Not another green smoothie!
I’ve officially gone blogger mad.
This week I bought a glass and coloured straws, purely to showcase a smoothie recipe on the blog, and this is after I said very publicly on Instagram that you’d never see me do this. Please forgive me?
You see, in my cupboard full of mugs, pretty tumblers for individual desserts and ramekins for chocolate mousse I didn’t seem to own one single glass large enough to hold a smoothie (well I did until I smashed it in a frenzied fit of washing up last week), and if you’re going to buy a glass for a smoothie, it might as well be a proper one!
Glass from TK Maxx, Straws from Tiger!
I’m going to have to ask for your forgiveness on sharing a green smoothie recipe too. Its actually my first such recipe like this, since it’s a bit of a cliche as a health-minded food blogger and I really don’t like to follow the crowd. Plus as most green smoothies I’ve attempted in the past have tended to come out like lumpy brown sludge (it seems Guardian food writer Felicity Cloak shares my problem too) why would I share something like that? Even if it is a powerhouse of nutrition.
Though it seems I have now at last seen the {green} light. I was a bit under the weather with an ear infection last week and a smoothie felt like it would be the easiest way to consume large chunks of ginger my body was craving. Ginger is known to be anti-inflammatory, and whilst sometimes we need modern medicine too, it can’t harm to add some back up from food. Into my smoothie I also added spinach or kale for green goodness and then orange for vitamin C, but not just the juice, or the flesh but the WHOLE thing. In most fruit or vegetables the highest dosage of nutrients is usually right under the skin, and in an orange especially in the pith which is usually discarded. As long as you are using unwaxed and organic citrus fruits it is no problem to eat the skin though of course it does help if you have a high powered blender (Hallelujah for my Froothie blender), as it can blitz the orange, the kale, and the oats into smithereens. Orange skin is of course a little bitter in taste, but I don’t find this a problem with the added creamy sweet banana, oats and almond milk.
Other things that I have added into this smoothie have included seeds, pea protein powder (depending on hunger), turmeric for more anti-inflammatory goodness, and also cinnamon to help with balancing blood sugar (especially vital in a sweet smoothie). I have also used a little maca powder for its energy boosting powers (though it has other benefits too particularly for hormonal support), though I would strongly advise only using this booster food powder if you have been instructed to do so via a trained nutritional professional and have researched its properties – much like taking supplements. I am a strong believer that you don’t need these booster foods in your diet in order to just ‘be healthy’ on a day to day basis.
Does the world need another green smoothie recipe? Potentially no, but did I need a tried and tested one? Yes! Sometimes this blog has to be about my needs too.
Oh and couple of final words on green smoothies – do make sure you rotate your greens, vast quantities of raw kale or spinach day in day out is good for no one. Choose seasonal ingredients where possible and don’t go too heavy on the fruit.
Finally, the most important thing; don’t be sad when your paper straw disintegrates into a good for nothing limp soggy straw having sat in your smoothie for too long (!)
- 300mls almond milk
- 20g oats (gluten free if necessary)
- Half a banana
- 1 whole orange (skin included) chopped into quarters
- Chunk ginger
- Handful curly kale, romaine lettuce or spinach
- 1 tsp mixed seeds such as pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, flax
- Optional: ½ tsp turmeric for anti-inflammatory boost, cinnamon for blood sugar balancing, maca for energy, 1 Tbs pea protein powder for extra sustenance, a few sprinkles of bee pollen on top (no vast research on health benefits, but suggestions of energy enhancement, amongst other things).
- Put the liquid in the blender first, it will make blending the tougher items easiest. Then add the oats, along with the rest of the ingredients and blitz until you reach a smooth consistency.
- Drink the smoothie slowly over a period of at least 10 minutes, remember this is a meal in a glass! If you can chew the smoothie in your mouth. It will help to get the digestive juices flowing and therefore help you digest the smoothie
If I’ve ignited your passion for green smoothies, then how about checking out some of these other recipes written by my blogging pals;
- Drink Your Greens Smoothie by Rough Measures
- Green Smoothie by Munchies and Munchkins
- Morning Green Juice by the Petite Cook
- Persimmon and Turmeric Smoothie by Celery and Cupcakes
- Cucumber and Celery Soup by Tin and Thyme
- Green Goddess Smoothie by How to Cook Good Food
- Basil and Nectarine Morninga Green Smoothie by Bunny Kitchen
- Spirulina, Lime and Avocado Smoothie Bowl by Spoonie Sophia
- Green Mango and Spinach Smoothie from Tinned Tomatoes
Happy slurping!
Nutritional references: Murray, M, Pizzorno, JE, Pizzorno, L (2005). The Encyclopaedia of Healing Foods. London: Patkus. and my Natural Chef training.
Disclosure: I am now an ambassador for Froothie and some links in this article may be affiliate links. The above product reviews is, as always based on my honest opinion. If you’d like to know more about Froothie health products, or this machine in particular, please visit the Froothie Website for more details. Any purchases made through this/these link(s) are at no extra cost to you but give Natural Kitchen Adventures a small commission. Thanks!
I did laugh at your confession. You need something to serve your smoothie in as well as for photos. It sounds really good. You are right re getting enough in your diet already, but I like to use mine to top up wee Cooper with the veg he doesn’t like to make sure he’s getting a better variety. Thanks for linking to me.
Stumbled, pinned and tweeted.
I never thought about the glass having a function for anything other than photos – for me to use as a cup sounds like a good excuse too! That’s great you serve these to Cooper too! – lucky him!
I am a big fan of green smoothies, and I am a big fan of jars and straws too. Love the addition of orange in this smoothie.
Thanks Dannii. I might start collecting them…. 🙂
I always enjoy my smoothies and juices much more when I make the effort to serve them in a nice glass/jar/bottle and there absolutely must be a matching paper straw!
Oh I agree! Great you’re with me on this ;0)
I quite often forget about oats in a smoothie – it does make a difference to how filling they are.
I usually set up the shot, put the straw in, take the photo and immediately go and wash the straw out so I can use it again.
Thanks for sharing with #ExtraVeg
Ha, thats a great idea for the straw. I do wonder if mine were a bit too papery though. Either way I think my niece will love them too 🙂
I have the exact same glass bought purely to enjoy milkshakes ..and showcase drinks on my blog! I had never considered adding the whole orange and I have a high powered blender so will definitely try that out. Thanks for linking to my smoothie.
Great minds…. Must try some milkshakes next. Would love to know what you think about the whole orange!
Oh a whole orange Ceri. What a super duper idea. I always add orange powder to my kale smoothies, made from the dried out peeled pith and skins, but having it fresh with juice too sounds exciting. buying blog props wasn’t something I ever thought I would do either – it gets to us all it seems!
I didn’t know orange powder was a thing? I guess we can all learn from each other. I just can’t stop the prop buying – oh well…. 🙂
Of coure the world needs another green smoothie recipe. It always does. Especially one with oats in it.
Also, you NEED jars etc. Yur’re a food blogger and prop collecting is what we do best.
Thanks for sharing this cut recipe.
Of course it does – you are right! And you are right about the jars too Kimberly – total justification in my mind 🙂
I love green smoothies and this one looks very nutritious, too! Will try to follow your recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thanks! Hope you enjoy drinking it!