Dare To Share My Green Smoothie Recipes

My name is Rachael and I am a recent green smoothie convert.

You caught me.  I sneak leafy greens into my own food for the benefit of my own health.  Aside from boosting my fertility, I'm getting practice for when I have kids of my own. (Insert evil laugh here)

Crafting greens into a cool concoction may seem less than ninja-like, but has anyone ever tried plain, raw kale?  Yup.  It tastes like spring grass and feels like you're gnawing on a fern from the prehistoric age.  Not the best experience ever.  Now I love plain spinach.  But ever munch on spinach in a salad and try to gracefully suck in those pesky stems while being polite?  Consuming fresh greens mainly in salads get's pretty boring and may make you feel like Bugs Bunny.  So you probably don't eat these greens as often as you really should.  When you add them to a fruit smoothie you consume all the amazing natural nutrients in greens without the leafy texture or green flavor.

I've decided to share my recipes with you so you too can enjoy raw, nutrient loaded greens in delicious smoothies.

My favorite this week: Raspberry Banana

You Will Need
A Blender
Fresh spinach
1/2 cup of plain or vanilla yogurt ( I like vanilla)
1/2 cup orange juice
2 small oranges (like Cuties or Clementines) or 1 large Navel orange
1 ripe banana (the browner the better)
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries (frozen chills the smoothie better)
A pretty glass

Directions
1.) Add to blender:
   1 handful spinach (about 1 to 1 1/2 cups loose)
   Yogurt
   Orange juice
2.) Blend these 3 ingredients well so you don't have spinach stems in your smoothie.
3.) Add peeled oranges, banana, and raspberries.
4.) Blend until creamy.  If you prefer your smoothies more liquid add some water or juice until desired consistency. 
5.) Pour into a pretty glass, garnish, and enjoy through a straw.

Note: You will notice raspberry seeds.  Sorry, but they do not blend well.  And you may notice some pulp from the oranges.  Don't worry, it is natural and good for you

Tips

- Feel free to substitute the raspberries for another berry like blueberries, strawberries, or blackberries.

- I have heard that 60:40 is a good fruit to veggie ratio to use.  I think I use something like 70:30.

- I like to use ripe bananas as a base because they are creamy and sweet.  Other fruits high in soluble fiber make good bases as well, like apples and pears.

 More tried and true recipes to come!