Do you always skip breakfast because you’ve got no time for it?
Or worse, do you eat cereal for breakfast? (Cereal is a terrible breakfast food.)
What if I told you there was a breakfast meal that was not only nutritious but could get you all the way to lunch without the need for a snack.
Well, such meal does exist, and it’s called a green smoothie.
Why I love green smoothies:
- They get your day off to a nutritionally sound start
- They allow people who aren’t really into veggies to get veggies into them on a daily basis
- They provide a nice fluid boost at the start of the day
- They’re quick and easy to make
- They can be drunk ‘on the run’ if needed
- They’re easy on our digestive systems and contain no artificial ingredients or preservatives
- Whatever goes into the blender comes out of the blender – no key nutrients or fibrous material is being stripped away in the process
- It’s easy to mix and match ingredients till you find a favourite combo
What do you need to make green smoothies?
Just a regular high-powered blender. You definitely don’t need a Vitamix or anything expensive like that.
How do you make it smooth?
Blend your leafy green + liquid first for a solid 30-60 seconds first (on high) and then add the rest of the ingredients after.
The lid of most blenders also comes with a strainer at the pour point which ensures anything lumpy never makes it into your glass.
What should I put in my green smoothie?
The basic equation is:
1 cup of leafy green + 1 cup of liquid + 1.5 cups of fruit
While this basic recipe is great – it won’t get you through to lunch time (i.e. you will feel hungry an hour after drinking it).
So you need to boost your smoothie with protein and fat to make it a more complete meal.
Ways to add protein
- Use milk, almond milk, coconut milk or soy milk as the liquid base
- Add a handful of almonds or almond butter
- A quality protein powder (one that doesn’t have any additives, added sugar or numbers in the ingredients – this one is my favourite as I am dairy intolerant)
- Half a cup of oats (oats + milk + fruit + spinach is a yummy green smoothie)
- Natural full-fat yoghurt
- More ideas here
Ways to add a healthy fat
- Add a tablespoon of a nut butter (like almond or cashew nut butter)
- Add a small handful of nuts
- Add half an avocado
- Add a tablespoon of coconut oil
- Add a tablespoon of flaxseed oil
- Add 2 tablespoons of chia seeds (you’ll need to soak these in a liquid for 5-10 minutes before adding them to your smoothie)
Does your smoothie need superfoods?
Goji berries, spirulina, acai, cacao powder, maca powder … these things are generally expensive and if you really want to add them to your green smoothie, go nuts. But, so long as you’ve got protein and healthy fats covered in your smoothie, you’ve got a complete meal. There really is no need to add ‘superfoods’ into the mix.
Green smoothie quick guide
Want all of the above information in a handy printable guide? Just click on the image below to download the pdf.
