Green Machine Smoothie

15 Sep Green Machine Smoothie

A morning favorite for a healthy and quick breakfast on the go. I’ve been making them almost daily for 11 years — in the same Vitamix Blender! These drinks had such a big influence on my life they ended up being the inspiration for my first health blog about a decade ago. If you’re new to these, here are some tips:

• Best Served Immediately. A friend, who had just fallen in love with green smoothies, once called me to share she was making one for her husband. She was on her way to pick him up from the airport, so the smoothie was going to sit for about 30-40 minutes before he’d try it. I had to break the news that if she’s hoping for him to jump on the greens smoothie bandwagon this was not the way to do it! These are best when served immediately so they’re still cold, thick, and creamy!
• Use Frozen Bananas and/or Avocado for Best Texture. Don’t throw those over ripened bananas and avocados away! Instead freeze them to use in smoothies. For bananas: remove peel, cut in half, and place on a baking sheet and set it in the freezer for a couple hours, then move the bananas to an airtight freezer storage bag and store in freezer until needed. Similar method for avocados: cut avocado in half, remove the pit and skin, place on a baking sheet and set in freezer for couple hours, then move to an airtight storage bag and store in freezer until needed.
• Use Frozen Fruit. In addition to frozen banana or avocado, adding frozen fruit is key for thick and creamy texture. Generally when making a smoothie, I’ll use one cup of frozen fruit in addition to 1/2 to 1 whole banana or avocado — plus 1/2 to 1 cup of liquid and other add ins for a more nutrient dense meal on the go.
• Greens. I prefer to use fresh kale or spinach in the smoothies because they have a mild taste that is pretty easy to hide. You can also use frozen greens!
• Add Ins. There are so many ways to boost the nutrition in a smoothie: chia or flax seeds, protein powder, collagen powder, bee pollen, and cinnamon are some of my favorites to keep on hand.
• Layering in the Blender. I always start with liquid first, then greens, next frozen fruit, and finally any add ins. Using a high power blender, such as a vitamix, will produce the best texture. The sticker shock is real on these, but I have used mine nearly every day for 11 years and it’s still going strong! The newer Vitamix blenders have a smoothie setting, but if yours does not, you’ll want to blend for about 45 seconds to 1 minute.

Here’s one of my morning favorites:

Green Machine Smoothie

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Smoothie, Snack

Ingredients

  

• 3/4 cup water or almond milk
• 2 stalks of kale or 1 cup of spinach
• 1/2 avocado
• 2 tbsp almond butter
• 1 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 tbsp flax seed optional
• 1 tsp coconut oil optional

Instructions

 

• Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender in the order listed
• Blend until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute
• serve immediately
• makes 1 large serving or 2 small

Keyword Quick, smoothie