I’ve been experimenting with green smoothies for the past year or so after a nutritionist came in at work and raved about how good juicing is for you. She also mentioned green smoothies and how you could basically throw in any leafy greens and fruits. I didn’t have a juicer at home but I did have a blender, so I went the smoothie route.

A friend and I decided to do a juice/smoothie cleanse for a day (no solid foods whatsoever – practically impossible for me since I’m always eating). I had no idea what I was doing. The first few smoothies I made were SUPER THICK and CHUNKY, it had a grainy paste-like consistency. You could eat it with a spoon (sooo gross). Anyway, I only lasted until dinner time, hah.

So, what did I learn from that first experience?
    •    I can never put celery in my smoothies – the taste is way too strong
    •    Water is key in making your smoothie a juice-like consistency
    •    The order of which you put ingredients into the blender matters (especially if you don’t have an awesome blender like a Vitamix or a Blendtec).
    •    You don’t need a high-end blender. I use a regular Cuisinart one – it just takes longer for it to blend

After dabbling into a few combos of veggies and fruits that were bearable but still pretty gross, my sister-in-law recommended the glowing green smoothie recipe.  I adjusted the ingredient proportions and now, this is my go-to daily drink!

What you’ll need:

1.5 c. water
2 large leafs of romaine lettuce
1 c. spinach
4-5 ice cubes
1 apple - chopped into cubes (I like using granny smiths – the sourness helps cut the vegetable taste)
1 pear – chopped into cubes
1 banana
½ lemon (juice)

What to do:

1.  Put water in the blender. Add the romaine lettuce and spinach. Press down with fingers.
2. Add the ice cubes – the weight of the ice cubes will help push down the greens into the blades
3. Pulse a few times then put blender on high. Honestly, it may not move for a good 5 seconds but just keep it on high until it does
4. Once it’s looks like dark green water (it will still have bits and pieces of leafiness but don’t worry you’ll be blending it again), add the apples, pear, banana, and lemon juice (be sure to remove any seeds! I forgot to once and the entire drink was super bitter)
5. Blend on high for 30-45 seconds, or until it becomes smooth. The colour should lighten because of the fruit.

This will make about 3 servings. I've tried throwing in a few kale leaves in addition to the spinach and lettuce and it's good too. If you're sensitive to the "green" flavour then maybe just try out the original recipe first. Also, I like to freeze my bananas, just make sure you chop them before putting them in the freezer.

It's best to drink this right after you make it but you can store it for a few hours in the fridge. It will separate and look really nasty, but all you have to do is give it a good stir. Happy smoothie-ing!