. honey
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 cups vanilla soy milk
Nutritional bonus: Pumpkin is chock-full of vitamin A, which does only good things for your hair, eyes, teeth, and bones.
Yellow Sunrise Smoothie
Serves 21 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced mango
1 peeled orange
2 cups coconut water
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
Nutritional bonus: Turmeric is a superfood and a rich source of curcumin, an antioxidant. It’s anti-inflammatory and helps your skin’s health.
Green Monster Smoothie
Serves 22 cups raw spinach
2 cups water or coconut water
1 cup diced mango
1 cup chopped pineapple
1 cup frozen banana
Nutritional bonus: You really can’t beat spinach for its mild taste and powerful nutritional punch. Fiber, phosphorus, zinc, choline, iron, folate, and vitamin K, A, B1, B2, B6—it essentially has it all.
Blue Delight Smoothie
Serves 22 cups cauliflower puree
2 cups coconut milk
1 cup frozen banana
2 cups pineapple
1 tsp. blue spirulina powder
1 tbsp. chia seeds
Nutritional bonus: Blue spirulina powder isn’t the most common of ingredients, but it can be found at health stores or online. This stunningly-hued powder provides protein, phytonutrients, and iron.
Purple Power Smoothie
Serves 22 cups red cabbage
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
2 cups blueberries
1 cup strawberries
Nutritional bonus: You’re getting those all-important antioxidants from the blueberries and strawberries, but that red cabbage is going to give you phytonutrients, fiber, and vitamins C, K, and B6.
Top Tips
• If you want a creamier smoothie, add a frozen banana.
br• Too thick? Blend in a little water to thin the beverage without changing the flavor.
br• When adding ingredients to the blender, layer from smallest to largest pieces, with liquid at the bottom.
br• Want a little extra burst of flavor? Add fresh mint to the blender.
