Central Florida Green Guide

When was the last time your child said, “Mom, can I have more spinach?” What if you could make spinach taste so good, you got that request every day ? Green Smoothies are the answer! A great way to get nutritious greens into your child’s diet (and yours too!) is to blend whole greens and fruit together. The sweetness of the fruit masks the bitterness of the greens and makes for a refreshing and energizing drink any time of the day.

Greens are vitally important in everyone’s diet. They provide vital nutrients like calcium, B vitamins, vitamin C, and Omega 3’s. They also contain much needed soluble fiber, cancer fighting nutrients, and help to alkalize the body which in turn fights sugar cravings and low energy levels. So, there’s no excuse! Time to get your “Green Smoothie Groove” on!

You will want to invest in a quality blender to make really good smoothies. If you are on a budget, I recommend starting with The Magic Bullet. The Magic Bullet is great for small single serving smoothies. It has a high powered motor with strong blades that quickly liquidate food to a good degree. However, if you have an aversion to textures (or a bigger budget!) you will need to invest in a high quality blender like a Vita-Mix or a Blendtec. These blenders completely liquidate food placed in them.  They are so powerful they can blend metal…so be careful with your spoon in these blenders!

Gretchen’s Basic Green Smoothie

3 or more cups of washed organic leafy greens (spinach, romaine, collards or a combination of the three)
1 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice
1 frozen banana
1 tbsp of golden ground flax

Toss in a blender and blend until smooth. It should be BRIGHT Green. Enjoy!

Green and Blue Smoothie

3 or more cups of leafy greens (spinach, romaine, collards or a combination of the three)
1 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice
1 cup of Blueberries or ½ package of frozen Sambazon Acai berries
5 Cashew Nuts

Toss in a blender and blend until smooth. It should look like something from a baby’s diaper. Close your eyes and take a drink. Tastes GREAT!

Green and Gold Smoothie

3 or more cups of leafy greens (spinach, romaine, collards or a combination of the three)
½ cup of pineapple chunks
1 cup of coconut water
5 Almonds

Toss in a blender and blend until smooth. It should look bright green like my basic smoothie. It will be a bit sweeter and probably more enjoyable to those who like sweetened beverages.

Be adventurous, give Green Smoothies a chance! I promise you’ll never look at greens the same way again.