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Saturday, April 1, 2017

Greens: 5 Delicious Green Smoothies For Beginners



Have you ever heard someone mention a green smoothie and wanted to gag? I did.
Sometimes you’re just not in the mood to eat your vegetables. If you’re bored of the same old salads, let us introduce you to our favorite green smoothie recipes. But just because a drink is labeled a smoothie does not mean it’s healthy, so Topmost Blog ’ve sipped around to find the most nutrient-rich and delicious recipes made from real whole foods. We added another column tagged 'GREENS', just to spice things up and discuss on topics other than Christian News & Inspirational Messages. Natural fruits, vegetables & green smoothies are good for you. Need a filling breakfast or a refreshing afternoon pick-me-up? These creamy concoctions will take your taste buds for a spin. And all you need to get started is a blender. So, get mixing and raise a glass to good health!

1. Island Blast Green Smoothie : It’s just the right sweet, packed with tons of greens, and is super refreshing. New go-to for sure!

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup coconut water (unpasteurized)
1 rib celery
1/3 cup or small bunch of fresh parsley
1 small banana(ripe and peeled)
1/4-1/2 inch chunk ginger (or less if you’re new to ginger)
1/2 cucumber(peeled if not organic)
1 cup frozen pineapple
Optional: 1 tsp chia seeds
Optional: 1 tsp ground flax seed

Island Blast Ingredients
Instructions: Place all ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth
Total Time : 5 Mins
Serves: 1-2 Servings
Recipe Notes: I blended mine an extra time to really get it to the desired consistency.

Island Blast Smoothie


2. Pear Green Protein Smoothie: Looking for a smoothie that will give you a boost of energy and help you recover after a strenuous workout? Organic green tea in this recipe delivers a hit of caffeine, while spinach provides almost every vitamin and mineral under the sun. Pear not only sweetens the deal, but adds plenty of vitamin C and fiber (especially with the skin left on). The skin also has most of the fruit’s phytonutrients, so put that peeler away! Less work, more benefits. Now that’s a green smoothie recipe we can get behind!


INGREDIENTS:
1 packet (2 scoops) DailyBurn Fuel-6 Protein in vanilla (Available on Amazon)
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup spinach (spinach is packed with tons of vitamins A (great for skin/eye health)
1 pear, cored
1/2 teaspoon of organic green tea powder (Available on Konga)

Instruction: Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.
Serves: 1-2 Servings
Total Time: 5 minutes
Pear Protein Green Smoothie

Yummy! Avocado is my favorite source of heart-healthy fat, making this smoothie super filling and creamy.

3. Creamy Green Smoothies:
Creamy Green Smoothie

Whether you sip this creamy green smoothie as a light breakfast or health snack, I encourage you to make it part of your balancing act.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup frozen, chopped spinach
1/2 cup frozen mango chunk- mango is an awesome source of vitamin A (skin/eyes) & C (immune system). I use frozen mango chunks in my smoothies to make it thicker and keep it cold
5 tablespoon of low-fat creamy yoghurt
1/2 small avocado
1 tablespoon ginger
2 ice cubes
1/2-1 cup water or almond milk (based on your texture preference)

Instructions: Add all ingredients to your blender & blend until smooth, adding water or almond milk as needed.
Serves: 1 serving
Total time: 3 minutes
*Optional: 5-6 ice cubes


4. Vegan Green Smoothies: A light and creamy green smoothie with a peanut butter and banana base. This green smoothie is super mild making it perfect for beginners!

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unsweetened almond or soy milk
1-2 handfuls of spinach
2 frozen bananas
2-4 soft pitted dates
2 tbsp hemp hearts
1 tbsp natural peanut butter
2 ice cubes


INSTRUCTIONS:Combine all ingredients, blend on high until perfectly smooth and frothy.
Vegan Green Smoothie

Smoothie Topping (optional): Combine all ingredients. Sprinkle 1 tbsp on top of your smoothie
Serves: 1-2 servings
Total time: 5 minutes


5.Collard Greens Smoothie With Mango and Lime: Frozen mango and green grapes naturally sweeten this refreshing drink.

Collard Green Smoothie

INGREDIENTS
2tablespoons fresh lime juice
2cups stemmed and chopped collard greens or spinach
1 1/2cups frozen mango
1cup green grapes

Instructions
Combine the lime juice, ½ cup water, the collard greens, mango, and grapes in a blender and puree until smooth, about 1 minute, adding more water to reach the desired consistency.
Serves- 1-2 Servings
Total Time : 3 MINS


5 Tips for Ever Green Smoothies


  • Use Organic Produce. Try to use organic produce and ingredients when possible. If not possible, clean produce well, and peel where noted.The term “organic” refers to the process of how certain foods are produced. Organic foods have been grown or farmed without the use of artificial chemicals or genetically modified organisms. In order to be labelled organic, a food product must be free of artificial food additives.This includes artificial sweeteners, preservatives, coloring, flavoring and monosodium glutamate (MSG).Organically grown crops tend to use natural fertilizers like manure to improve plant growth.The most commonly purchased organic foods are fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products and meat. Nowadays there are also many processed organic products available, such as sodas, cookies and breakfast cereals.
  • Put the liquid in first. Surrounded by water or juice, the blender blades can move freely. Next, add your greens, with chunks of fruit or vegetables going into the pitcher last.
  • For a nut free option, substitute the almond milk with a certified nut free oat milk, rice milk, hemp milk, soy milk, or coconut milk.For a higher protein option: Add a scoop of your favourite vanilla protein powder and/or substitute the almond milk with a high protein non-dairy milk such as soy or hemp milk. This smoothie contains approx. 13g of protein when made with almond milk, substituting it with soy milk will add an additional 6g of protein. Adding protein powder will add about 6-15g of protein (depending on the brand and amount of protein powder you use.)To make a variation of this smoothie without banana, substitute the banana with ⅔ cup of frozen mango or frozen peaches.
  • Start slow. If your blender has speeds, start it on low to break up big pieces of fruit, then work your way up to high for a puree. For blenders with function buttons, pulse a few times before switching to puree mode.
Green Smoothie Blender
  • Thicken with ice. Added too much juice or coconut milk? Toss a few cubes in the blender and voilĂ !

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Evan Tee Jay

7 comments:

  1. Wow! I love smoothies but it's quite funny that i can't spare time to prepare them, lazy on that part. although i've not had this. i guess ill have to try it. Nice.

    http://luchydresshouse.blogspot.com.ng/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Oluchi, you have to try it. Spare time to prepare it. It is good for you.

      Stay blessed!

      Delete
  2. such healthy and delicious smoothie recipes, I will try them all

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Try them Razina, you will love it.

      Stay healthy!

      Delete
  3. Great recipes. I will try the first one, looks yummy

    ReplyDelete
  4. Topeeeeeeeeeeeeee

    I have drank this before but I didn't like the taste of it

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Quite a long time Chinco Bee, smoothie is good and keeps you healthy. Maybe you took a smoothie of a fruit you dont like. Kindly tell us your best fruit, then, we can share recipes of this fruit and give you instructions on how to prepare it, you can prepare it yourself using your blender. I know you will love it

      Delete

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