How To Construct The Perfect Green Smoothie

Green smoothies are incredibly good for you and fun to drink. I like to teach my clients to not get too caught up in specific recipes and instead just learn the method to make a great-tasting green drink.

Here's my method for constructing the perfect green smoothie:

The Green Base:

Add 2-3 large handfuls (about 2-3 cups) of leafy greens to the blender.

Spinach has a mild flavor so start there if you're a newbie. Kale, collard greens, chard, romaine and green leafy herbs like cilantro, parsley and mint are all great. There are hundreds of types of greens out there--try any of them and mix things up to find flavor combinations you like.

I usually end up using what was a good price at the store that week and what I have left in the refrigerator. Cucumbers are also a fantastic green addition to your smoothie for both their high nutrition content and high water content (the green peel is excellent for you, but peel it if it's not organic).

The Fruit:

Add about a cup of fruit next for extra antioxidants, texture, and flavor, because let's be honest, a green smoothie can end up tasting like a blended salad.

Greens on their own are wonderful and do taste delicious, adding the fruit just sweetens it up, adds more flavor and packs in more nutrition.

Berries are low in sugar and high in flavor, while ½ a banana or ¼ of an avocado will give your smoothie a super creamy texture. I also find that ½ of a banana really sweetens the entire drink.

A half teaspoon of citrus zest will add amazing flavor, and a squeeze of citrus juice will amp up the immune-boosting properties of your smoothie. Keep your green smoothie to at least double, preferably triple, greens to fruit ratio to keep the sugar content of your drink low and reasonable (no blood sugar spikes here!).

The Nut or Seed Superfood Add-In:

Next into the blender: add a tablespoon or two of a nut or seed superfood add-in for even more nutrition and a little bit of good fat.

Some of the nutrients in plants, specifically vitamins A, K, E, and D are fat-soluble, meaning they need to be accompanied by some fat to be absorbed properly. (Another reason fat-free salad dressing isn't a great option, but that's another post for another day.)

Adding in flax seeds, flax oil, chia seeds, hemp seeds, raw almonds or raw walnuts accomplishes that. Each of those things is full of good omega-3 fats, protein, and tons of other nutrients as well.

(Quick note, this should be a tablespoon or two, so about 6-8 nuts. No need to be adding ½ cup of nut butter or handfuls of nuts to your smoothie, too much will slow down your digestion.)

The Liquid:

Add ½ - 1 cup purified water, coconut water or unsweetened nut milk to help the blender work its magic and turn your smoothie into a drinkable texture.

Add more filtered water as needed to blend your green smoothie to your desired texture.

The Extras:

If you need a little sweetness to make it palatable, try adding a tablespoon of organic raw honey (keep it raw to keep the enzymes and nutrients intact) or a few organic (pitted) dates.

Just be mindful of how much sugar you're adding to prevent blood sugar spikes.

6-10 drops of liquid stevia will also sweeten it up a bit without adding any extra sugar if you feel good with stevia.

Also feel free to add in any more veggies if you're feeling adventurous and the spirit moves you (broccoli, anyone?).

The Method:

Add all ingredients to your blender and blend away. You may need to pause and push the ingredients down a few times to help your blender along.

Quick Tips:

• Wash all produce and use organic ingredients whenever possible.
• Blend for about 30 seconds at a time until the desired texture is achieved. Always be careful to not let the speed of the blender heat the smoothie-heat kills the enzymes and some of the nutrients.
• Warm smoothies rarely taste good. Frozen fruit or a few ice cubes go a long way to making your smoothie a tasty treat.
• Your green drink might turn out purple or another wild color from the other ingredients; it doesn't actually have to be the color green to be a green drink.
• Run the blender under hot water right after you pour your smoothie into a glass and let it sit while you drink. Then just rinse it and let it air dry for easy/quick cleanup.
• For inquiring minds, I have both a Vitamix blender and a Nutribullet blender. Both are great, the Vitamix is bigger and has more power (better for large batches and frozen stuff) and the Nutribullet is great for smaller smoothies and you can drink right out of the cup you blend in. Any blender is fine, and I suggest investing in a high-speed, good-quality one that had a warranty, is easy to clean, and has a good amount of power to blend your smoothies.

Check out my favorite Spinach Smoothie Recipe to get started!

More Healthy Smoothies

• Simple Blueberry Smoothie Recipe
• Strawberry Banana Smoothie Recipe
• Frozen Banana & Cacao Recipe
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie Recipe

You can also check out even more ideas in my Healthy Smoothie Recipe index.