Green smoothies! They are all the rage at the moment. We’ve been drinking them almost daily as a family for about four years. It’s easy to forget that not so long ago smoothies were strange and unfamiliar to us. I thought I’d share what we’ve learnt about them through trial, error and lots of experimentation.

If smoothies are made with whole, plant-based foods, they are a great way to get extra fruit and especially veggies into your diet. Leafy greens are so beneficial for us, containing numerous vitamins and minerals including fibre, magnesium, iron, vitamin K, E and A, folate, calcium, zinc, omega 3 fatty acids and even protein! But let's be honest, who wants to eat a cup full of spinach or kale for breakfast?

The great thing about a fruit based green smoothie is that the fruit masks the taste of the greens. This makes them a nourishing and delicious way to start the day. I thought I’d share the base recipe that we use and have perfected over the years. The key is to not get too caught up in what should be in there and just experiment with what you have on hand, and what is in season. It’s a great way to use up ripe produce that either can’t be eaten in time or is just past the point of being nice to eat (I’m a bit fussy with over ripe fruit!).

I would suggest starting simple, a couple of bananas, an apple, water and some baby spinach. The taste of baby spinach is quite mild so you don’t need too much fruit to cover it. Over time we’ve transitioned to kale smoothies with spirulina, cloves of garlic and chunks of ginger and have really come to enjoy the blend of flavours. I can remember the first time I put a tiny piece of garlic in a smoothie, I thought it tasted super strong, savoury and so weird! Now I feel like something is missing unless there is a bit of yummy garlic in there. Start simple, go slowly, and add things in small amounts, you’ll be quite surprised how quickly they can adjust the flavour. A smoothie with bananas, apple and baby spinach is still loaded with nourishment and goodness.

A simple smoothie is also great for toddlers. Jensen still doesn’t eat a lot of food (who needs food when you have mama’s milk!), but loves his smoothies. We sneak all sorts of things in there and have a bit of peace of mind that he is getting some extra nourishment. He’ll happily drink a smoothie with garlic, ginger, spirulina, kale, zucchini, avocado, sunflower seeds, oats etc. The trick is to keep it nice and sweet by using really ripe produce. He also loves banana, berry, oat and peanut butter smoothies!

A Note on Blenders

Not all blenders are created equal! When we first started making smoothies, we had a low-end blender and it didn’t ‘blend’ the fibrous greens, just kind of chopped them up really small. My husband didn’t enjoy this and said it was like drinking grass! Thankfully the blender broke after a while and we upgraded to a more expensive, high-speed blender. The new one wasn’t top of the line but considerably better than our first one. It made a huge difference, and our smoothies actually became smooth! If you are having trouble with texture, you might need to look at upgrading your blender. I think even the bottom end ones have come a long way over the last few years so hopefully this won’t be an issue for you. It will be a great investment though, we use ours at least once a day, if not 2-3 times, making plant-based milks, ice creams, dressings, cheeses etc.

Our Green Smoothie Recipe

3 bananas

2 apples (or other fruit that is in season)

1 orange (or other fruit that is in season)

1/2 bag of baby spinach

3 tsp flaxseed meal

1 heaped tsp spirulina

1 small clove of garlic

2 cm piece of ginger

1L of water

These ingredients will yield about 2 x 700ml smoothies (for me and my husband) and about a 250ml one for Jensen. I’ll often make the smoothies and we’ll pop them into the fridge for later. A great tip for storage and transporting is using old glass pasta sauce bottles and jars. We have a whole cupboard full of them now and that’s all we use for smoothies. Pasta sauce bottles are particularly good as they are 700ml and can fit in cup holders in the car so we can drink them on the go.

Notes on Ingredients

Bananas - lots of recipes say to use frozen bananas. I find this to be quite hard on the blender and usually stick to normal ones. This also means I don’t have to think about getting them out of the freezer earlier to defrost a bit, which would never happen. Also the riper the banana is, the sweeter it will be. Instead of saving them for banana cake make a quick smoothie!

Frozen Berries - blenders seem to be able to handle frozen berries a lot better than bananas and they make a great, nourishing addition to a smoothie. Just be warned the combination of greens and dark berries will probably turn your smoothie a brown or grey colour. It will still taste delicious though.

Leafy Greens - baby spinach or spinach is a great green to start with as the flavour isn’t too strong. You can then work your way up to different types of kale and other greens. We’ve also used bok choy, silverbeet, lettuces, basil, coriander and mint - any green will do!

Other Vegetables - Other veggies that can be great to up your vegetable content are cucumber, zucchini and avocado. Zucchinis and avocado will give the smoothie a creamier texture, which I personally don’t like. They are worth a try though, and don’t seem to change the flavour of the smoothie too much.

Garlic & Ginger - These guys are a great addition to smoothies for nourishment but really add to the flavour, so start SMALL! Garlic is host to many vitamins and minerals and boosts the immune system. Ginger also boosts the immune system, aids digestion, and contains powerful anti-inflammatory compounds. You can find great tips and advice about garlic, and storing it, at Happy DIY Home.

Other Nourishment - Here’s a list of other ingredients we add to our smoothies to boost their nourishment content.

Spirulina - is a dried blue-green algae and it’s taste can be STRONG, especially if you aren’t used to it. Start with just a small amount, perhaps a 1/4 teaspoon. Spirulina is loaded with amazing nutrition so it is really worth the addition. It has the best protein to carb ratio of any food on the planet and is stocked full of nutrition for very little calories. It may seem expensive to buy, but if you can afford it, a bag will last a good couple of months. It is a great source of protein, B12, folic acid, calcium, zinc, selenium and iron.

Flaxseeds - are high in fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. They are also a great plant-based source of essential Omega-3 fatty acids. These are particularly important for infants and children as they support brain function and development.

Chia Seeds - Are also a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids and are packed with loads of other nutrients including fibre, protein and calcium. Chia seeds have a particularly high nutrient content for the amount of calories consumed.

Sunflower Seeds - Are a great source of polyunsaturated fats, especially for infants and children. They also contain Vitamin E, selenium, fibre and iron.

Oats - I add oats to a smoothie when I know I’m going to be short on time to eat or make food for the day. They thicken the smoothie up and make it into much more of meal. Oats are a great source of fibre, protein, magnesium, zinc and iron.

This turned out to be a bit of a novel on green smoothies, who knew there was so much advice to share. I hope it was helpful and good luck with blending more nutrients into your life. Go forth and start experimenting, find out what fruit, veggies, nuts and seeds work for you!

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or health professional. I have completed a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from eCornell and have done in-depth research about plant-based living. The information I trust is mostly sourced from medical professionals that are leading the way in this plant-based revolution. Check out my recommended page for more info.