One of my favorite things to eat daily are my Green Smoothies. They were key in my recovery of my eating disorder because I hated the taste of Ensure. It was nasty. So I began making these. I was totally apprehensive about adding spinach and kale to my smoothies so I researched the best recipe to hide the taste. I found one that included bananas and berries. After making these smoothies for about 3 years now, I’ve added so much more to them and I decided that I wanted to share one of my favorites with you; the Organic Berry Green Smoothie.
All the ingredients that I use are organic, I’m very particular about using organic whole food. In addition to being organic, a lot of my fruit are also Fair Trade. These are a little harder to find if you don’t shop at Whole Foods. Fair Trade will also be more expensive. I understand that it does get expensive but it’s something that means a lot to me. You can absolutely use conventional fruits and veggies for your smoothies. 🙂
Ingredients:
-Spinach or kale or both!
-1-2 Frozen Bananas
-Raspberries
-Strawberries
-Blackberries
-Almond, Soy, or Coconut Milk
Extras:
-Chia Seeds
-Coconut Flakes
-Almonds
-Protein Powder
Go grab all your ingredients, I used to be so worried about using the correct measurements but it turns out it doesn’t really matter. The only thing that really does is the milk and bananas. If you’re looking for a thicker smoothie (that you could make a smoothie bowl with) add 2 or 3 bananas and less milk. If you want a smoothie thats not as thick and you can drink with a straw then try 1 banana and 1-2 cups milk.
Remember to wash all your greens and fruit!
Add all your greens in first, this is important because you really need the fruit to weigh it all down or it will go above the blades and never get blended. Be careful if you’re using the Ninja, I often cut myself or scrape my hands as I’m pushing the kale and spinach under the blades.
After I add my greens, I break my frozen bananas in half and toss them on top. Press down your greens again and make sure that your bananas are also below the blades.
I don’t buy bananas to just freeze them, Usually I buy my bananas to eat during the week and mid week I notice that I have too many and I’ll freeze one or two of them. The best way to freeze them is to remove the peel and toss them into a freezer bag. Nice and easy!
It’s time to add the rest of my fruit. For this smoothie, I’ll do a handful of each berry type. You’ll notice that my berries are frozen, you don’t have to use frozen berries for your smoothie. I just happened to have a lot of left over fresh fruit that was going to go bad if I didn’t toss them in the freezer. If they are frozen then you don’t need to use ice cubes. (I don’t typically use ice cubes anymore because it waters down the smoothie).
Now that all my main ingredients are added, I’ll pour in my milk. I used to measure about a cup and a half but now I just fill my Ninja with milk until it hits the 2cup line. Because my blender is filled though the actual measurement probably adds up to about a cup. When you add the milk, throw your extras in. I’ll typically add a tbs or two of chia seeds, a handful of almonds, two scoops of protein powder and maybe some flax.
When everything is added, just blend until it’s a smooth consistency. Sometimes I’ll have to open it up once and press down a few berries or a leaf if it gets stuck above the blades. After you’re finished find your favorite cup or bottle and pour it in! I like to use mason jars if I know I’m going to refreeze them or I love using my Starbucks cold cup and straw because it fits right in and no spills!
Get creative with your smoothies and start adding mangoes and other fruit! If you’re looking to use smoothies as a way to help you lose weight I would highly encourage you to stay away from adding any yogurt to your smoothie. A lot of yogurt has added sugar and it’s just unnecessary because you get a great consistency without that added. Let me know what your favorite smoothie add ins are!
