By Charlene 7 Comments
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Here is one of my favorite Green Smoothie recipes. I absolutely love green smoothies because they are so easy and so filling and you can get so many nutrients in one cup. Plus they taste great!
I am an especially big fan of green smoothies because it is the easiest way to get kale or spinach into the tummies of my little girls. I like to make these as an afternoon snack for something not too filling and to give you an extra kick of energy. This really is a power food.
This recipe is crazy easy- it takes about 2 minutes to whip up and it is one of my favorite green smoothie recipes. No fuss just 3 ingredients and delish every time. I have a few variations on this smoothie too so you can make it with whatever you have on hand. The smoothie as listed is packed with Vitamin C to help ward off colds and flu – so this is a much healthier alternative to orange juice when you are feeling under the weather.
Here is what you need:
- One Handful of Spinach (approx. one cup or so)- I use fresh spinach and just rinse it quickly and toss in the blender.
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup chopped mango
- 1 cup chopped pineapple
I like to use frozen pineapple and mango because it gives the creaminess and thickness to the smoothie. If you happen to have fresh you might also add half or one whole frozen banana to your smoothie to make it nice and creamy.
I start by adding the spinach to my blender plus one cup of water. I blend it really well- if you have a Vitamix or Blendtec you can skip this step. I have a Ninja blender and it leaves chunks of spinach unblended if I toss everything in at once.
Next I add the frozen pineapple and mango to the blender. I like to let it defrost for just a few minutes to make it easier on the blade of my blender. If you don’t have time to let it defrost it will be fine straight from the freezer. Go ahead and start blending. I usually find I need one more 1/2 cup of water to get my desired thickness. You can see what you think- with fresh fruit you may not need the extra 1/2 cup of water.
And that is it! Just 3 ingredients- healthy and clean and the sweetness of the pineapple and mango mask the flavor of the spinach so this still tastes refreshing and vibrant to me.
I buy huge bags of organic spinach at Costco for $3 and then big bags of frozen pineapple and mango- the organic is something like $7-9 each. Those make a bunch of smoothies. If you prefer to substitute peach that would also be delicious or you can use bananas. Again I freeze bananas for smoothies by peeling them, chopping them in half and popping in a Ziploc. The frozen fruit is the secret to a creamy smoothie without yogurt and such added in.
AND for the kiddos- if they are not green smoothie lovers- try substituting orange juice for the water. I would start with a cup of OJ and 1/2 cup water in this smoothie. I find it adds a lot of sweetness that might appeal to their little tastebuds. You can slowly decrease the OJ as they get used to drinking these guys. If you really have a tough customer on your hands, you might start with just a bit of spinach and slowly increase that as the child gets used to the flavor (and color).
And here is why this is good for you:
Pineapples have lots of Vitamin C to ward off (or help you recover from) a cold. They can also aid with digestion and it has vitamins B1 and B6 which help with energy production.
The mango is good for you because it can help to lower cholesterol and has lots of Vitamin A which promotes good eyesight. Mango has fiber to help with digestion and keeping things clean on the inside – enough said there 😉 – AND if that isn’t enough mango is also a great thing to eat to help your immune system battle against colds and flu.
And we all know spinach is a rockstar- it is a great source of iron and magnesium. That helps with the immune system (again), maintaining energy metabolism, lowering blood pressure and as an added bonus Spinach is high in vitamin A and C which helps maintain healthy skin, hair and nails.
And last but not least, this recipe makes a very large smoothie. The Spinach has about 7 calories per cup, pineapple about 80 calories per cup and mango about 100 calories. So this is a very low calorie treat!
Here are some other recipes you might enjoy:
Yummy Spinach Power Salad
Ranch Roasted Chickpeas- delicious and fast snack idea!
and 10 more yummy smoothie recipes to try!
