Green Smoothies (aka Ode to the Blendtec)

Green smoothies.  That's what we're drinkin these days.

As a pediatric nurse I often have discussions with families about how to make healthy lifestyle choices, such as getting 5 or more fruits or vegetables in their diet per day.  And let's be honest.  It is not so easy to do.  Looking back on what I ate yesterday, I think I can count a clementine, the tomato sauce in my lunch, aaaaaand...?  maybe a couple of pieces of avocado in my sushi roll?  Could be worse, but since both tomatoes and avocados are technically fruits, that means nary a vegetable snuck its way onto the menu.  Wah wahh.  What would the kids say.

Enter the green smoothie.

We make these bad boys on our Blendtec, which is my absolute #1 favorite kitchen appliance of all time.  I had a coworker once who was obseeeessed with her Blendtec and would talk nonstop about all the things she and her five children would make with it -  homemade peanut butter!  Soups ("it actually heats up!")  Ice cream!  Nut flours!  Almond milk!  Literally, she would go on and on and it was fascinating to listen to, like a real live infomercial, filling my head with visions of perfectly blended smoothies that I would make for my perfectly nourished future children.

And now I am that coworker, and I am sorry, but I will not apologize for loving on this blender.  Its ability to pulverize things like an entire apple (or, say, an iPhone) down to teeny tiny imperceptible specks makes it worth every penny.  Don't nobody want to see spinach sprinkles in their beverage, amirite?

This morning the little lady was subjected treated to:

Tropical Green Smoothie

1/2 c orange juice

1/2 c vanilla almond milk (unsweetened)

1 apple

1 banana

1 handful kale 

1/2 c frozen pineapple chunks

heaping spoonful vanilla yogurt

You don't need to add a lot of liquid with this blender since it literally turns things into juice.  And instead of ice cubes I use frozen fruit.  I buy the big bags of frozen strawberries and frozen pineapple at Costco so even if I don't have any fresh fruit on hand, I can whip something up with that.

You can just press the "Smoothie" button, walk away, and the Blendtec will do the rest.

So... green.

What will the tiny judge think.

(It's -2 degrees outside and you're feeding me a smoothie?)

Hooray!  A crowd pleaser.  When I'm not working I try to make one of these for the little lady and myself every morning, so that no matter what else we eat during the day (Cheerios for her, de-frosted Costco cake for me), at least we've already checked 4 fruits/veggies off our list.

Other variations:

PB&J Smoothie

1 1/2 cups vanilla almond/soy milk

1 banana

1 c frozen strawberries

1/4 c oatmeal

heaping spoonful peanut butter

heaping spoonful vanilla yogurt

Not green, but still tasty.  A breakfast in a glass.  Adding oatmeal and peanut butter to the smoothie makes it that much more filling.  

Strawberry Spinach Smoothie

1 1/2 cups vanilla almond/soy milk

1 handful spinach

1 cup frozen strawberries

heaping spoonful vanilla yogurt

You can also add some chocolate sauce to this one and it will be extra delish.  You won't even be able to taste the spinach. The color will be pretty horrific, but you've got to be in it to win it.