Mar 28 2011

Green Smoothie

Posted by Zuzana - BodyRock.Tv | In BodyRockers, Featured Articles, Your Recipes & Diet Tips

Hi Zuzana & Freddie!

I recently saw a fellow bodyrocker say that she was putting a handful of spinach in with her smoothies – that’s great! But I want others to know you can accomplish so much more! I drink 32 ounces of green smoothie every morning and I can’t tell you what it does for me. I’m stronger, my body is running cleaner, white teeth, clear skin, even better vision! I know you could certainly sit down and eat all the foods I use, but I know I’m not the only one who doesn’t have the time! Plus I know I’ve had my minimum fruits and veggies for the whole day, and anything else I eat is just a bonus. This is a starter recipe:

4-5 Kale leaves

4 cups baby spinach

2 cups water

1 tbs flaxseed oil (helps your body absorb the nutrients in the greens, plus all sorts of other hair, skin, and nails benefits)

1 cup berries

1 banana

1 kiwi

You can really use any kinds of fruit, I sometimes use raw beets and carrots, too. Sometimes you have to ease into it by using more fruit, but after a while, I think psychologically my body gets excited for the good stuff, and the taste of greens is just fresh and delicious.

Happy blending!

Grace



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  • Dheana

    I’ve been adding handfuls of spinach to our shakes since reading that post too and I totally love it! It feels like taking my shakes to a whole new level. Thanks for your recipe using other dark leafy greens. I can’t wait to try it! I’ve just recently rediscovered frozen wheatgrass cubes that I’ve added to my morning shake. I also add my seaweed powder, some lecithin and a scoop of whey. I call it my Spark Plug Juice!

    It’s only been a couple of weeks, but I already understand what you said about how the body starts craving it. It feels like such goodness going down. Like drinking sunshine – you can’t beat it! Thanks for the suggestion!

  • Annie_B

    Thanks for sharing :) This will be my new morning rigimen.

  • http://kenjibankhead.posterous.com/ ashtromanius

    yum… to a pregnant girl where nothing sounds good… I want that right NOW! During the summer I always juice… and man that is amazing the fresh taste and the energy high you get! Thanks for posting!

  • http://www.facebook.com/ildiko.mazar Ildikó Sünci Mázár

    Hm… honestly, I never cared much about the diet part of my wellness, I tend to believe that my body tells me what it needs.
    But I do love fresh fruit smoothies and this green blend might be the thing that gets me on the road of altering my eating habits, I cannot wait to get hold of the ingredients. Thanks for sharing.

    • http://www.facebook.com/ildiko.mazar Ildikó Sünci Mázár

      What is determination, if not mine? Finding flaxseed anything is quite a challenge in my countryside neighborhood, so I had to set out for a quest.
      I found milled flaxseed online on tesco.com, so off we shot to the nearest shop to purchase the thing right away. I asked 2 shopping assistants, one of them (hearing ‘milk’ flaxseed instead of ‘milled’) actually took me to the dairy section, the other admitted she has no idea of what I’m talking about. I didn’t give up, 20 minutes later I had the bag in my cart – VICTORY!
      I don’t have blueberries either, so I put raspberries in the smoothie – oh my god, if you have seen anything ugly, this brown smoothie is that :-). But it’s delicious, so the story has a happy ending – it’s a keeper. Thank you again, Grace.

  • http://www.makavelina.webnode.cz Nina_CZ

    Okay, it is done! I am buying a blender!!!

    • Kirry

      Bought mine today. ^^

      • http://www.facebook.com/ildiko.mazar Ildikó Sünci Mázár

        Girls, your life will change BIG time. I’m so excited for ya. Blending will show you a whole new world. Smoothies, fresh soups… you’ll love it! Here are my top 2 recommendations if you’re interested:
        http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2089/spiced-carrot-and-lentil-soup
        http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4886/broccoli-and-blue-cheese-soup

        • http://www.makavelina.webnode.cz Nina_CZ

          Just ordered, I was really hesitating, because my vacuum cleaner is broken so I am gonna need a new one, but I decided to go for blender first :D it will arrive tomorrow!!! :)

      • Anonymous

        Hi Kirry,

        So what did you buy?

        –Chris

        • Kirry

          I bought a blender from the retail shop HEMA. This is a Dutch shop. I don’t think it sells anywhere else, but I got it for 30 euro, which is cheap here and it works like a charm, even cutting carrots very well.
          I’m experimenting everyday with new fruits and veggies. Yesterday I tried spicy carrot & lentil soup from the link IIdikó Sunci Mázár posted, very very nice!!

          Smoothies, I’ts not a breakfast, It’s a lifestyle! :P

          • Anonymous

            Hi Kirry,

            Thanks. Some sort of blender is a must have if you are not living out of suitcases.

            –Chris

  • http://www.facebook.com/dana.vanbeneden Dana Grace Van Beneden

    I’ve been doing this for awhile simply because-like you-I just don’t always have the time to eat the recommended servings of fruits and veggies. I put things like coconut butter or oil, chia seeds, bee pollen, probiotics, broccoli, cilantro, hemp, almond butter…the list goes on. I love the idea of packing as many nutrients as you can in a smoothie because unless you are extremely mindful, it can be difficult to accomplish:)

  • http://BodyRock.Tv Candace

    mmmmm….I’ve been rockin’ the smoothies for breakfast lately to help my liver/intestines/kidneys/stomach to start off easy and clean. This looks great! I’m gonna try it :)

  • Sarihndipity83

    Magic Bullet!!

  • Annie_B

    Ummmm I’m drinking this smoothie right now and it is sooooo freakin’ good!!Tastes so refreshing:) Much much better than the bottle stuffs that you find at grocery store(I bough it one time just to give a try) plus it’s cheaper and not being processed .
    Guys….you gotta make this!!
    THANK YOU SO MUCH Grace :) I’ll be making this smoothie every morning from now on.

  • Anonymous

    I have to agree with Annie on this one…THANK YOU GRACE! I have to admit I was really worried when I was putting this together this morning, but WOW! Tastes great!…. and very filling…loved it!

  • Anonymous

    I have to agree with Annie on this one…THANK YOU GRACE! I have to admit I was really worried when I was putting this together this morning, but WOW! Tastes great!…. and very filling…loved it!

  • Anonymous

    Hi Kissy,

    I use an ordinary blender from Oster which seems fine. Something like the unit Zuzi uses would be great as well as it has less parts to clean after use.

    –Chris

  • Anonymous
  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_FFBKBXSFCIELN44ROQRJB7BRGE Mandy

    They also started carrying models of Vitamix at Bed Bath & Beyond for those of us living near them, and added plus you can use there coupons toward the purchase!

  • Anonymous

    Kiwi fruit skin is definitely edible, and there’s a lot of different theories about eating it.

    In New Zealand, it’s very common to eat kiwi raw, with the skin, while in other parts of the world the vast majority of people eat only peeled kiwis.

    Kiwi fruit skin contains high levels of flavonoids, insoluble fiber and antioxidants: these substances all have a beneficial effect on your body’s metabolic functions (flavonoids and antioxidants) and on your digestive system and cardiovascular apparatus (insoluble fiber).

    Common sense, however, should be practiced in this respect: while raw kiwi fruit skin contains these beneficial substances, it also tends to contain more than 99,95% of of the pesticides in that particular fruit (if they have been used), which largely outweighs the benefits from flavonoids and antioxidants.

    In addition, some people find the fuzzy feeling of the hairy skin to be annoying, so they remove the hairy layer before eating the skin: this procedure is generally advised since it also removes most solid inedible debris that may have accumulated on the skin (it’s very common for any kiwi fruit to carry at least 0,1 grams of sand, earth or dust on its surface). Long term consumption of even microscopic debris has been linked to the chance of developing several digestive diseases such as inflammations, displasia and colon polyps, so it’s usually a good idea to remove the hairy layer, even if you enjoy eating kiwis with the skin.

    On the other hand, if you’re sure about your kiwi being free from pesticides (for example, if you grew your kiwifruits in your own backyard), then eating the skin is a nice added benefit to the already abundant health effects of kiwis: just remember that if you live in an urban area with lots of traffic, air pollution alone will be enough for your fruits’ skin to accumulate harmful quantities of heavy metals, so once again, please use your common sense.

    http://kiwi-fruit.info/kiwi-fruit/Eating+Kiwi+Fruit+Skin+-+Is+it+OK+%3F

  • Anonymous

    Wow, I made this with 1/2 an apple instead of the kiwi, 1/2 cup of red grapes and 1/2 cup of raisins…and it was really smooth! Thanks!

    –Chris

  • Falston

    I’m allergic to bananas and avocados any suggestions on a good replacement as it seems most recipes have banana!

  • Carlita_michelle

    I drink this smoothie everyday and it’s just amazing!! Tastes really good and it’s very refreshing if you freeze the fruits (banana/berries).  Thanks!!!

  • Jenn

    Green smoothies are my new favorite!  I started making them last month, using a small amount of spinach, and then I gradually increased the amount of greens. 
    So far, here are the greens I’ve tried:
    Spinach
    Kale
    Collard
    Bok Choy
    Carrot greens
    Wheatgrass
    Mint
    I just got some dandelion leaves, but haven’t tried them yet.

    The fruits I’ve tried are: banana, papaya, mango, pineapple, watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, peach, goji berries, and blackberries.  The blueberries improve the color of the smoothie.  Without them it looks like I dipped my glass in the nearby swamp.  I like to use orange juice or soy milk for the liquid- I don’t care for the taste if I use water.  I’ve also added seaweed, protein powder, and raw cacao powder (once, for a mint chocolate green smoothie).

    This has really helped my diet.  I had already quit sugary drinks, then quit consuming sweets and added sugar, then tried adding at least one fruit or vegetable a day.  This was a giant leap!  Now my diet is so much better! 

    Since replacing a couple of unhealthy meals per day with green smoothies (and it’s now easier to make my remaining meals healthier) I’ve been looking a little leaner, and have more energy (although I was energetic on a bad diet, too).  However, I’ve also been having a mild sore throat since then; odd, because I’m not allergic or sensitive to any of the ingredients, and I feel too energetic to be sick.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Romy-Wolters/100000861709577 Romy Wolters

    I made this today! it’s delicious!!! it’s definately a keeper!!!:D thanks for sharing!