I am a huge advocate for juicing and for green smoothies so I'm always excited to find new recipes from friends who juice & blend! Today Ann is sharing her secret weapon: the Glowing Green Smoothie and it sounds awfully tasty!
"One of my New Year's Resolutions is to be healthier – and I'm sure I'm not alone here. A big change I made last year for getting fit for our wedding was having a green smoothie every morning. I barely had time to work out last year, but just making the small change to a green smoothie every morning helped me lose weight and cleared up my skin – two things that have always been on my list of resolutions!
Illustration by Ann Shen
I've kept it up long after the wedding for many reasons – most of all because it was a small change that's made a huge impact in my life. You start off every morning with your fruit & vegetable servings checked off, which helps set you up to make good food choices (or not feel so bad about poorer choices) for the rest of the day; you get a ton of vitamins & nutrients first thing; and it keeps everything running smoothly in your body." - Ann
Good Morning Green Smoothie (based off of Kimberly Snyder's Glowing Green Smoothie)
*Author's note: Vegetables & fruit can be substituted for what you like - just keep the ratios similar.
Makes enough for 2
2 cups spinach
2 cups kale
½ cucumber
1 ½ cups filtered water
1 banana
1 apple or pear (cored)
¼ cup frozen mangos
¼ cup frozen pineapples
1 teaspoon spirulina
1 tablespoon chia seeds
Directions:
1. Start by blending greens with water – leafy stuff is hard to blend if you try to add it last.
2. Once liquified, add in the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. That's it! Enjoy!
Note: Best to drink it right away as the frozen fruit keeps it icy.
Kelli @ The Corner Kitchen says
I love starting my day with green juice or a smoothie. This version sounds great...love the mango and pineapple! Can't wait to try it!
Ann says
Me too! The pineapple really sweetens it up, and also feels a bit more like you're on vacation in a tropical locale 😉
Chelsea Tubbs says
I DEFINITELY need to get better about my morning smoothie routine! It's such a fun way to start the day but I can only bring myself to stick to it during the Summer.
Ann says
Once I got over the first three months hump, I actually crave a morning green smoothie every day! I used to do it during the week, and have brunch on weekends (one of my favorite meals ever), but now I find myself wanting one on weekends too because it just makes you feel good!
Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe says
Looks delicious! I've been making green juice regularly, but I can't forget about smoothies!
Ann says
Smoothies are great for keeping you full longer - and think of all that fiber! Lots of good stuff in the skin and cellulose of fruit & veggies too. 🙂
Erika says
This looks great! I might have to give this a try. I need to get back in to drinking green smoothies daily-- I stopped a while back when I had to start getting up too early for work.
Leah Bergman says
You and me both! I stopped when the weather got chilly but I think it's time to crank the heater and drink those green smoothies. 😉
Clare says
Yum! Love a healthy smoothie. I've been having organic, superfood smoothies and clean eating as much as possible for about 4 months now and the results have been out of this world! I've never felt this good. Better sleep, more energy, glowing skin, quicker recovery after workouts, and more muscle definition. I love it!
Clare x
Leah Bergman says
Wow! That's so great to hear. It's amazing the power that food and eating well can have on curing the body. I really need to get back on my green smoothie morning routine. Both you and Ann have now convinced me!
Miss Sophisticate says
This looks so yummy - love that it's dairy-free too. Sometimes milk and yogurt can upset my stomach if I drink them too early in the morning. Btw, what is spirulina?
Thanks for sharing a great recipe! xo
Leah Bergman says
It's always nice to have some dairy free smoothie options! Spirulina is a powder form of a green plant that is high in vitamins, minerals and protein. It's considered a super food and really good for your body. That is my understanding of it at least!