This green smoothie is truly delicious - it's packed with spinach and even cucumber, but balanced with the two things bitter greens need most: fat and sugar. Bananas, pineapple, apple, and mango add vital sweetness and tons of nutrition, and a little avocado adds a luscious green flavor as well as healthy fats.
1small applecored, or 1/2 large apple (I like fuji because it's sweet)
1/2cupsliced cucumbersabout 1/4 of a medium sized cucumber
1cupfrozen pineapple chunkssee notes
1cupfrozen mango chunkssee notes
2bananas
1cupwatersee notes
Instructions
Add the spinach (2 cups), avocado (½), apple (½ small, cored), sliced cucumbers (½ cup), pineapple (1 cup), mango (1 cup), and bananas (2) to your blender. Pour in the water.
Turn your blender on low until the ingredients combine well, tamping down as needed (or pausing to scrape down the sides). Then, turn your blender on high until the smoothie has blended thoroughly (about 30 seconds).
Pour into two - four glasses and enjoy!
Notes
This smoothie recipe is good for 2-4 servings, depending on how much you want, but the nutrition information is estimated at 2 servings.
Baby spinach is easily accessible, has a mild taste, and usually comes pre-washed at the grocery store. Other greens can be used - mature spinach, kale, lettuce, etc., but keep in mind the more mature the greens the more bitter the taste. Read more about preparing kale here, including tips to remove some bitterness from the greens.
Pineapple and mango add sweetness to the smoothie without muddying the green color. Other yellow fruit can be used - peaches, for example. A red peel on an apple won't muddy the color down in this smoothie.
Frozenfruit is great because the cold temperature of the smoothie helps balance any bitterness from the greens. I usually use frozen pineapple and mango, and fresh bananas, but you can use frozen bananas and frozen avocado if you like.
Avocado adds healthy fats to the smoothie as well as enhances the green color. The fat also helps balance any bitterness from the spinach and cucumber. Whole milk yogurt, nut butter, or even a little coconut oil, will achieve the same effect.
Instead of water, you can use milk or plant milk (which will also add some fat and protein to the smoothie) or juice (for a sweeter smoothie - if you happen to use canned pineapple here, the juice it's packed in works great!)