3 Super Simple Smoothies

One of the first things I did to begin to change my sugar, bread and dairy-laden diet to a whole foods, plant-based diet was drink a homemade green smoothie almost every morning. I love smoothies because they’re a great way to get a whole bunch of plant-food nourishment straight to your cells. And starting the day with a bright green drink as opposed to a dark black cup of coffee just feels like a smarter choice. I am not kidding you, the buzz I get from my green drinks is just as satisfying if not better than the one I get from a cup of jo (full disclosure — I still have an on-again, off-again love affair with coffee, a topic that will have to be left for a later post).

Thanks to a tip from my friend, Kristin, a few years back, I ordered this book by Kimberly Snyder. After feeling initially put off by the cover, suspecting it was another fad diet book, I quickly realized Kimberly Snyder and I were on the same page about food. She recommends her clients drink her Glowing Green Smoothie every day. So I started with that.

Eventually, my morning smoothie evolved into an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kind of smoothie, using basically anything I have in the fridge. I also realized if I used more fruit I could easily slip in some healthy greens and maybe even pass these nutritious drinks off as a treat for my kids!

Here are a few kid-tested recipes we like to use.

Berry Bomber

2 cups filtered cold water

1 cup blueberries (frozen or fresh)

1 cup raspberries (frozen or fresh)

1 cup romaine

1 cup spinach

1 celery stalk

1 green apple peeled and sliced

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 banana

Go Green

2 cups filtered cold water

1 cup romaine

1 cup spinach

1 celery stalk

1 handful of cilantro

1 green apple peeled and sliced

1 banana

1/2 cup pineapple (frozen or fresh)

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Yellow Surprise

2 cups filtered cold water

1 cup spinach

1 cup romaine

1 cup mango (fresh or frozen)

1 cup pineapple (fresh or frozen)

1 banana

Blend ingredients together until smooth using a high quality blender. I have this, but this one is budget friendly and also very popular. Pour over ice and add a straw…kids love straws!

Tip: Pour the smoothie mixture into popsicle molds and you will be the coolest parent ever serving popsicles for breakfast!