Spinach was my planned green, as we already had some in the fridge. Thanks to those who responded!
Here's what I had on hand:
Sooo I started off with a handful of spinach.
I added most of a 6 oz container of Dannon plain Greek yogurt.
I topped it off with a handful of sliced strawberries.
To give my immersion blender something to work with, I threw in a splash of skim milk.
Verdict: a little too bitter.
I added 2 more strawberries, and a handful of blueberries.
Still a little bitter for my liking, I added 2 more strawberries and a splash of almond milk.
Not bad! Not green either, but I promise it contains greens. Looks kinda like chocolate milk.
Final contents:
1 large handful of spinach
6 oz Dannon greek yogurt
1-2 oz skim milk
2 oz almond milk
1 handful of blueberries
8 strawberries
On Tuesday (July 5th) I made my second green smoothie which included:
-one overflowing handful of spinach
-two handfuls of blueberries
-about one small banana (frozen, cut into pieces)
-6-8 oz almond milk
No adjustments needed! This one came out way more green than the last, but did not taste much like spinach at all. It did taste very much like almond milk, blueberries, and a little bit banana (in that order).
While there are tiny flecks of blueberry skin and spinach bits, they didn't get stuck in my teeth (hooray!)
I feel like I eat enough leafy greens anyway, but this is a great way to squeeze some more into your diet. Word on the street is that kale is good in smoothies too, maybe I'll try that next...
Have you ever made a green smoothie?
If not, would you try one?
What's your favorite combination(s)?
Hmmm... I'm still a bit leery about adding spinach to my smoothies. But your pictures look pretty delicious, so maybe I'll give it a try.
ReplyDeleteI love putting watermelon in my smoothies. It makes it very frothy, so don't put any liquid in.
I make them pretty much everyday! If you add some protein powder in there, it'll sweeten up a lot.
ReplyDeleteI have been anti - smoothie my whole life but just last week I became OBSESSED with basically the exact recipe you posted! I use greek yogurt and milk too to make it creamy, and I've been freezing my veggies the night before. If you can find xantham gum, I highly recommend adding it, it holds the smoothie together more. My dad said he got some at Wegmans, although I've never seen it there, I got mine from whole foods.
ReplyDeleteIf it is too bitter, add a touch of agave or stevia. Try the kale and pineapple - you will be pleasantly surprised.
ReplyDeleteKale is strong, personally I also like to substitute with swiss chard or beet leaves (similar). I do love bananas and blueberries in mine as well.
ReplyDeleteAn other fun thing you can do is a peanut (or almond) butter and jelly smoothie: use PB, bananas, strawberries or raspberries and then milk or almond milk. You can add spinach if you wish.
I've had a green smoothie and I think my issue is that I hate smoothies, lol. I wish I liked them though!
ReplyDeleteFrozen banana really cover the spinachy taste well. I also like frozen sweet cherries. Sweet cherries can cover a multitude of too-green-tasting sins. I disagree with the person who said swiss chard. I think it's more bitter than kale. Anyway, there are so many fun combos to try. Cherry + chocolate powder + spinach is a good one. A pint of raspberries + 2small celery sticks + some spinach is not bad. Also, like someone else said things like pineappleand mango are really good at hiding the green taste....
ReplyDeleteThe dining people at my work make the best green smoothies! I'll have to remember to ask them next week what they put in them.
ReplyDeleteyou're a little late to the club! just kidding ;) my boyfriend and I have green smoothies for breakfast every weekday. Have for 3 years now! I think he likes them more than I do...sometimes I eat something else for breakfast and it sits in my bag at work. then I eat it for a 3 o'clock snack.
ReplyDeletewe make ours with protein powder.
Danielle- I was pretty hesitant too. I've been making smoothies for the last couple years but couldn't bring myself to put green leafy things in there until now. I'll have to experiment with watermelon!
ReplyDeleteTeamarcia- I need to find a protein powder I like. I am hesitant to make a $20 commitment when I am not able to try some out first.
Alyssa- I haven't tried xantham gum yet, but I do think it's at my wegmans in the Nature's Marketplace (the Bob's brand). I'll have to look next time!
MissFancyPants- I picked up some kale and pineapple at the store this morning, I will report back after I try it :)
TrailRunningChick- I have tried something like a pbj smoothie before! Usually it's been banana, berries, yogurt, and I add a plop of PB for more protein. It's pretty good!!
Kara- I can see how not liking smoothies would be a problem...
kathleen- yeah, I think the banana really helped! Frozen sweet cherries sound awesome, I need to find some. thank you for all the suggestions!
My Superficial Endeavors- That's awesome that your work makes smoothies! How do you order them "a green smoothie, please" - not by what's in them??
Roserunner- Yeah, I've held out on the green part of smoothies for a long time. I don't mind eating greens on their own, so I guess I haven't felt a need to sneak them in, but I caved because I have been curious about how the flavors pair with fruits/etc. Do you have a favorite protein powder?