I mentioned earlier that the whole family has been been slurping up green smoothies this month. And when I say “we” I mean AAALLLL of us.
Yes, Chris has joined the ranks of green smoothie drinkers. If you’ve never heard of green smoothies, you are missing out. These delightful little drinks are simply your classic smoothie packed a few handfuls of fresh spinach.
Before you gag in disgust, keep reading. The strong fruity flavors of the classic smoothie completely overpower the spinach. So your taste buds are left with that most satisfying taste of blended fruit and yogurt while your body is left with the benefits of several servings of both fruits and veggies. Does it get any better?
But remember this drink is green. Very green. So Chris could hardly help but hurl every time I whipped up a blender full of smoothies. Forget about actually drinking it.
Until this week. Saturday morning he finally decided to venture into the world of green drinks. And he’s had one for breakfast every morning since.
He later admitted that he hadn’t tried these babies because he was expecting a drink that actually tasted like it had vegetables in it. And the color was a big turn off. Earlier this week he said I could officially announce to all of you his big thumbs up for this drink. Hopefully it can help inspire other people who may be mortal enemies with green food.
Also, since writing my original post on green smoothies, I’ve tried several other variations that I think green smoothie fans will be willing to try.
Plain Yogurt
Since I had a milk sensitivity during my first green smoothie post, both of those smoothie recipes are dairy-free. However, since I recently cooked up my first successful batch of homemade yogurt, I’ve been adding generous dollops of it to our smoothies. Again, Chris isn’t a fan of this particular kind of yogurt either, but you can hide almost anything in a smoothie! And using plain yogurt instead of flavored helps cut down on the amount of sugar we eat, so no complaints. Instead of yogurt you can also use kefir, cottage cheese, coconut milk, or almond milk.
More Veggies
If you’re happy with a less sweet smoothie, try adding chopped carrots and cucumber to the next batch. It still won’t taste like a veggie drink, and it will add a greater variety of that food group to your drink.
By the Way…
Not a good idea to feed a toddler this drink. It contains way too much citrus, so while he or she may enjoy this drink on the front end, they won’t appreciate it forever.
Yeah, I still have things to learn.
SO WHAT ABOUT YOU?
What new dishes have you tried that proved to be surprisingly delicious?
Cheers,
10 comments
2 pings
Cate
01/12/2011 at 10:33 AM (UTC -6)
I’ve been a green smoothie skeptic for literally years…but this post prompted me to try it today. And it was DELICIOUS! I made a modified version of your green smoothie with water, vanilla yogurt, a banana, a couple orange segments, a handful of frozen blueberries, a couple handfuls of spinach, and some flax seeds. It was super yummy! And I’m glad I have something to make with leftover spinach besides salad, because you can only eat SO many spinach salads.
Susie Bee on Maui (Eat Little, Eat Big)
01/12/2011 at 11:36 AM (UTC -6)
Resistance is futile Chris!
I’ve recently cooked barley and it was really good.
Brussel sprouts are on the list-had to eat really mushy, yucky ones at school as a kid and haven’t gotten over it …yet!
Lindsey
01/12/2011 at 12:06 PM (UTC -6)
I’ve been making Joy the Baker’s Kale, Spinach and Pear smoothies with orange or strawberries subbed for the pear. They are amazingly delicious and my kiddos adore the green color, haha.
Daisy
01/12/2011 at 12:48 PM (UTC -6)
I love this idea! I’ve had them before, sometimes I added melon, etc. Now if only I had a blender.
When I did have a blender, I also added matcha. I don’t know if matcha is big in the states, but it’s as big as wheatgrass here, in Canada, you should look it up. It’s actually tasty, too, unlike wheatgrass, and it’s green, so I’m used to green drinks.
Eric
01/12/2011 at 6:06 PM (UTC -6)
Do you chop ice into your smoothies? Also, what kind of blender do you have? I want to make smoothies, but I wanna make sure the one I get can chop ice without a problem…
Steph
01/12/2011 at 9:15 PM (UTC -6)
Eric – Because I usually start with a variety of frozen fruit, I’ve found that the smoothie is plenty cold without ice cubes chopped into it. Right now I have an Oster blender that works fairly well as long as there is enough liquid in the smoothie (which means we don’t do a lot of thick smoothies for fear of burning out the blender). I’ve been pretty happy with it – it was a frugal find that does what we need it to. However, I’m sure there are more powerful blenders out there.
Tara
01/12/2011 at 8:49 PM (UTC -6)
I have read so much about green smoothies lately and am dying to try one! I’m definitely getting the stuff to make one when I go to the store! I got a Ninja for Christmas and need to try it out!
I’m relatively new at cooking healthy so I’ve just started trying natural cane sugar. I made some chocolate chip cookies with whole wheat cake flour and cane sugar and even my husband said they were wonderful!…and that’s really saying something because he does not like whole wheat!
Mama
01/13/2011 at 7:23 AM (UTC -6)
Yum. Go Chris! I know the green can be an issue for some, but the flavor is worth it. Isaiah even likes them and that is amazing.
A few handfuls of kale work well in place of the spinach too. Just for some variety of green.
Now if only we could get Papa drinking them…..hahahaha
Rebecca Burgener
01/13/2011 at 2:55 PM (UTC -6)
Thanks for pointing out that it isn’t the best for toddlers. I wouldn’t have thought twice, and my toddler is my third in diapers.
I love the idea of green smoothies, and I love spinach leaves. I’m going to start doing this. I have a blender that’s never done as much as a blender should.
Steph
01/14/2011 at 8:47 AM (UTC -6)
Rebecca – Yeah, Ray really enjoyed the smoothies, and it’s a shame he can’t enjoy all those fabulous fruits and veggies anymore
. Now I’ll have to find another way to sneak them in…
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