Getting Started with Green Smoothies

The first time I really became aware of these things called 'green smoothies' was when I discovered Kris Carr, who is pretty much the Wonder Woman of green smoothies!

You can check out her blog, KrisCarr.com, right here, I highly recommend it!

Seeing the ingredients going into these smoothies really freaked me out! The kale, the spinach, the cucumbers, the broccoli, the goodness knows what else! All raw, all liquidized, all icky!

(Did I mention I've grown up with an aversion to lots of green veggies? Especially when they're raw!)

So when I saw Kris talking about these, and so many other well-known people in the clean eating 'gang', for whom I have immense respect, I thought they were nuts!

Completely nuts.

But then again, there did seem to be an awful lot of benefits to drinking green smoothies...

Lots of fibre, easy to digest, a huge hit of chlorophyll, really filling, loaded with vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, loads of magnesium, zinc, potassium, great for weight loss, a natural source of energy, a sneaky way to increase your veggie intake, helps with blood purification, decreases inflammation, anti-aging properties... Need I go on??

And then again, they do seem to enjoy them..

Maybe they're actually ok?

Maybe I should just try one?

Yeah.

Ok.

JUST DO IT!!

So this was the thought process which brought me to trying my first ever green smoothie.

I would really recommend this smoothie to anyone who wants to have a go with green smoothies, or who may be looking for an easy way to increase the health benefits of their breakfast.

This is what I call my 'Hulk' smoothie!

You can make it as big, or as small as you like! As loaded, or as simple as you want :D And believe me, this will get you off to such a great start in the morning that you'll be shouting "HULK SMASH!" at everything that gets in your way ;)

For the basic recipe you'll need:

• One medium banana, sliced and frozen
• 1.5 cups of baby spinach (trust me!)
• One to two cups of unsweetened almond milk (depending on how thin/thick you like your smoothies)

That's it! Easy, huh?

Stick the whole lot in a blender, and blend until smooth :)

The basic recipe is tasty, filling, and there's no way you can taste the spinach, I promise! (Believe me, there is NO way I would drink this if I could taste the greens!)

There are no end to the changes you can make to this recipe.

For the version I made in this photo, I added a large tablespoon of peanut butter and two teaspoons of ground flaxseed for added protein, fibre, and healthy fats.

Other great additions include frozen berries (especially blueberries!), almond butter, coconut oil, coconut water, chia seeds, ground LSA, low-fat Greek yoghurt, coconut milk, sliced almonds, raw oats, stevia, cinnamon, walnuts, pure maple syrup, protein powder, spirulina powder, the list goes on and on!

This is such a simple recipe, and once you've enjoyed your first green smoothie you can start getting creative with what you put in, and really tailor it to suit your individual tastes!

I hope this recipe helps to get some of you guys along the road to enjoying green smoothies and great health!

I'd really love to hear how you get on with this recipe, if you love it or (eek!) I've got it totally wrong :p

I'd also love for you to share any green smoothie recipes that you love!