hardcore smoothies
Do you make hardcore smoothies?
I’m talking about making them for health benefits rather than taste. You really can’t do this if one of the GS drinkers from your blender will be a new convert or a child. Or if you’re squeamish about textures and tastes.
I love Xtreme people. People who do things all-out because they’re passionate and disciplined. Of course, I love squishier people too (good thing, since I have three kids who beg for more fruit–and some raw chocolate and agave–in their smoothies).
We have altogether too much sugar in our diets here in the Western world. I’m always looking for ways to reduce it. So when I don’t have my kids because they’re at their dad’s . . . okay okay, sometimes I make green smoothies for them anyway and go sit in his driveway with the pint jars and call the kids to come outside and get them–I know, I’m CRAZY! . . . anyway, those weekends, I sometimes make Xtreme smoothies.
Lately I have been making GS for Craig. But since he’s a lobster being boiled to death slowly (make the GS taste really good, then put more and more greens in over time until it’s hardcore) . . . I make my own blenderful, pour out two quarts for me, and then add more fruit to Craig’s. So far, so good. He is drinking them and still praising them rather than complaining.
Remember, while fruit is good for you, the REAL POINT of the GS is the greens. The more funky and unusual greens, the better. Your greens are savory or bitter? Right on!
Tell me what’s in your Xtreme Smoothie. Cool greens and other superfoods. Only you hardcore green smoothie girls or guys, the ones who have been on this path for a while, the ones who’ll do anything if it’s good for you . . . I love you guys.
What’s your recipe?
Posted in: Green Smoothies
I bought a bunch of beets today and as I was cutting the leaves off, I thought that instead of throwing them away, I should put them in a smoothie! I’ll let you know how that went…
Hanlie, I recommend chopping the beet greens first. They have very stringy fibers, which can wrap themselves around the blade, if you’re not careful.
This time of year, I like to add wild leeks (ramps), chives, or violets from my yard. I’ve also done dandelion leaves & heads, but this year the ones from my yard don’t look appetizing to me, so I’m following my intuition.
Later in the summer, I use wood sorrel, although you might not call that Xtreme, since it adds a sweet lemony flavor.
Whole watermelon: It’s super cheap, especially when watermelon gets down to $.39 a lb from the farmers market (and you aren’t throwing out the heavy part). The texture is very grainy from my blender (hence the Xtreme), I think because they are so watery, so the rind doesn’t get much direct contact with the blades. Maybe I’ll try adding the rinds first. Also, the seeds stay pretty crunchy.
I am not super hardcore! I have tried arugala (couldn’t handle it) mustard greens (can only handle mixed with spinach) but I regularly use chard, kale and spinach.
Right now I am drinking coconut water, spinach, KYO green powder, Sambazon Acai, cherries, blueberries and strawberries with Garden of Life Superseed. This combo fills me up and keeps my digestion great. I like using the coconut water in all my green smoothies now and not just my hot pink.
Hi Robyn,
I am reading one of your book recommendations, “THE pH MIRACLE”. It’s a very intereing book to say the least.
Today my 32 oz drink consists of spinach and tomatoes! Very good!!
Saturday I used spinach, avocado, tomato and carrots- very good!
Thanks for the book recommendation.
Shawna
p/s I purchased two more of the books you have on your list. Looking forward to reading both.
For dinner tonight i’m having a blended salad or green savory. I have 2 cups of organic vegetable stock, 1/2 cucumber, 2 ribs of celery, 1/2 lemon, some fresh dill & parsley, 1 garlic clove, some red onion, tomatoes, left over mexican salsa, baby romaine, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili powder & red pepper powder. It has quite a zing to it! Yummy!!!!!!
I had to laugh when I read this post because I have been gearing up to write about our most recent green smoothie innovations. My husband and I attended a raw food meeting in town last month. Pete was impressed with how green smoothies totally reversed some incredibly debilitating health problems for one fellow at the meeting. Pete went outside and started to forage for wild greens. He came in with grass from our creek, clover, and plantain. He zipped that up with some water and drank it straight up! I am currently taking Chlorella as I deal with my mercury amalgam issues and his argument is that the greens in our backyard are way cheaper!! The ongoing saga of green smoothies continues…
We start our day, almost everyday, with a green smoothy. And anytime I can start a smoothy with coconut liquid and/or jelly, it’s a good day [on the other days I use orange or grapefruit juice . . . have never used water]. I also love beets, beet tops, dandelion greens, goji berries, flax seeds, hemp seeds [I often try to get some extra protein in my morning drink], chard, spinach, and parsley. But I have to admit–being a newbie!–that most of my drinks also have fresh fruit, pineapple, kiwi [and/or frozen blueberries]. Probably not hardcore yet . . . getting there though.
And I do it all with my extremely overworked Magic Bullet! It just keeps plugging away. A great blender is on my wish list!
–Ken
You can put green smoothies in the magic bullet?? But they are so small…how do you fit it in?
My smoothies are kind of medium-core. I always try to combine them with just enough fruit so that they are barely enjoyable. I have gagged on my green smoothies before, which is a rude reminder that I should scale back my ambitions a little.
My aproximate recipe, which makes 1 quart, includes two whole fruits plus maybe four-five strawberries, two packed cups spinach, 1 packed cup arugula or parsley, and 1 packed cup kale, chard, or collards. So there is a decent amount of fruit in there, but plenty of greens, too. Hence, medium core.
I often wonder how my smoothie habits compare to others’, especially since so many recipes online refer to ‘handfuls’ of greens, which is so imprecise.
I got a blendtec on Saturday and I AM IN LOVE! I can never ever go back to a normal blender (and I thought my bosch blender was GOOD). It’s like a whole new world. It’s like going from dial-up internet to DSL. You can never go back.
Anyway, this is our daily smoothie:
1 leaf kale
1 leaf collards
1 leaf chard
1 1/2 cups spinach
1 frozen banana
1 orange
1 cup frozen fruit (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries.. )
Yum!
Hi– I’m using collards, or spinach with 1 cup water to a packed blender of greens , blend it up and add a limejuice “ice” cube, and 1 tsp.powdered kelp and 1 TBS alfalfa powder, a hefty squirt of flax oil or a spoon of coconut oil. The kelp is pretty gross so I sometimes drink all but a few gulps of smoothie without the kelp and then stir it in to the last few swallows with a splash of water to thin it down. Some times the collards can have a hot mustard bite to them so if I need to I’ll add a cup of frozen fruit or 1 peeled beet and that helps.
What I actually enjoy for all green is 1 whole english cucumber, 1 bundle parsley, 2 celery stalks and half a whole lemon with the peel and some ice cubes and water to make it frosty cool. This one is so refreshing and cleansing and hydrating…plan on it for summer when its too hot to eat!
Our smoothies consist of a bunch of spinach from the grocery, 1 whole apple, 2 bananas, mango or pineapple, flax oil, kelp, ginger, bee pollen, maca root, frozen strawberries, coconut meat and water, maybe cantaloupe, a carrot, celery and grapes if I have it, wheatgerm and I guess that is it.
We have planted spinach, chard, argulua, and carrots in our garden and are waiting it all that is ready to add to our smoothies. If we don’t have all that fruit in there our children won’t eat the smoothie. They eat them with granola already…. I plan to add other greens gradually.
I am anxious for the beets in our garden to be ready to try the hot pink breakfast smoothie.
Is interesting to read what others do.
i call it the garden smoothie because i add tomatoes, carrots, spinach, kale, pine nuts, basil, garlic, chives, celery (cut up or its all stringy) & pulse it until its all pureed looking. then i slowly add some water, reblend to thin it out a bit & a dash of sea salt for taste.
I like to enjoy my smoothies and prefer for them to taste YUMMY! So far, taking in some of your supplement recommendations – not for the faint of heart 🙂 – I make a little elixir of Vitamineral Green, brewer’s yeast, and maca root in about 6 oz. of water and swig it down before drinking my smoothie. Gotta end with “dessert”. 🙂
Things that I add in to my green smoothie that don’t effect the taste too much are: bee pollen, raw wheat germ, and chia or flax seeds.