Sweet Green Love Smoothie

Love is in the air with this delicious treat!

First, I must share a little fact about me! Some of you may already know that I am not the biggest fan of smoothies – not because they aren’t super nutritious – but because I simply don’t like cold drinks! I even drink just plain hot water – yep, that’s right…plain hot water! But that said, I am trying to drink more smoothies because they really are delicious and are a bonus for a healthy lifestyle! I can get a nutritious meal or snack VERY easily with smoothies! Another bonus is that cleanup is a breeze.

Here is one of my favorites– I call it Sweet Green Love. The slight sweetness balances the greens and makes me feel so good when I drink it!

Here are the ingredients you will need:

• 2 cups organic unsweetened coconut milk (or any other unsweetened non-dairy milk like almond, oat, or hemp!)
• 1 cup organic kale (big stems removed) – or 2 cups and don’t use the spinach
• 1 cup organic spinach – or 2 cups and don’t use the kale
• 1 cup organic green grapes (I keep these in the freezer, but fresh is fine!)
• 1 organic granny smith apple (cored & quartered) – peeled if you want a “smoother” juice or if you don’t like the skins! Keeping the skins on does add more fiber.
• 3 dates, pitted – this is OPTIONAL! If you want some extra sweetness or if you are just starting to adapt your palate to a more “green” diet, then try adding the dates initially!
• 1 scoop Garden of Life organic vegan vanilla powder – this is OPTIONAL! This will give you some extra nutrients and protein!
• 1 TBSP organic hemp seeds
• ½ tsp. Navitas naturals organic turmeric powder

I use a Vitamix and set it to the Smoothie cycle. But I do run that cycle twice. The total time to blend is about 1 – 2 minutes. This will depend on the blender you use though – simply blend until your desired consistency.

Smoothies are versatile and you can easily swap ingredients and adapt the thickness (for example add banana for a thicker smoothie or use more liquid for a thinner creation). I share this recipe just as a guideline and encourage you to modify it to your liking. I usually use a base of 2 cups of non-dairy milk and 3 – 4 cups of veggies/fruit. The powders and seeds are optional but always a nice addition. I can get 2 large or 3 small smoothies out of one batch and they will easily last in the fridge for that time.

Here are a few tips to consider for making smoothies a snap…

1. Buy large containers of spinach and fresh kale and clean it and bag it as soon as you get it. This makes these greens super accessible to quickly add to a smoothie (or any dish for that matter!).
2. Use bagged frozen fruit versus fresh to avoid having to clean/cut. You get just as many nutrients as with fresh fruit and have fruits available even if they aren’t in season for your area.
3. In the summer during months where fresh fruit or veggies are in season, consider buying extra and cleaning then freezing for easy addition to smoothies.
4. If you like a thicker, creamier smoothie…add ½ to 1 FROZEN banana. When you buy your bananas, peel them, put them in a freezer-safe container, and put them in the freezer. They last a lot longer and they are in the frozen format that helps make your smoothies thick and creamy!

Lastly, cleaning the blender can be much easier than cleaning a juicer! Simply add enough water to cover the blades and a drop of dish-detergent and let the blender run on high speed for about a minute. Rinse out the blender and let air dry! Of course, a good extra “scrub” may be required occasionally, but doing this quick detergent rinse can help to keep the blender clean.

Enjoy your creations and please leave me a comment or reach out to let me know how it goes! Cheers!

Thanks for veggin’ out with me, The Happy Vegan! 😊