Green Smoothie

green smoothie recipe from sass & veracity

Oh, the over indulgences of the weekend.  New recipes tried and sampled a bit too much.  Football season in full gear, so lounging more than we normally might, our comfies donned, windows snapped shut against chilly and unexpectedly damp breezes.  Projects stalled while we stay indoors making like house potatoes.

Thank goodness for Monday morning and snapping back to a schedule.  For thinking about all that might be accomplished in a week’s time.  Promising myself to get back to healthy eating.

Exercise?

Hmmm…maybe.

In the meantime, smoothies help.  I’ve become addicted to them — especially the green ones.

So very, very good.

What ingredients do you like in your green smoothies?

Green Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients

1 banana

1 apple, seeds and core discarded

1/2 bunch kale, chopped & stems removed

1/2 can sparkling orange beverage

2 handfuls of ice

1 T ground flaxseed

Directions

  1. Place first four ingredients in a blender and puree.
  2. Add the ice and blend until smooth.
  3. Add the flaxseed to the mix and puree until ready to sip through a straw.


Recipe Notes:

  • This green smoothie recipe was adapted from one that appears in the October 2011 issue of Eating Well and it’s very tasty if you’re someone who like a good dose of green.
  • Add 3 heaping tablespoons of plain non-fat yogurt to this green smoothie for a different texture and flavor.  It’s also good.
  • Add raspberries instead of or in addition to the apple.  The color won’t be the most beautiful thing on the planet, but the combo packs a tangy punch.
  • If you’re not someone who has tried a green smoothie, try to get past the green.  I know that’s odd when something is as green as this smoothie is, but think about it.  There’s a whole apple and banana in it.  One of the commercial brands I enjoyed for years had quite a bit of apple juice in it, so it was pretty sweet.  This one isn’t.  It’s sweet enough, light in texture, and very satisfying.
  • The original recipe calls for orange juice and water, but I love the San Pelligrino Aranciata because it’s light and flavorful, and not filled with syrup like most carbonated beverages are.  Half a can has 70 calories of orange juice, water, and sugar.  It adds a nice tang.  When I don’t have this, I use sparkling water like Perrier.
  • What’s all the fuss about kale?  It’s a power house full of vitamin K (good for our blood and bones), vitamin A (good for our immune system and vision), and vitamin C (good for our bones, skin, and blood).  Its health benefits are actually magnified when it is lightly steamed, so if you’re inclined, prepare the kale ahead of time by steaming for 5 minutes, then dividing it into quantities for smoothies or salads.
  • If you use whole flaxseed, its nutritional value will be wasted since digestion cannot break down the seed.  In breads and other food that requires chewing, the whole seed adds a nice crunch, but is also chewed, so you get the the omega-3 fatty acids.  Use the ground flaxseed for smoothies.  Comprehensive information on flaxseed can be found at Medline Plus which is a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health.
  • A great place to get all kinds of information about the nutritional value in food is Nutrition.gov.  In particular the What’s in Food section is very helpful.