Weekly recipe roundup

I've gotten a lot of questions about green smoothie recipes, so today's roundup is a step-by-step of how I make my smoothies. Keep in mind, though, that this is just a guideline. You can add anything you want, but this will give you the basics on how to make your own.

Ingredients

Here are the essentials: Fresh fruit, frozen fruit, greens, agave. You will need more than shown here, but this gives you an idea of what to buy.

You can use any fresh fruit you want. Apples, oranges and bananas are easy to get and cheap. I also really love fresh pineapple because it takes the bitter out of the greens easier.

You don't have to add any frozen fruit, but it's what makes it a smoothie. If you do all fresh, just add ice. Frozen is good because it's so easy to buy a giant bag of mixed fruit or berries (which are really good for you and turn the smoothie purple) rather than always having to keep so much fresh fruit on hand.

The agave is a natural sweetener that won't spike your blood sugar and is low cal. You don't have to add that either, it's just to make it sweeter.

Not pictured: Flax oil, or other essential oils. This is a great way to get them into your diet without a synthetic pill.

The main greens I use are spinach, kale and red chard (shown here) but you can use any dark leafy green: arugula, swiss chard, carrot tops, beet greens, collards, celery, etc. If you can't find them in your grocery store, try the organic section or a store like Whole Foods or Sunflower Market. I wash and cut up my greens and put them in a Tupperware Fridge Smart container so they're crisp and ready to go.

Instructions (for 4-cup smoothie)

Put 1 to 2 cups of water in your blender. Fill to the top with greens, unpacked.

Blend for about 30-60 seconds, or until liquefied.

Cut up fresh fruit and add to blender.

I usually give it a whirl for a few seconds to make room for the frozen fruit, which is added on top. Pictured here is a strawberry, mango and pineapple mix from Sam's Club.

Add agave (anywhere from a few tablespoons to 1/4 cup, to taste).

Using the smoothie button (if you have one), blend until smooth.

Pour in a portable drink container (like flip-top lid or nalgene bottle) or festive glass and drink up.

I have half of the smoothie throughout the morning and save the other half for my drive in to work around 2:30. You can drink it throughout the morning and the early part of your day and not even need lunch. The more greens you add, the longer you stay full.


Cheers!