Summer is the perfect time to use those abundant greens, and smoothies are a cool and refreshing treat on a hot summer's day.
If you are new to green smoothies, the flavor may not seem sweet enough at first. But this is a perfect opportunity to "re-set" your sweetness threshold so you can begin to enjoy the fruits of summer.
One way to change how we perceive sweetness is to eliminate artificial sweeteners from our diets. Aspartame, sucralose, saccharin and the like, provide such an unnaturally high level of sweetness that it can be difficult to feel satisfied with the sugar level in whole foods.
Below is a basic green smoothie recipe that can be tailored to include greens and fruits that are in season and at their flavor and nutritional peak.
If available, be sure to make use of edible wild plants such as chickweed, lambsquarter, and purslane. The adventurous can also use stinging nettle, plantain, and violets. Wild greens typically contain more vitamins and minerals than their cultivated counterparts. The book, Edible Wild Plants; Wild Foods From Dirt to Plate, by John Kallas has a chart that outlines the nutritional content of wild greens.
In the book; Green Smoothie Revolution: The Radical Leap Towards Natural Health, author Victoria Boutenko suggests including a wide variety of greens in your diet, rather than just eating one or two. This will help pair greens that are high in oxalic acid with those that have low levels. To learn more about oxalic acid you can click here.
Green Smoothie
2 C greens; mild greens like; chickweed, lambsquarter, purslane, spinach, vit, kale or collards
1 frozen banana
1 C frozen pineapple chunks
1 C frozen berries; strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or mulberries
1 stalk rhubarb - fresh or frozen (optional)
1 chunk fresh ginger root - about 1/2 TBS
1/4 fresh avocado
2 C kombucha
1/2 C fruit juice
6 ice cubes
Place in a high speed blender (I like my VitaMix) in the order listed and blend until smooth and creamy. Serve immediately. Makes a big blender full of goodness.
A few things we have learned during our summer smoothie experiment;
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| Blueberries make the green smoothie the color of berries. |
Our family has been making green smoothies for breakfast and starting each day with a big boost of nutrients.
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If you are new to green smoothies, the flavor may not seem sweet enough at first. But this is a perfect opportunity to "re-set" your sweetness threshold so you can begin to enjoy the fruits of summer.
One way to change how we perceive sweetness is to eliminate artificial sweeteners from our diets. Aspartame, sucralose, saccharin and the like, provide such an unnaturally high level of sweetness that it can be difficult to feel satisfied with the sugar level in whole foods.
Below is a basic green smoothie recipe that can be tailored to include greens and fruits that are in season and at their flavor and nutritional peak.
If available, be sure to make use of edible wild plants such as chickweed, lambsquarter, and purslane. The adventurous can also use stinging nettle, plantain, and violets. Wild greens typically contain more vitamins and minerals than their cultivated counterparts. The book, Edible Wild Plants; Wild Foods From Dirt to Plate, by John Kallas has a chart that outlines the nutritional content of wild greens.
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| Chickweed |
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| Lambs quarter |
In the book; Green Smoothie Revolution: The Radical Leap Towards Natural Health, author Victoria Boutenko suggests including a wide variety of greens in your diet, rather than just eating one or two. This will help pair greens that are high in oxalic acid with those that have low levels. To learn more about oxalic acid you can click here.
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| Purslane |
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| Plantain |
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| Stinging nettle |
Green Smoothie
2 C greens; mild greens like; chickweed, lambsquarter, purslane, spinach, vit, kale or collards
1 frozen banana
1 C frozen pineapple chunks
1 C frozen berries; strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or mulberries
1 stalk rhubarb - fresh or frozen (optional)
1 chunk fresh ginger root - about 1/2 TBS
1/4 fresh avocado
2 C kombucha
1/2 C fruit juice
6 ice cubes
Place in a high speed blender (I like my VitaMix) in the order listed and blend until smooth and creamy. Serve immediately. Makes a big blender full of goodness.
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| Lots and lots of good whole food. |
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| Ready to blend. |
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| Smooth, creamy, and frosty. |
- The banana creates a base for all the flavors and adds a creamy texture. Omitting the banana, in our opinion, detracts from the overall taste and texture.
- If you are new to green smoothies, you can start out with less greens until you acquire a taste for a less sweet drink.
- The pineapple chunks provide the majority of the sweet taste. If you like your smoothie sweeter add more pineapple or a few medjool dates.
- Ginger root not only adds a nice twang to the smoothie, but also reduces inflammation and promotes digestive health.
- Avocado is a healthy fat and a creates a creamy texture.
- Kombucha adds probiotics that aid digestion and boost immune function.
What's your favorite green smoothie?
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