Lets face it with our busy schedules, we dont always have time to sit down and eat a healthy salad or prepare proper healthy dishes that the whole family would enjoy.
So I have a solution for you! Below are some super-easy smoothie recipes. Choose one that you like and whip up a quick green smoothie for yourself (and your family). It will give you energy, and fill your belly for a couple of hours with all the right foods.
Spinach is typically thought of as a lunch or dinner ingredient in a savory recipe, so spinach in a fruit smoothie may sound strange at first, but even if you dont enjoy its taste by itself the other ingredients will mask the flavor, I promise.
If you havent been eating your greens every day, simply jump-start your day with a green smoothie, so that before you even start your day, youve already sucked down your veggies, greens, and fruit to boot.
And better yet? So have your kids and other family members.
Do I even have to talk about the benefits of spinach? We all know its good for us. Spinach has been cultivated in many parts of the world for hundreds of years, not just as a food source, but also as an important medicinal plant in many traditional systems of medicine.
Spinach benefits cannot be overstated. In the past it has often been regarded as a plant that helps restore energy, increase vitality, and improve the quality of the blood. The main reason for this is that spinach nutrition provides twice as much iron as most other greens.
Other nutrients it contains include calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, and the B-complex vitamins. It is also a good source of Niacin and Zinc, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.
Spinach, just like other greens that contain chlorophyll and carotene, is a remarkable protector against various diseases, including cancer, anemia, digestive problems, skin problems, as well as acting as a mild laxative. Women who are worried about osteoporosis should consume spinach because it is a rich source of calcium and vitamin K.
In fact, when compared calorie for calorie to other vegetables, some say that nothing is as nutrient dense as spinach, while also being very low in calories. And no, you dont have to worry about the oxalates in spinach hurting you.
Spinach is Super Low In Calories & Super Dense in Nutrients = Great For Weight Loss!
Spinach, its really low in calories, so its an excellent ingredient for all weight loss smoothies, as well as meal replacement smoothies.
1 cup spinach, raw (30g) = 7 calories (!)
1 bunch spinach (340g) = 78 calories (!)
The great thing is that once you try a spinach smoothie recipe, youll be consuming lots of it and it wont matter anymore if you or your picky-eaters at home dont enjoy munching on spinach salad!
Just adding a few spinach leaves to a your smoothie recipe, is so easy, tastes delicious, and its also incredibly good for you!
A bunch of spinach has a mere 78 calories, while providing 10g of protein.
So, how do you prepare a spinach smoothie?
When preparing spinach smoothie recipes, as in the case in most other greens, feel free to experiment and include a wide variety of other fruits and veggies.
By experimenting with different combinations, you will be able to come up with something that you and the whole family will love. Youll even have an easier time getting your children on board to adopting a healthier diet.
The great thing about spinach is that its mild tasting, so its a perfect starter green for green smoothies. Even the most picky eaters wont mind a few leaves of spinach in their fruit smoothie (use some deep colored fruits, such as berries, or colored glass containers to mask the green color for those most green-resistant eaters).
Generally speaking, Vitamix or Blendtec blenders will do a great job with any type of greens, including the tougher greens such as kale, collard greens, or celery tops. These smoothie makers will give you smoother liquid, compared with other blenders.
However, even if you have an inexpensive blender you can make spinach smoothies without worrying about rough texture spinach is soft enough, so most blenders will handle spinach well.
First, when buying fresh spinach it should be dark green and free from any evidence of decay. Choose spinach that has vibrant deep green leaves and stems with no signs of yellowing. The leaves should look fresh and tender, and not be wilted or bruised. Avoid those that have a slimy coating as this is a sign of decay. Slightly wilted spinach can be revived to freshness by dipping it in cold water.
Do not wash spinach before storing as the exposure to water encourages spoilage. Place spinach in a plastic storage bag and wrap the bag tightly around the spinach, squeezing out as much of the air as possible. Place in refrigerator where it will keep fresh for up to 5 days.
Prior to preparing a smoothie, wash spinach under running water. If using non organic spinach, you may want to soak or spray it with a biodegradable wash, then rinse. Use a salad spinner to dry.
The leaves can be used as is. You dont need to remove the stalks, as you would for a salad.
Put the leaves into your smoothie blender together with your fruits and veggies bananas, strawberries, apples, celery, etc.
Thats basically all there is to it!
Spinach Smoothie Recipes
Here are a few green smoothie recipes with spinach for you to try!
I encourage you to experiment mixing spinach with other fruits, greens and vegetables. Also, Im really not good with exact proportions, so you will need to experiment with quantities, to get that perfect green smoothie for your taste.
More Green Smoothie Recipes with Spinach
Spinach-Mixed-Berries
2-4 cups of fresh spinach
a handful of strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/4 blackberries (fresh or frozen)
1/4 raspberries (fresh or frozen)
(OR 1 cup of mixed berries from BJs)
2 bananas (fresh or frozen)
1 1/2 cup water (more or less, to desired consistency)
For the Mixed Berries Smoothie I usually use frozen organic mixed berries I buy at BJs a big 3 lbs bag for $9.99 they are amazing in smoothies and this is simply my favorite smoothie!
Spinach-Blueberry
1 large banana, ripe
1 cup blueberries, frozen (or Wild Blueberries from BJs)
1 cup oz spinach, fresh
1 1/2 cups water (more or less, to desired consistency)
This is my sons favorite. For this smoothie, Im using frozen Wild Blueberries from BJs a big 3 lbs bag for $7.99 they are amazing in smoothies and this is simply my favorite smoothie!
Spinach-Mixed Tropical Fruit
1 large banana, ripe and peeled
1/4 avocado
6 oz spinach, fresh
1/2 cup pineapple, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup mango, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup grapes, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen
1 1/2 cup water (more or less, to desired consistency)
For this smoothie, Im using frozen mixed fruits from BJs a big 5 lbs bag for $9.99 great value and taste!
Spinach-Pear-Celery
2 pears
1 stalk of celery
1 cup spinach
1 cup water
Spinach-Peach
6 peaches
2 handfuls of spinach leaves
2 cups water
Spinach-Kiwi
1 banana
2 peaches
2 handfuls of spinach leaves
1 cup water
Spinach-Watermelon-Strawberries
One half small seeded watermelon, peel and all
10 strawberries
1 bunch spinach
1 cup water
Spinach-Mango Green Smoothie
1 large banana, ripe
1 cup mangoes
1/2 cup strawberries
5 oz spinach
1 1/2 cups water
Spinach-Banana-Orange Smoothie Recipe
2 large ripe bananas
2 oranges
2 large handfuls of baby spinach
Spinach and Cantaloupe Melon Smoothie Recipe
1/2 cantaloupe melon
1 cup of spinach
Spinach-Tomato
Here is a savory recipe for a spinach-tomato smoothie:
4 ripe plum tomatoes
1 handful of spinach leaves
4 leaves of basil leaves
One note here on using frozen fruits in your smoothies. Personally, I dont like smoothies that are really cold, so if Im using a lot of frozen ingredients, I add some hot water to the mix to make them room (or rather my stomach) temperature. I know that many people like frozen drinks, but drinking a lot of frozen smoothies is not really that healthy, in my opinion.
I admit I am totally hooked on green smoothies!
I never use exact recipes I constantly experiment by adding different ingredients, depending on what sounds good to my body each day.
Although some smoothies taste more delicious than others, I havent been disappointed yet!
Note: Because of the high oxalic acid content of spinach, some experts recommend to keep your spinach intake down to once or twice a week. While I dont subscribe to the view that greens (including those rich in oxalic acid, such as spinach) are dangerous, if you have any health issues such as kidney stones, speak to a qualified doctor or nutritionist about your concerns and any changes to your diet.
Now that you know how to make some basic spinach recipes, you can experiment with other variations on this theme. When you are ready, start incorporate other, stronger tasting greens into your smoothies.
For all my blending recipes I use Vitamix. If you dont already own a VitaMix, I strongly encourage you to check out what this machine is capable of! For more information about VitaMix you can go directly to the VitaMix website. You may also want to read my post about the Best Blender.
I LOVE my VitaMix and highly recommend investing in one if you are ready to make serious changes to your diet. I have had mine for almost 5 years and use it daily!
If you decide to purchase Vitamix be sure to use Promotional Code 06-004554 to get free shipping.
The Making of Spinach Smoothie: Inside of my Vitamix
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
If you have a favorite recipe, why not submit it here in the comment section of this smoothie recipes blog for others to enjoy too!
I also welcome any comments, questions and suggestions. Thanks!
So, how do you prepare a spinach smoothie? When preparing spinach smoothie recipes, as in the case in most other greens, feel free to experiment and include a wide
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