Several months ago, I posted my favorite Green Smoothie recipe, and people have been very enthusiastic about it! Since then, I attended a Raw Food workshop, and was told that leaving out the concentrated fats and proteins (almonds and flaxseed, in this case) would turn my smoothie into a low-fat, easily-digested and highly cleansing drink, appropriate for daily consumption during a 10 day detox, for example.
I was fairly certain that I would get hungry well before lunchtime with these revised smoothies, but decided to give it a shot.
I doubled the amount of greens, berries, and water, left out the almonds and flax, and poured it into two bottles, which I consumed a few hours apart (so, first bottle at 8:30am, second bottle at 10:30am).
And I was pleased (amazed, really) to discover that I’m not starving at lunchtime, and have fewer cravings for sweets (dark chocolate is my weakness 😉 )
So, here’s my revised recipe (which, I should warn you, is NOT as sweet as the original), and the nutritional breakdown.
Cleansing Green Smoothie Recipe (serves 1) :
– 3.5 cups water
– half a pound of spinach (you may want to work up to this quantity)
– 1 frozen banana
– 2 cups frozen mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries)
– 10 frozen strawberries
Add spinach to water, blend til totally broken down (10-20 seconds in a Vitamix). Add frozen fruits, blend again til smooth. Pour equally into two bottles. Note: you can replace the spinach with parsley, kale, chard, or other dark leafy greens. Try it and see what you like. I’ve used dandelion greens in the summer, and plan to try chickweed and lamb’s quarters this summer.
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Nutritional breakdown [nutritiondata.com]
This food is very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Iron, Potassium and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Magnesium and Manganese.
– glycemic load ~19 (very low – that’s good!)
– inflammation factor ~456 (very high – that’s good too!)
– calories 250
– fat 2 grams
– protein 9 grams (~35% DV for a person weighing 150lbs)
– dietary fiber 17 grams
– Vitamin A 380% DV
– Vitamin C 207% DV
– Vitamin E 29% DV
– Vitamin K 1240% DV
– Thiamin 17% DV
– Riboflavin 32% DV
– Niacin 17% DV
– Vitamin B6 46% DV
– Folate 113% DV
– Calcium 27% DV
– Iron 39% DV
– Magnesium 58% DV
– Phosphorus 17% DV
– Potassium 53% DV
– Zinc 13% DV
– Copper 32% DV
– Manganese 161% DV
– Phytosterols ~37mg
Are you a smoothie-lover?
Have you tried adding leafy greens to your smoothies?
Do you want the benefits of a detox, without having to live on lemon juice and maple syrup?
What’s your favorite smoothie recipe?
Hi ms. Landis,
I have taken my own smoothies juice for 12 years that is my breakfast everyday.Here they are all:
-fresh apple
-fresh orange
-fresh celery
-fresh avocado
-fresh aloe vera
-fresh tomato
-fresh canbery,rasbery,berry(if not,use frozen)
-fresh banana
-fresh carrot
-fresh spinach(organic-cheap from Sam)
-fresh broccoli
-raw almond(if not,raw walnut)
Blended with plain water into smooth.
I am 60,and my husband 62.We do not need visit the doctor somehow.
Hope everyone enjoys my recipes.
May-tr.
Thanks for the great ideas, May. I’ve been having smoothies for about 22 years now, but only started adding greens a few years ago, and I must be far less adventurous than you are, as I’ve not tried nearly as many different smoothies as you have!
Hello! I was wondering if you have a good substitute for the bananas in your smoothie recipe, I am allergic and would love to try your recipes. thank you!
Hi, Deidre,
Well, banana serves a few purposes in smoothies.
1) frozen bananas make the smoothie much more thick and creamy than, say, frozen berries.
2) frozen bananas (frozen when ripe, so the peel already has brown spots) add sweetness (the berries are more tart)
Any of my smoothies that are just fruits and greens (without almonds, like this one, and my watermelon one) are highly cleansing, and so you’d want to replace the frozen banana by some other frozen fruit that has a similar sweetness and texture – kiwi, mango, nectarine, and peach would all be reasonable. You might also try coconut water – I used some in my smoothie a few days ago, and it really intensified the sweetness of the other ingredients.
If you’re not so worried about the food-combining aspects of the smoothie, and just want one that’s delicious and takes you through til lunch time, then you could add frozen vanilla yogurt (buy the little half-cup containers, freeze them individually; or buy a large container and freeze it in ice-cube trays).
Good luck, and please let us know what ends up working out well for you!
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