Tuesday, January 15, 2013

"Green" Fruit Smoothie














I mentioned that after recently traveling to ATL to visit my family, that Jen was pushing Green Fruit Smoothies when I was there.  I love fruit smoothies, Rockin Raspberry from Tropical Smoothie is my favorite, but I thought it was quite interesting to put in leafy green spinach leaves and other stuff as well.

I love fruit, but even when we buy it pre-cut at Publix, most times it will not get fully eaten.  The green fruit smoothie tasted great and I liked the idea you can just sip it on the go.  So we signed up for a Costco membership to get some less expensive produce and fruits to get started on some of our own. 

You do not have to follow Jen's recipe to a T, feel free to experiment like I have been.  We got the 4lb Three Frozen Berry Mix from Costco, which has Raspberries, Blackberries and Blueberries.  Those are all supposed to be very good for you, high in anti-oxidants and normally I wouldn't eat Blackberries or Blueberries individually, but they work great in the smoothie.  I thought there were Strawberries in there too, but I was wrong.  So I'd suggest getting a bag of those as well.

But here is what I put in, all rough estimates.


















2 cups Costco frozen raspberry/blackberry/blueberry mix blend
1 banana
Handful of spinach leaves
2 TBSP flaxseed meal
Small amount of milk
About 6 cubes of ice and a little water to thin it out

With the 3 dark berry mix, mine doesn't come close to being green and neither did Jen's, but it is still a nice healthy "green" smoothie.  No extra sugar or additives and most importantly it tastes good.

Of course, it will need to be convenient to continue and here's how I accomplished that.  If I had to pull out the blender each time or had a big cleanup effort, the idea would fail.  So I now keep the blender out on the counter and each morning I prepare a smoothie in less than 5 minutes and put it in a big plastic cup and I'm on my way out the door.  I drink it on the drive in to work and then I bring the cup back inside when I get home.  The key for me is rinsing out the blender right after pouring the smoothie.  That way, the mix doesn't get caked to the side, making it difficult to clean.  You just rinse it out right away, clean it out and put it back on the stand.  All ready for the next day! 

And if possible, try to get straws with a large opening to make it easier to slurp down.  Or you can just add a little extra water or let it sit for a minute or two.  But even with a regular bendy straw and drinking it right away, I was able to finish about 24oz on my approx 30 minute drive to work, so no biggie either way.   

I'm not drinking the smoothie as a way to lose weight or anything, more just to get in daily servings of fruit and vegetables in an easy/tasty way.  I plan to possibly add in some Whey protein eventually in my quest to put on 10 lbs this year.  Will see how that works, I'll be looking for a tasteless Whey supplement soon, if you have suggestions let me know. 

Do you have a great tasting smoothie recipe or any specific tips?  Please drop a comment below and share the wealth! 

2 comments :

Jen said...

Looks great! Def. have to rinse after you make it and the clean up isn't bad.

Chris said...

Yep, agreed, takes two seconds when it's freshly poured to clean things out. I think I'll add a sentence or two about trying to find big straws or letting it sit for a little bit.

 
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