The Perfect Green Smoothie

by Claire LynchAug 9, 2022Recipes, South Brunswick

Healthy and refreshing green smoothies can win over even the most vegetable-averse palates.

I first heard about green smoothies several years ago but never wanted to indulge because fruits and vegetables aren’t high on my list. But seven years ago I was working out at the gym with my friend, Amy, and afterwards she said, “Let’s get a green smoothie.”

Being an agreeable sort of person, I told Amy okay. She took me to her favorite smoothie shop, pointed out the green smoothie on the menu and promptly ordered two cups.

Popping the straw into the cup I wondered what it would taste like. As Amy and I sat on a bench drinking our cool drinks, I thought it tasted pretty good. I told Amy my reaction and she laughed at the fact that I liked my green smoothie. Then she laughed even harder when I confessed that it was the first one I had ever had.

We each drove home and as I approached my doorway, I smiled to myself, vowing to have a green smoothie party the next time my relatives came to my place.

Calling my brothers, sisters and their spouses, we set a dinner date. At the appointed time, seven people arrived thinking we were having a regular dinner. Well, it was a regular dinner it just started off with a healthy drink.

Setting up my blender and placing all of the ingredients on my cutting board and kitchen counter, as the people entered, they looked over wondering what I was concocting. I hadn’t told them about my surprise — I just wanted to spring it on them.

Once everyone had arrived and sat down chatting amiably, I got to work placing the spinach, broccoli, a banana, milk or dairy substitute and ice in the blender and giving it a whirl.

After announcing that we were having green smoothies as an appetizer rather than the usual cheese, crackers and chips, I heard a lot of groans coming from the crowd. My younger sister, always a good sport, came over to assist with my endeavor. Once I’d blended the smoothies, she poured them into chilled glasses and handed them out to our relatives.

Watching their reactions, I was pleased to see that each one seemed to enjoy their green smoothies. Initially they had been skeptical of drinking a healthy drink, but I quickly told my relatives how skeptical I had been. They knew that I was into fitness, but no one would have said that I was leading the lifestyle of a health-food nut. I wasn’t a vegan or a vegetarian, but I was someone who now enjoyed drinking green smoothies.

green Juice Smoothie Recipe

My brother said his green smoothie tasted great, and my brother-in-law said it hit the spot. My older sister said that it was surprisingly filling so I held off a while on serving the entree.
The eight of us enjoyed our meal and lingered around the dining room talking about recent events.

When dessert time came, I jumped up to get the cake and pie from the refrigerator but everyone said pretty much simultaneously that they were too full. Laughing out loud, I stopped short then sat back down. I know how good green smoothies can be at filling me up.

We never did eat the cake and pie that night — everyone agreed that we could skip dessert.

Over the years I’ve experimented with different recipes for green smoothies. Sometimes I use more spinach and sometimes less. Occasionally I’ll have kale in the house but not spinach so I simply switch the ingredients. Sometimes I’ll add a handful of strawberries to the mix and if I don’t have any fresh strawberries in my refrigerator, I’ll use frozen strawberries. Frequently I’ll use cacao.

Adding a little of this and a little of that, sometimes I’ll add this vegetable or another. Sometimes I like it sweeter and other times I like it tart. Sometimes my green smoothies turn out green and on other days my guests are surprised to see that they’ve got a purplish hue – that’s when I’ve added a few blueberries to help make them taste sweeter.

What’s great about blending your own green smoothies at home is you can modify them any way you wish. I still play around with my ingredients and often it depends on how elaborate I want to get and it also depends on what’s handy in my refrigerator.

Phoning Amy the day after my green smoothie party, we had a good laugh after I told her about my company and their reactions. I credit Amy with converting me into a green smoothie aficionado because these days, given a choice between having a green smoothie or eating an ice cream cone, I always choose the green smoothie. And that’s a good thing that never ceases to amaze me!

Green Smoothie

Healthy and refreshing green smoothies can win over even the most vegetable-averse palates.