Eating more vegetables without knowing it: Green Smoothies

They look totally, utterly disgusting and unappetizing….. but surprisingly, they don’t taste like vegetables especially if you put mangoes in to puree rather than other fruits.

This is what it looks like:

WHY YOU SHOULD DRINK YOUR VEGETABLES

I don’t like just juicing them and getting the juice.

You miss out on the fiber, and the whole plant itself which is good for your body.

Speaking of which, making a smoothie out of these whole vegetables, means your body can absorb it a lot easier because it’s already been broken down; instead of chewing it, you’re pureeing it, and drinking it. Your body takes it in a lot easier.

Your body is not able to break down all the fibers in vegetables either, which is why it’s great to be like a brush for the inside of your colon.

Also, drinking your vegetables means you get more of them throughout the day… without even tasting them.

WHAT IT TASTES LIKE

Depending on what you put in, it tastes differently. Spinach and spinach has practically no flavour when it’s raw, so it’s the easiest one for people to puree and drink.

The ones I really taste are broccoli, beets, wheatgrass and anything with a strong flavour. You can really taste the broccoli as a slight bitter aftertaste; this doesn’t bother me, but it might bother others.

If you put in strong flavoured fruits like vegetables and especially bananas, this will help mask the salad-y flavour.

VEGETABLES I THROW IN:

• Baby Spinach
• Baby Kale
• Broccoli — Just the florets, not the stems

I can’t think of any others to puree up nicely as whole vegetables.

VEGETABLES I AVOID:

• Beets — REALLY disgusting as a juice, I prefer it cooked, plus doesn’t puree well.
• Celery — Gross. Hate the taste. Always have.
• Cucumber — Ditto. Always hated the taste.
• Carrots — Don’t puree well unless cooked

FRUITS THAT ARE GREAT IN THIS:

Anything soft works.

Anything that is too fibrous like pineapple, will leave a chunk of fiber in there.

Be forewarned.

• Mangoes — They REALLY cover the taste of the vegetables (however mild)
• Berries — Gets expensive though!! Blueberries, Raspberries, Strawberries — all good for you.
• Bananas — I put in a whole banana per drink and it adds a nice creaminess
• Stone fruit (peaches, etc)
• Peaches (skin off)
• Apples (skin off)

MY GENERAL RECIPE

• Whole or half a mango (depends on how generous I feel) — You could freeze this for another taste
• 1 – 2 cups of packed organic baby spinach
• ….and/or kale
• ….and/or broccoli florets (2 big handfuls)
• …and/or wheatgrass (one pinch, I’m trying it out but I am not convinced it helps any..)
• 1 whole banana — Could also freeze this for another taste to give it a real “smoothie” feel
• 1/4 cup of water (you can also use almond milk, soy milk, milk, etc)

PICTORAL EXAMPLE:

Throw it all in a blender, puree until smooth. REALLY SMOOTH and silky.

I’d start with the harder vegetables like the broccoli florets (one at a time), to get it pureed before adding in the easier vegetables or fruits like mangoes and bananas to puree.

Start on a low speed to get it chopped up, then increase the speed of the immersion blender to something higher and faster so it gets SUPER pureed.

You can also try to freeze the mangoes and bananas to give it a more smoothie / iced taste.

I use an Immersion blender for this, and I start with just the spinach by itself with water, puree that REALLY well, and then I throw in the fruit.

Makes a big 16 oz cup that tastes just like a fruit smoothie.

It’d look like it too if it wasn’t so green.

You can also try adding in a spoonful of flax seeds, hemp seeds, etc. It adds a nice nutty crunch flavour to it.

You can also freeze the mangoes or bananas to puree it to make it a cold smoothie, which is refreshing on a hot day.

COST: About $2.25 (mango, organic veggies, 1 banana); no taxes

RETAIL COST: $7 (before tax), so it’s $7.91 here in Ontario

Savings = $5.66 a drink

1 green smoothie a day = $169.80 saved a month or $2037.60 a year

HAVE YOU EVER TRIED A GREEN SMOOTHIE?