The Green Machine

Many of you know that I have a "Green Smoothie" everyday- usually for breakfast but sometimes I will have a bowl of oatmeal and hold off on my smoothie until lunch or snack time. But, I typically have a Green Smoothie everyday at some point. Many of you have been asking for the recipe so, I thought I would blog about it! I LOVE smoothies and I specifically love this one because it is so easy to consume a daily serving of fruits and veggies in one delicious drink. I've found that this smoothie is great for many reasons and health benefits.

1. It's GOOD for you! No unnecessary added sugar and no heavy dairy products (I'm not knocking yogurt and milk based smoothies, I typically tend to stay away from too much dairy in general for health reasons and vocal reasons).

2. It's filling. It's a great grab-and-go snack and it satisfies my appetite in the morning or during the day. It's great for anyone trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.

3. It's GREAT for your skin and complexion! After drinking one of these everyday for about 2 weeks, I started to notice a difference in my skin- like it was glowing!

4. It's cheap to make! All of the ingredients needed will last a week or two in your home or refrigerator! Also, most of the veggies and fruit needed for the smoothie you can enjoy on their own too with meals or a snack!


Here is the Recipe:
*Makes enough for 2-3 days worth of smoothie. (1 glass per day- about 12oz.)
- About 150 calories per serving.

* Tip: I don't add ice to my smoothies so I like to make them the night before and enjoy the next day so that they've had hours to chill in the fridge.

What you'll Need:

• Bag of Fresh Spinach (find this in the produce aisle near the salad.)
• Celery (2-3 stalks)
• Bag of green Granny Smith apples (2-3 for one pitcher of smoothie)
• Bananas (need 1 for one batch)
• Lemon Juice (1-2 tbsp)
• 2 cups of Water

- Fill a blender pitcher with 2 cups of water.

- Add as much spinach as you like. I use a VERY large handful of baby spinach from a bag. Don't let the spinach scare you,  it really doesn't have much of a taste. Besides you're going to add some yummy fruit that will change the flavor of your smoothie. Blend until you basically have green water.

- Next, cut up 2-3 stalks of celery and add. Blend.

- Cut up 2-3 small granny smith apples. I determine how many based on the size of my apples. If they're all pretty small, I'll use three. If there happens to be a larger one in the bag, I'll use that one and a small one. You decide, you can't mess this up! Add the apple slices and blend.

- Add 1 whole, peeled banana. Blend.

-Add a tablespoon or two of lemon juice. Fresh squeezed if possible but juice from the bottle is fine too.  I add this to taste. Sometimes I feel the smoothie needs more so I'll add more. Blend.

You should have a full pitcher of what we call "Green Slime" in our house. Feel free to add any berries you have too. Blueberries, Strawberries, frozen mixed berries- all will be good! I remove the blender top and cover the blender with plastic wrap and a rubberband around the plastic wrap to give it a good seal.

** After the smoothie has been sitting in the fridge, sometimes the juices tend to "separate". Just giving it a good stir with a spoon or putting the top on and blending it for a second will stir all of these juices back up and you can enjoy!

XO,
Emily