One of my favorite quick meals is the green smoothie. I call this one the Green Super Smoothie because it’s made with superfoods and usually makes me feel super! Green smoothies aren’t for everyone, but if you do like them, you probably already know that they are packed with all kinds of good things, like vitamins, antioxidants and enzymes from raw foods. The ingredients you use are up to you, but I am going to share with you a basic recipe that I like, and you can modify it to suit your particular tastes and needs.
I use organic ingredients whenever possible. Listed below is what I typically add to my Vita-Mixer when I’m brewing up a green smoothie. The number in parentheses represents the calories.
• One medium banana (100)
• One avocado (235)
• One cup leafy greens (10)
• One half cup yogurt or cottage cheese (110)
• Half a medium cucumber, peeled (5)
• One cup frozen fruit (blueberries work well) (85)
• Two tablespoons ground flax seeds (75)
• Two tablespoons chia seeds (140)
• Two tablespoons flax oil (240)
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
• ½ tablespoon turmeric (optional)
• One cup ice (optional)
• One to two cups apple and/or orange juice (120-240)
These ingredients should make enough smoothie for two people, or maybe just one really hungry person. The high-calorie version clocks in at around 1200 calories, but you can definitely do things to bring that number down (or up). For example, I listed the calories for four percent milkfat cottage cheese—two percent would be about half as many calories. The avocado and flax oil are probably the biggest caloric offenders here, representing the majority of the fat calories for this recipe. If you substitute or omit the avocado and/or flax oil and use low-fat dairy or no dairy , you can easily bring the calories under 1000.
Some people like to add protein powder or spirulina to their smoothie—I don’t use protein powder, but I do like to buy whole flax seeds and grind them in a coffee grinder just before I toss them into the blender with the other ingredients. I believe the lignans and omega-3 fatty acids in the flax seeds start to break down pretty quickly, so if you buy them pre-ground at the store, you might be getting less benefit. I also grind up black cumin seeds with the flax seeds to get a flavorful immune-booster in my smoothie. Black cumin, also known as black seed, is mentioned in the Old Testament, and the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have said, “In the black seed is healing for every disease except death.” Sounds good to me.
Once you have all your ingredients in the blender, add the juice. You’ll want to add the juice last so you can visually gauge the correct amount. If you submerge about half the ingredients in juice, that is usually close to the right amount. Use more or less to suit your taste, but try to err on the side of not enough, and add more until it’s just right—too much and your smoothie will be too sweet and watery. It might take a few tries and some modification to get it just the way you like it. Don’t give up just because the first one didn’t turn out so great. Be super and keep trying!