Pages

Sunday, March 25, 2012

It must be the health, cuz it aint yo' taste...

I need a green smoothie, I need a green smoothie!

That's exactly how I feel lol. These drinks (they way I make them anyway) are not tasty at all, but they make me feel amazing! Because they are packed with so many amazing nutrients, I get a burst of energy within seconds of drinking a couple gulps of this stuff down. I imagine this is what Popeye felt like when he ate his can of spinach!

Since I'm always tweeting and instagraming photos of my green smoothies, I felt it would only be right if I make my return to the Blogosphere by making a post about what exactly goes in each one. So yes friends, this post will become the first in my "It must be the health, cuz it aint yo' taste..." series that I hope you will enjoy! BTW, Don't you love my title? lol.

Before I get to the ingredients, I must explain how I choose what will be in each smoothie.
It's actually pretty simple...If it's green and leafy then I'm all for it! I "allow" myself to have only one fruit in each smoothie recipe. I know adding the delicious and sweet flavors of fruit will make it more enjoyable, but the entire point of me drinking these are for health purposes. For so long I enjoyed what I ate and look where it got me...overweight and unhappy, so therefore, I suck it up and drink until the benefits kick in and I instantly forget of how unsavory this treat is.

the
"Super Power Smoothie" 
ingredients

All of these ingredients were bought at Trader Joe's

2 cups of water
Half of a cucumber
Half bag of Kale
Half bag of Spinach
2 Kiwis (They are small so I used two. Sue me! lol)
4 tablespoons of Organic Hemp Protein Powder
2 tablespoons of Organic Flax Oil

This will make 4 to 6 8 oz smoothies!


I forgot to take pics before I blended the cucumbers. 

Kale

I blend each vegetable one at a time.

Spinach


Kiwi 
(see how small they are?)









So many people ask me if this is thick or not, so I shot a really quick video for you chicas so you can see the consistency for yourself. 


They are so many great ingredients to this smoothie, but of course the heavy hitters in this recipe are the green leafy veggies, Spinach and Kale!

SOME of the benefits of Spinach include iron, antioxidant vitamins A & K, fiber, calcium and protein. Only 40 calories per one cup.
Detailed list of benefits can be found here.

SOME of the benefits of Kale: High in antioxidant vitamins A, C & K. Good source of minerals copper, manganese, iron, phosphorus and potassium. Only 36 calories per one cup.
Detailed list of benefits can be found here.

Also, as you can clearly see, I used dietary supplements, Organic Hemp Protein Powder and Organic Flax Oil. The flax oil has no taste at all, while the protein powder was vanilla flavored. I prefer it not to be flavored at all, but they only had chocolate and vanilla flavored ones at my local Trader Joe's, so I chose that one over chocolate (a chocolate green smoothie sounds disgusting in my opinion). The vanilla flavor wasn't strong, but it was noticeable so keep that in mind if you choose to buy that.

Well I hope this post is helpful!

-CharyJay



26 comments:

  1. very helpful! this is right up my interest alley...going to try this!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Do i need a special blender for this?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love green smoothies!! Thanks for this one. I use apples and pineapples in mine.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for the comments everyone!

    @Meka you don't need a special one for this at all. Just make sure everything is blended well. You don't wanna a lumpy smoothie...no bueno lol! :o)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What kind of blender do you have? I use spinach in mine, because I do not like kale, and mine is always a bit chunky.

      Delete
    2. I have a ninja and love it.
      @naturally single - you should try baby spinach instead to help with the chunkiness.

      Delete
  5. I love Green Smoothies too I have one everyday during the week. I use banana & blueberries in mine, currently I have the standard Nina Master Prep blender but I want to upgrade.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love them..I usually add Greek yogurt and frozen banana.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for the recipe! I've been using spinach, but haven't tried kale yet. Since this makes 4-6 servings, do you freeze it?

    http://allthingsmeee.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Consider adding a banana or two to your green smoothies. They'll taste much better and you'll be adding in lots of potassium!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love green smoothies and I experienced the same results. I also add nutritional yeast for amino acids and b-vitamins. It does alter the tast but it's packed with good stuff. Keep up the good work!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I juice kale, a cucumber, 1/2 lemon, 2 green apples, ginger, and I sometimes throw in a orange or carrots to sweeten it a bit.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had a typo that I wanted to delete.. Anyhoo, I heard it's an investment but the high powered blenders like the Vitamix get the smoothies to such as a fine consistency that it makes a difference in taste.

      Delete
  12. Ok, but when do you drink this? Is this for breakfast, lunch, or dinner? I am trying to figure out how to incorporate this into my diet. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  13. This is so awesome that youre doing green smoothies. Im actually starting this week. Im relaunching my youtube channel and was going to do a youtube video about green smoothies and then I saw your video today!! Good luck with your weight loss :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I started green smoothies this week and I'm loving it. My Kitchen Aid blender works great at mixing it all together. I've used a lot of Kale, some romaine lettuce, and an apple each time and it works out to be delish!

    ReplyDelete
  15. This'll be perfect for me, just started to get into smoothies and I'm seeking recipes with the most power & punch as oppose to flavor & taste; thanks so much for sharing!!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Not sure if this has been mentioned, but add a green apple and maybe come lemon to make it taste better.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Have you lost any weight drinking this energy drink? new to your blogs, love ur youtube and facebook. i am a major fan of yours. :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh yeah, I've got to try this recipe!

    ReplyDelete