Hello hellooooooo my best beloveds and favorite people everywhere. I have a TREAT for you, my sweetums. Indeed I do! But first, a word from our sponsor…

Today’s blog post is brought to you by the letter G and the color G-R-E-E-N.

TA-DA!!! Now take it away Kermit–

Kermit may be my favorite singing frog friend of all time but folks, he’s got it ALL WRONG.

Because being green is easy-peasy.

Look at that. This is what went into my breakfast this morning. Spinach. Parsley. Cucumber. Celery. Banana. Almond butter. Flax seed. A splash o’juice and a chunk o’ginger root.

Oh, and ice. Mustn’t forget the ice. And sometimes water instead of the juice. Most times, actually.

Toss it all in the blender. And it doesn’t have to be a fancy expensive blender. I have one of those, it lives under the counter. I use this one more often than not, something I picked up at the cheapo store. Works just fine. So don’t let that be your excuse.

If you’re new to green smoothies, start with more fruit. Maybe a 60/40 ratio. And the milder greens like spinach.  After awhile, at the point where you begin to CRAVE these suckers, you’ll find you don’t need the added sweetness. I’m at the point where a single piece of fruit—a banana, pear or an apple– is sweet enough. But in the beginning start with more.

You can even add cocoa powder. OMG, yes! The first GS I ever made was bananas, spinach and cocoa powder. It was the color and flavor of a rich dark brownie and I remember Mama trying to lick the inside of her glass, a little old lady sitting there struggling to get every last drop.

I gave her a spoon.

The color in this one isn’t the gorgeous emerald green they usually are because of the cherry juice. Berries will do that too.

One of these in the morning will last me the better part of the day. I make a quart or so and if I have the time, linger over it. If I go to work I take it with me. 

Experiment! Try different combinations of greens. Chard. Collards. Mustard. Bok Choy. Mix ’em up. Play around.

Adding the flax seeds will give you your Omega 3s. You can toss in other seeds or nuts. I like a heaping tablespoon of almond or peanut butter, gives a rich and creamy feel to the smoothie. And I’ve read that you need to include fat with your greens for the best absorption of the minerals.  

You can read more about green smoothies here. And find all sorts of recipe ideas here. There are testimonials all over the interwebs, too many for me to list but it’s a great way to kill an afternoon on the net and get all inspired.

Better yet, just throw some spinach and a banana into the blender and give it a go.

And if you have a favorite recipe, I’d love for you to share it with the rest of us in the comments below.

xo