There are two things that almost all health gurus seem to agree that we should do: get more sleep and eat more green veggies. In fact, statistically, these are two things most of us are pretty bad at! I confess, I’m still seriously lacking in the sleep department (thank you sweet teething baby), but I have been making a conscious effort to eat (and drink) my greens.
In fact, when my friend Heather mentioned that she craves greens for a few weeks each spring, I realized that I often did too…but that I hadn’t really paid attention because that is often when our farmers have an abundance of leafy greens, so I was already getting plenty.
Green Smoothies vs. Green Juice
There are two schools of thought when it comes to drinking greens. One advocates green juices, saying that you can consume much more of the nutrients in the form of juice than you can by eating the veggies. This is true, but as green smoothie advocates explain, juices of any kind do not have the fiber that is naturally present in fruits and veggies and can spike blood sugar. Green smoothies solve this problem by combining the two.
Personally, I’ve always been more of a green smoothie fan than a green juice fan, since they seem less wasteful and fruits and veggies naturally contain fiber for a reason. At the end of the day, green juice and green smoothies are both an upgrade from the processed snacks and drinks like soda that many people consume, so veggie on! (And eat some salads too!)
Fruit & Veggie Ratios
I’ve noticed that many green smoothie recipes contain more fruit than vegetables. There’s certainly nothing wrong with fruit (and my recipe contains some) but most of us are already getting plenty of sugar, even from natural sources like sugar and fruit.
I try to always have a 2:1 veggie to fruit ratio in recipes and add a little liquid stevia if needed for sweetness. I usually don’t need the extra sweetness though, especially with the fruit. For a lower carb option, omit the fruit and use a natural sweetener instead.
Getting Enough Greens
It’s always easy to get enough greens in early spring when local markets have an abundance of them. We drink green smoothies often, but also make sure to eat lots of salads and cooked green veggies. We usually try to work in green smoothies with breakfast (or for breakfast). Salads are our go-to lunch, topped with healthy proteins like chicken, grilled meats, or fish. Dinner is a great time to get cooked veggies in as soups or as a side.
The recipe below is one of my favorites, but there are whole books dedicated to green smoothies if you want more ideas.
Cucumber Lime Veggie Smoothie Recipe
Servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups water (or coconut or almond milk for a more creamy smoothie)
- 1 cucumber (roughly chopped)
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 2 limes (juiced)
- 2 kiwi (peeled and chopped)
- 1 tsp fresh ginger (peeled and chopped)
- 1 tsp matcha powder optional
- ½ fresh avocado (skin removed)
- ½ cup frozen pineapple or fresh plus some ice cubes
- 1 scoop greens powder (optional, but adds a lot of extra nutrients)
- 1 scoop collagen powder (optional)
Instructions
- Place water or milk, cucumber, and spinach in a blender and blend until completely smooth.
- Add remaining ingredients and blend on high again until completely smooth.
- Serve immediately and enjoy! 🙂
Nutrition
Notes
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Healthier Smoothie Variations & Adaptions
Like any smoothie, this recipe is endlessly versatile. Here are some variations to try:
- Gorilla Green Smoothie – This green smoothie variation (and 5 other healthy smoothie recipes) are in my Wellness Mama Cookbook.
- More Protein – Add a protein powder or collagen powder.
- Up the Healthy Fats – Want to add more healthy fats? This is especially helpful for satiating kids who are always hungry. Use coconut milk for the base instead of water and add a couple Tablespoons of coconut oil.
- Lower Carb – Omit the fruit and use a couple drops of liquid stevia instead. You can also use berries in place of the pineapple and kiwi. These are lower carb, but they will change the color.
Want an All Veggie Smoothie?
If you’re looking for my original green smoothie recipe that was all veggie, here it is. Please note that this recipe is not for the faint of heart!
In the blender, combine:
- one small tomato
- ¼ of a cucumber
- one bell pepper
- one jalapeño
- ¼ of an onion
- 1-2 cloves of raw garlic
- 1-2 stalks of celery
- 3-4 big handfulls of greens of choice
- 1 tsp kelp
- 2 tsp spirulina powder
- 2 cups water
- handful of ice cubes
I make my smoothies in our Vitamix, so quantities might need to be adjusted if you have a smaller size blender. If you don’t have all the ingredients, use what you do have and add any vegetables that can be eaten raw. As one reader recommended, I have also started adding turmeric, as this gives additional health benefits.
Blend ingredients until smooth. Smoothie will be thick. I find the easiest way to drink it is like one would do weights at the gym, in sets. I take 5 gulps, chase with water, and repeat. If you don’t handle spicy foods well, omit the jalapeño!
Ever tried a veggie green smoothie like this? What is your favorite type of healthy smoothie? Share below!
Way too much sugar in this smoothie, but the concept sounds fab
The recipe looks good, but I don’t see how the calories could be 222 if it makes 1 serving. 1/2 avocado alone is at least 150. The other ingredients are probably 200-250.
I just read that a recent study has shown that stevia can kill beneficial bacteria and alter your gut balance.
Just made this and the lime was way too much for my boyfriend and I. Not sure how anyone can drink this with that much lime…and I can drink very green smoothies with little to no fruit
Feel free to adjust the quantity according to your preference 🙂
Are you hypothyroid or hyper? I am hypo I also have Hashimtos. I have been seeing a top doctor for 2 years that saved my life with natural compounded progesterone and NDT. My antibodies were high at 400 so we were tying to find the cause witch is very difficult. Event the book on Hashimotos states you have a trigger and nothing more. I tried gluten free what a joke it did nothing but make me feel awful and my blood work was evidence after one year. ONLY 3 scientific studies show gluten to be an issue celiac, gluten intolerance and gluten sensitivity. Went back on gluten felt MUCH better.
I told my doctor that I was taking spirulina and raw leafy green smoothies using kale or baby spinach. He freaked. so I stopped eating all raw leafy greens and in 30 days my antibodies went from 400 to 396. I then started to remove all chemicals from my diet and house within 8 months my antibodies went from 396 to 185.
All greens are not created equal. Some need to be cooked in order to keep your thyroid functioning well. Some need to be cooked so they don’t contribute to kidney stones. Many are easier on the system when combined with good quality fat. Different greens should be eaten in different ways. Swiss chard, spinach and beet greens are examples of greens that are best eaten cooked.
Raw green cabbage for example, contains something called goitrogens, a naturally occurring component in food which can block thyroid function and thus contribute to hypothyroidism.
They do this by inducing antibodies that cross-react with the thyroid gland; others interfere with thyroid peroxidase (TPO), the enzyme responsible for adding iodine during production of thyroid hormones. Either way, goitrogens block the thyroid from producing as many of the hormones that are needed for regulating metabolism.
Other goitrogenic greens/veggies include:
Broccoli, broccolini, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese broccoli, collards, kale, kohlrabi and watercress.
I do eat leafy green and other goitrogen veggies but they are steamed for 20 minutes and not every day.
But if you have hyperthyroidism these goitrogen raw veggies can help regulate the thyroid down. Thyroid disease is very person specific you can not treat everyone the same. For me my trigger was environmental meaning I had to eat and use anything in its natural form.
Thank you for all that you do I use allot of your homemade recipes. And it has helped me get better :~)
Have a great day.
Hi!
You posted a recepie for a veggie drink here but I now see it’s been updated to a green smoothie. Where is the previous recipe? I can’t find it anymore and I really need it:)
Thank you!
Here’s the original recipe:
In the blender, combine:
one small tomato
1/4 of a cucumber
one bell pepper
one jalapeño
1/4 of an onion
1-2 cloves of raw garlic
1-2 stalks of celery
3-4 big handfulls of greens of choice
1 tsp kelp
2 tsp spirulina
2 cups water
handful of ice cubes
I make my smoothies in our Vita Mix, so quantities might need to be adjusted if you have a smaller sized blender. If you don’t have all the ingredients, use what you do have and add any vegetables that can be eaten raw. As one reader recommended, I have also started adding turmeric, as this gives additional health benefits.
Blend ingredients until smooth. Smoothie will be thick. I find the easiest way to drink is like one would do weights at the gym, in sets. I take 5 gulps, chase with water and repeat. If you don’t handle spicy foods well, omit the jalapeño!
Using these all suggested ingredients, will make your morning fresher and night deeper. It also boost eye sights and white cells. Enjoy your green smoothie 🙂
This is a Collaboration of Priceless info! Thanks everyone, for your Contributions! It takes a Villiage! I haven’t made my Smoothie yet, but, after reading all these Comments on it, I’m Convinced it is right for me, Encouraged, & Eager to Begin my Relationship with the “Green Smoothie”!!! Cheers to the Green Smoothie! May it be a part of the Cure in us all! EnJoy it, & EnJoy Life!
Just made this – WOW. Made a bunch of faces while drinking it and am glad it’s over. Interestingly, I can’t wait to have another… (I omitted the Jalapeño). Felt like I just licked the bottom of my lawnmower.