I started to make green smoothies about half a year ago because I wanted to continually add healthier nutrients to my diet. When I started my full-time job, life got too busy to eat healthy consistently. The days of being able to sit down with a hearty bowl of breakfast were over. With little sleep on busy mornings, I constantly found myself grabbing a quick bite on the go—but grabbing a banana off my kitchen counter to eat while I sat in traffic got boring real fast. These quick snacks didn’t provide enough energy for the better part of the day, and I crashed before the morning wrapped up. Since discovering green smoothies, I found them to be a very reliable source of energy and a great alternative to start my morning—so, so long boring bananas!
Although both great, I personally like green smoothies more than I like green juices. A blended cup of greens retains more pulp made from the fruits and vegetables. In return, green smoothies are more filling, which curbs my cravings until lunchtime. The pulp not only provides a great source of vitamin A, C, potassium, magnesium, and minerals but more fiber, too. Plus, in contrast to regular fruit smoothies, green smoothies provide longer lasting energy and more balanced sugar content. Not to mention, they’re an easy—and delicious!—way to get more vegetables in your diet.
Below are my three favorite recipes for simple green smoothies. All of these recipes are delicious, quick to make, and are a healthier boost of energy than a regular cup of coffee. The ingredients in each recipe were finalized through research, trial and error, and my personal tastes. Green smoothies are great because they can be changed up however you like! The best part is they can also be made the night before so you can just grab and go the next morning (they stay fresh for up to 24 hours in the fridge).
Each smoothie takes less than 8 minutes to prepare and makes 1 single serving.
3 Easy Green Smoothies To Make Every Morning
by Jennifer Pham
Ingredients
Recipe 1: Orange Kale Smoothie
2 kale leaves
¼ medium-sized lime (or lemon), juiced
½ small cucumber
½ celery stalk
½ cup fresh orange juice (when running low on time I just use store bought orange juice)
¼ cup water
Recipe 2: Spinach Pear-Apple Smoothie
1-handful spinach
½ small cucumber
¼ medium-sized lime (or lemon), juiced
½ granny smith apple
¼ green pear
½ cup almond milk
Recipe 3: Pineapple Swiss Chard Smoothie
2 Swiss chard leaves
½ celery stalk
½ small cucumber
¼ medium-sized lemon, juiced
½ cup pineapple juice (you can use freshly chopped pineapples, too!)
¼ water
1 pinch of freshly grated ginger
Directions
Wash all vegetables and throw them into your blender. Add your liquids and blend until you get your preferred consistency. I like to blend mine until it’s nice and smooth. You can add more liquids depending on how creamy or fluid you want your smoothie.
Note: If you want to make this in a juicer, simply double the ingredients.
Enjoy!
What’s your favorite fast and healthy breakfast?
Also by Jennifer: 6 Simple Ways to Do a Mental Detox
5 Easy Ways to Transition to a Raw Diet
Related: Coconut Almond Green Protein Smoothie
6 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Green Smoothie
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Photos: Jennifer Pham
