Here’s a question I wish I wasn’t asking myself right now: why did I wait so long to dive into green smoothies?  I know the unfortunate answer, and I’ll admit it.  It’s because #1) I love my berry smoothies, and #2), the unfortunate part, I didn’t think they would be good.  That could be because at times they can look a little gross, which is entirely my own fault for blending green (kale), orange (papaya) and purple (wild blueberries) together and then scratching my head thinking, what exactly is so great about this brown, too thick shake?  I guess it’s better late than never in this case because I can now attest that green smoothies, with the right ingredients and right proportions of ingredients, are fantastic.

Thanks to my new resolve to start each week with a special Monday breakfast, plus the memory of my previous bomb of an attempt,  I tested out a few green monsters over the weekend.  Here are two that are a great way to start the day with greens and fruit.  These will have a permanent home in our rotation of fruit smoothies (which I will always love)!

One last note – while I like fruit smoothies a little bit on the chunkier side, that version doesn’t really work on the green smoothie front.  The spinach and kale have got to be blended all the way or not at all!  Otherwise you’ve got a drink resembling creamed spinach in your glass and bits of green in your teeth.  While it sounds a bit obvious, the following was a helpful reminder to me – start the blender on a low speed with green smoothies, and as the ingredients begin to blend, then crank it up.  Pulse at first if your blender has settings vs speeds.

Each recipe makes one large smoothie or two smaller servings.

Kitchen Equipment: Blender, measuring cups, measuring spoons.

Total Time for either: 5-7 minutes

Hands on Time for either: 5-7 minutes

Nor ‘Easter Green Smoothie:

– 1 Large Mutsu Apple, chopped, with skin left on

– 3 Cups Spinach, washed, with large stems removed

– 4 Medjool Dates

– 8 Ice Cubes

– 1/2 Cup Water

– 1 Teaspoon Fresh Lemon Juice

Add all ingredients to blender and mix on a low speed to incorporate, then increase to a higher speed to throughly blend.

From the Tropics Green Smoothie:

– 2 Cups Kale, washed, with stems and any large ribs removed

– 1 & 1/2 Cups Chopped Pinapple

– 1 Ripe Banana

– 1/4 Cup Full Fat Coconut Milk

– 1/4 Cup Coconut Water

Blend, same as above.

Have a great week!!!