You guys know how much a love a smoothie and am a big fan of the very aptly named #smoothiesnack. I especially love a green smoothie as I am all for getting the greens in where I can.

I love smoothies for many reasons.

✢ They are fast to whip up and fool proof too!

✢ They can be made super simple or jazzed up. I especially love to know that I can pack a nutrient-dense punch in such a small parcel. Think fibre, polyphenols, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, water, healthy fats, protein and more in one drink!

✢ They make a great portable snack for those of us who are go-go-go! Also, because the greens and other contents of the smoothie have been blended, the cell walls of these ingredients that house the nutrients are ‘broken’ which allows the nutrients to be more readily available for use by the body. Hence, green smoothies are easy-digestible.

✢ Most of us aren’t hitting our mark with our intake of dark leafy greens, so smoothies are a fantastic way to boost this without eating a boring plate of kale!

✢ The combination possibilities are endless, which means you can virtually brew up a different flavour combination every single time. Also, you can add as little or as many ingredients as you like and you can often hide the not so popular ones too.

Tips In Making Green Smoothies:

Invest in a good blender. It makes the world of difference. I use a NutriBullet most often and sometimes my Thermomix.

I like to make mine in two batches. I first blend the greens and the frozen with the liquid. I then add the rest of the ingredients and blend it all to mix.

Ratios:

If you’re a beginner to green smoothies, I suggest make your mix with a little more fruit and gradually increasing the greens as you adjust to the texture and taste.

I usually aim for a ratio such as this: 1 cup liquid: ½ cup fruit: ½-1 cup veggies: ¼ cup creamy. Ideally, around 70-80% of greens to 20-30% fruit is my aim.

Liquid:

  • Unsweetened non-dairy milk such as almond milk, soy milk or coconut milk as the base as it is more nutrient dense.
  • Cows milk
  • Water
  • Coconut Water

Fruit:

  • Examples: Citrus, berries, apples, banana, pineapple, mango, kiwi, melons, figs, dates, acai and more. You can use fresh or frozen.

Veggies:

  • Examples: Spinach, kale, silverbeet, carrot, beets, rocket, cucumber, fresh herbs, ginger, lettuce, broccoli stalks, celery…whatever you want really.

Creamy:

  • Frozen raw zucchini (dice and freeze)
  • Frozen bananas (peel when they’re spotty and freeze) cauliflower (freeze in small florets) – this counts as a fruit
  • A spoonful of nut butter
  • Raw nuts/seeds e.g. almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts or hemp, flax or chia seeds blitzed in or sprinkled on top.
  • Coconut yoghurt or Greek yoghurt
  • Avocado

Boosters:

  • Cacao powder
  • Maca powder
  • Protein powder
  • Bee pollen
  • Rolled oats
  • Spirulina
  • Cacao nibs
  • Cinnamon

My Favourite Green Smoothie Combinations

A Super Green Smoothie 1

  • 1 cup plant-based milk
  • 1/4 avocado
  • 3 handfuls of spinach
  • 1 handful frozen zucchini
  • 2-3 florets frozen cauliflower
  • 1/2 banana
  • 1 medjool date (optional)

A Super Green Smoothie 2

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 handful frozen zucchini
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 handful frozen mango or tropical fruit mix
  • 1-2 kale stalks, leaves removed
  • 2-3 handfuls baby spinach
  • 1/2 lime, juiced
  • 1/4 – 1/3 avocado (optional)

A Super Green Smoothie 3

  • 1 cup plant-based milk
  • 1 tablespoon nut butter
  • 1 handful frozen zucchini
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 3-4 handfuls spinach
  • 1 tablespoon cacao powder
  • 1 tablespoon rolled oats (optional)
  • 1 medjool date (optional)

A Super Green Smoothie 4

  • 1 cup plant-based milk
  • 1 tablespoon nut butter
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 3-4 handfuls spinach
  • 1-2 tablespoons coconut yoghurt

Note: these are meant as a snack portion, rather than a meal. To make a meal, I would add a source of protein and a source healthy fat to each blend and perhaps a booster or two as well.

I love to serve mine thick, so if you don’t like the consistency just add a little more liquid. Feel free to play around with the ingredients, the beauty of smoothies is that you can be dynamic with them!

Have something to say?

If you liked this you might also like my banana & cacao thickshake.

Comment below and feel free to share on all your platforms. As always, I would love to know your biggest takeaway from this article or your favourite smoothie – Tag us on Instagram @optima_health or #optimahealth. Thanks for reading x