Not another green smoothie! 

Green Smoothie Healthy Vegan Breakfast Orange Kale

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!

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.

Green Smoothie Healthy Vegan Breakfast Orange Kale

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 (!)

Creamy Green Smoothie with Orange
Prep time
Total time
A creamy green smoothie, loaded with green leafy vegetables, orange, banana and oats for a simple yet sustaining start to the day.
Author: Ceri Jones
Recipe type: Smoothie
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 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).
Instructions
  1. 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.
  2. 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
Notes
Tip: I freeze my bananas in peeled and half banana sized portions ready for throwing into the smoothie. This also ensures no wastage!

If I’ve ignited your passion for green smoothies, then how about checking out some of these other recipes written by my blogging pals;

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!