Green Smoothies - Benefits and Recipes

Green Smoothies are the best way that I know to make sure you are getting plenty of leafy greens in your diet.  With the right ingredients, they can also be great sources of protein, vitamins and essential nutrients.  Click the link for articles about the benefits of green smoothies along with numerous recipes.  Enjoy!

GREEN SMOOTHIES - BENEFITS & RECIPES

Cucumber Mint Smoothie

Today we are talking about cucumbers.  In the same family as squash, pumpkin and watermelon; and like watermelon, they are made up of mostly water.  So, again like watermelon, cucumbers taste like summer and are crisp and refreshing on a hot summer day.  They also contain more "good for you stuff" than just water.

Cucumbers are very low in calories and contain no saturated fat or cholesterol.  They are high in fiber, a good source of potassium, and are a natural diuretic.  They contain anti-oxidants, act as a natural anti-inflammatory agent, and have a high amount of vitamin K.  They can even help control bad breath!

And they are delicious in smoothies!  With their mild flavor and high water content, they blend well with solid or creamy fruits such as bananas, apples and mangoes.  The Cucumber Mint Smoothie combines cucumber and mango, spinach and mint.  It is surprisingly refreshing!  I used 1/4 cup of fresh mint leaves, but will double that when I make it again.  I really liked the minty cucumber and melon flavor.  And it was the most beautiful shade of green!

Cucumber Mint Smoothie

6 oz Fat Free Greek Yogurt, Vanilla Flavor

1 ½ c Cucumber chunks, peeled and de-seeded

1 c Spinach, frozen

1 c Mango chunks, frozen

¼ c Mint leaves (or more)

½ c Cashew Milk, unsweetened

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

(19 g Protein, 2.5 g Fat, 6 g Fiber)

Watermelon Spinach Smoothie

I have always loved watermelons.  They taste like summer.  When I was a child, my grandparents always had several large gardens and Granddaddy would say he planted an extra row of watermelons just for me.  Some summers we would have so many watermelons that they were literally served with breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.  I never complained!  And it turns out that these sweet delicious gifts from the earth are good for you!

Watermelon Nutrition and Health Benefits

While watermelons are low in most vitamins and minerals, they are a good source of vitamin C and beta-carotene (which your body synthesizes into vitamin A). Watermelons with red flesh have more lycopene than tomatoes, which is a nutrient believed to protect against prostate cancer.  Since watermelons are primarily water, they also provide necessary hydration.

Watermelons do contain two interesting nutrients which are found especially abundant in the edible rind: citrulline and arginine. Citrulline has been shown to boost heart health, the immune system and help with weight loss and type 2 diabetes. Arginine boosts nitric oxide in the body which helps relax blood vessels and can treat and prevent erectile dysfunction. Some say watermelon is nature’s answer to Viagra! Arginine also removes toxins from the body.

Today's smoothie combines watermelon with other super foods like mango, pineapple and spinach, all rich in fiber and other vitamins and nutrients also known to improve eye sight, lower blood pressure and help prevent cancer.  So, enjoy the health benefits along with the delicious tastes of summer in this watermelon green smoothie.

Watermelon Spinach Smoothie

8 oz Fat Free Greek Yogurt, Vanilla Flavor

1 c Watermelon, chunks

½ c Mango, chunks frozen

½ c Pineapple, chunks frozen

1 c Spinach, frozen

½ c Cashew Milk, unsweetened

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

(20 g Protein, 1 g Fat, 4 g Fiber)

Belly Blaster Smoothie

As I near the end of my Six Week Challenge, I find that I have really been missing my smoothies.

While I do believe that a diet including nutrient rich smoothies is healthy and can be conducive to weight loss, I have been largely avoiding sugar during this challenge.  However, even with the natural sugar from the fruit and the yogurt, the balance of vitamins, nutrients, protein and fiber make this particular smoothie a good weight loss tool.  Antioxidant rich raspberries and pineapple both aid in digestion and help prevent bloating, spinach and whole oats add fiber, yogurt and whey powder pack a protein punch, the cashew milk and banana give a great sweet flavor, and all together it will keep you full and satisfied for hours.

Belly Blaster

4 oz Fat Free Greek Yogurt, Vanilla

½ c Unsweetened Cashew Milk

1 c Raspberries, frozen

½ c Pineapple, frozen

½ Banana, frozen

1 c Spinach, frozen

2 T Flax Seed, ground fine

½ c Whole Oats, ground fine

2 T Whey Protein Powder, Vanilla flavor

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

(60 g Protein, 10 g Fat, 22 g Fiber)

Choppin' Broccoli

One of the things I love most about smoothies is how flexible they are. There aren't any real rules and I can be creative...and use up left-overs. The other night I had cooked too much broccoli for dinner, so it went into tupperware and the refrigerator.  Next day, I went looking for smoothie ingredients, and there it was.  

This is definitely not the prettiest one I've ever made!  But, it was delicious and kept me full for hours.

Choppin' Broccoli

6 oz Greek Yogurt, Vanilla Flavor

1 c Broccoli, chopped

1 c Spinach, chopped and frozen

1 c Blackberries, frozen

1 Banana, frozen

2 T Whey Protein Powder, Vanilla Flavor

2 T Flax Seed, ground

1 c Apple Juice, not from concentrate

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

56 g Protein, 8 g Fat, 10 g Fiber

Super Green Smoothie

I tried using avocado in my smoothie for the first time.  What a wonderful addition!  It adds a smooth creamy texture, while imparting just a hint of flavor.  It does add quite a bit of fat to the total nutrition, but it's the "good" fat... almost 2/3 of the fats avocados contain are the heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, like those found in olive oil. 

This smoothie also has flax seeds, which add a nice nutty flavor, a bit of fiber, and lots of those wonderful antioxidants including a high concentration of Omega 3.  I bought natural whole flax seeds from my local health flood store and ground them in a coffee grinder. 

There are also oats added for fiber and extra protein.  The oats were also ground fine in the coffee grinder along with the flax seeds.

Recently, I discovered cashew milk.  If you know me very well, you know that I am a skim milk girl. I love my milk!  I have tried soy milk, but really didn't like it.  But, if you know me, you also know how much I love nuts!


So, I had to try cashew milk, and it is so delicious.  As a smoothie ingredient, it provides a great nutty flavor and is actually lower in calories than skim milk.


Add in some spinach, tropical fruits and protein powder, and voila you have a Super Green Smoothie, beautiful in color, tasty and very filling.

Super Green Smoothie

½ Avocado

1 Banana

1 c. Pineapple (chunks, frozen)

1 c. Spinach (chopped, frozen)

1 T. Flax Seeds (ground fine)

½ c. Oats (ground fine)

2 T. Whey Protein Powder, Vanilla flavor

1 c. Cashew Milk

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth.

(45 g Protein, 16 g Fat, 15 g Fiber)

Summer Garden Smoothie

This one is chock full of summer veggies and fruit.  For something a little different, cottage cheese replaces the usual yogurt or milk.  You might notice that this is really a yellow smoothie, but that little bit of spinach definitely overpowers any other colors.  Either way, yellow or green, it was delicious and energizing, and very filling.

Summer Garden Smoothie

½ c. yellow summer squash, sliced

½ c. cucumber, peeled and sliced

1 c. carrots, shredded

½ c. yellow bell pepper, chunks

½ c. spinach, chopped (frozen)

½ c. mango, chunks (frozen)

½ c. peaches, sliced (frozen)

½ c. cottage cheese

¼ c. orange juice

1 ½ T. Whey protein powder, vanilla flavor

1 t. honey

Blend ingredients in a blender until smooth.

(42 g Protein, 4 g Fat, 4 g Fiber)

Have A Cup o' Salad!

Today's smoothie is like a salad in a cup.  It was beautiful before and after, and the taste was wonderful...a bit like a V8, but creamy and thick.  The mango and peach added a nice sweet note to the flavor of the vegetables.  I must admit, I was proud of this one.  So, go drink some salad!

Cup o’ Salad Smoothie

1 c. shredded kale

1 c. shredded carrots

1 celery stalk, cut into chunks

1 tomato, cut into chunks

1 peach, peeled and cut into chunks

1 c. frozen mango chunks

1 c. apple juice

1 ½ T. whey protein powder, vanilla flavor

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth.
(30 g Protein, 0 g Fat, 8 g Fiber)

Show Me The Green

Just recently, I discovered the joy of green smoothies.  I had a big bag of kale left over from New Year's Day and decided to throw a handful into my banana/berry smoothie one morning, and the results were amazing.  I am now hooked on green smoothies!

Kale-Banana-Berry Smoothie

1 c. Blueberry Yogurt

1 frozen Banana

1 c. Frozen Berries

2 c. shredded Kale

¼ c. Orange Juice

1 T. Whey Protein Powder, Vanilla Flavor

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth.
My first attempt at green smoothies, and I was making due with what I found in the 'fridge...Not the prettiest, but surprisingly yummy.

(32 g Protein, 0 g Fat, 12 g Fiber)

Green Goddess Smoothie

2 c. shredded kale

½ c. chopped peeled and seeded cucumber

1 c. honeydew melon chunks

½ c. honeydew melon juice

½ c. frozen mango chunks

6 oz. vanilla Greek yogurt

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth.
This one was beautiful and delish!
(21 g Protein, 0 Fat, 7 g Fiber)