I am a green smoothie lover.

Sometimes my busy life and hectic schedule can make it tough for me to sit down for a healthy prepared meal at lunchtime. But generally around noon I’m getting pretty hungry with my amped up metabolism from my workout. Quite often I turn to smoothies to get part of my daily dose of fruits and veggies.

what about these little cuties? My kids are smoothie lovers too but to get them to drink a green drink it’s taken some experimenting to get the taste just right. And honestly a slightly sweet, light refreshing smoothie is much more enjoyable than choking down a bitter chunky one ????

Favourite Add Ins

Some of my favourite ingredients to add to my smoothies are spinach, kale, cucumbers, lemon, ginger, coconut milk, coconut water, coconut oil, almond butter, chia seeds, flax seeds, and of course fruit.

I almost always add a ripe banana cuz there’s usually plenty on my counter and I choose frozen fruit for ease and then I don’t need to add ice. Of note is that frozen fruit has lost a bit of the natural sweetness tho so be aware of that when you’re adding it in that you may need to balance it with some agave nectar, local honey, or dates!

So Many Benefits

I love the way a good green smoothie makes me feel and in case you’re not aware of the many health benefits here’s a list of my top 5 reasons to include a green smoothie into your day!!

1. Increased Energy! It will revitalize you and invigorate you. Getting a big whopping dose of healthy vegetables and fruit can crank your afternoon low right up.
2. Improved Digestion! Think of all that fiber you’re getting and by blending up the ingredients the nutrients are more readily available for your body to use!
3. Boost Your Immune System! We all know greens are important for our bodies and those phytonutrients will definitely boost your bodies defences against common offenders!
4. Antioxidants! Basically creating an environment in your body where disease doesn’t thrive! Plus boosting your cardiovascular system function by helping lower bad cholesterol. They also hydrate you and give your skin a beautiful glow.
5. Reduce Cravings! Believe it or not but when you consistently make healthier choices instead of processed or refined foods your body naturally starts to crave them! As well when you make healthy choices you begin to program your mind to make other healthy choices!

So don’t be afraid to try out a smoothie loaded with green leafy goodness. Your body will thank you for all those beautiful vitamins and minerals with added energy and stamina to get you too through the rest of your busy day!

 

My favourite green smoothie

2 handfuls Kale (stem and spine removed)
2 handfuls spinach
1/2 cucumber
1 lemon squeezed
1 frozen ripe banana
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1-2 cups coconut water (you could also substitute pure apple juice)
1 tsp agave nectar (or more for your preference) not needed if using apple juice
Handful of frozen mango

Blend till smooth. I use my Vitamix cuz you’re gonna need some power to make it smooth and delicious.

Enjoy!