secret smoothies

During the summer months - when it was hot and I was tried from a morning at the farm - smoothies became one of my favorite snacks. Lately though I've been making them a bit differently than I used to: now, I put veggies in them.

It's one thing if I enjoy them. But a few weeks ago I put a 1/2 cup of raw spinach in a smoothie I made for my eleven year old brother. Upon taking a sip, he didn't notice. I thought I was being so crafty, so sly. (He knows now and was only mildly impressed.)

So here are the basic ways I sneak vegetables into smoothies. Depending on how I concoct it, one glass can sometimes contain two to three servings of fruit/veg.


Banana smoothie base:
3 ice cubes
1 banana, peeled
1/4 - 1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 - 1/2 cup water (or milk of any kind)
1/2 - 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup

Toss everything into a blender and give it whirl until the ice is chopped and everything is well combined. Add veggies if desired.

Vegetable additions:
Spinach → slight change in taste, no change in texture if when blended.

Raw broccoli → change in taste noticeable, texture becomes gritty.

Lettuce → makes smoothie bitter, no change in texture. 

To disguise the veggies, add:

Spices to taste (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves)

Nut butter

Raw/whole nuts

1/4 - 1/2 cup other fruit (frozen blueberries and strawberries work well)

fresh orange juice in place of water or milk

Add desired vegetables and disguises and blend for another 1 - 2 minutes, until there are no longer any chunks of anything.



(Above, my breakfast smoothie containing lettuce and peanut butter, paired with toast from here.)