Healthy Green Smoothie made with spinach, kale and fruit. This fun colored smoothie is sweetened naturally from the fruit and has a big dose of nutrients from the kale and spinach.
On any given day in my house you can hear the whirl of the blender with someone making a smoothie. Often it's a fruit and veggie smoothie, but our newest smoothie is becoming a fast favorite - The Green Smoothie!
Green Smoothies are nothing new, but they just aren't one that we've favored. In all honesty, I think it's the color that has turned everyone off. It's not fair to judge a smoothie by its color, but I believe it to be true.
The key to making a great green smoothie is make certain it tastes amazing. This recipe includes spinach and kale, frozen fruit and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. You might be tempted to leave out the fresh lemon juice, but don't do it! It's what makes this smoothie tastes really great.
The funny part is, you don't even taste the lemon juice. It just adds a bit of brightness that was lacking when we first tried this green concoction.
What are the benefits of drinking green smoothies?
There's a full cup of spinach and a full cup of kale in here!
Spinach is high in
- Fiber
- Iron
- Folate
- Vitamin C
- Niacin
- Riboflavin
- Potassium.
Kale is a very high nutrient dense food - which means it's low in calories but high in nutritional benefits.
Kale contains high levels of
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin K
- Vitamin B6
- Manganese
- Magnesium
- Calcium
- Copper
- Fiber
- Antioxidants
What type of fruit do I use?
I used a mixed bag of frozen fruit. It contained strawberries, peaches, pineapple and mangoes. When making this smoothie you can use any of your favorite fruit.
Do I use fresh or frozen fruit?
You can use either fresh or frozen fruit. I used frozen fruit for this recipe because I like the icy cold texture from the frozen fruit. Then frozen fruit also helps add thickness to the smoothie. When I make this with fresh fruit I will often throw in a few ice cubes to achieve that icy texture.
How do I get my kids to drink a green smoothie?
My kids are all teenagers and are now into this green smoothie. However, it wasn't long ago they wouldn't have even tried this healthy concoction. If your kiddos turn their noses up because it's green, try adding dark colored berries for your fruit. You could use blueberries, strawberries and raspberries.
Can I freeze this smoothie after it is made?
My kids love freezing their smoothies. They will often make a double batch and eat half of it right away. Then they will freeze the other half and eat it later. It becomes rock hard, but they love scraping it out of the cup with a spoon. As it melts it becomes softer.
Don't forget to PIN for later!
Other Healthy Snacks
Some other healthy snacks include
Green Smoothie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 cup kale
- 1 cup frozen fruit
- ½ lemon
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Place spinach, kale and fruit in blender. Squeeze ½ lemon over mixture. Add water.1 cup spinach, 1 cup kale, 1 cup frozen fruit, ½ lemon, ½ cup water
- Blend until smooth. Add additional water if smoothie is too thick or ingredients won't blend together.
Nutritional Disclaimer:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Nutrition
Rhonda says
I get up super early! Can either of the smoothies be made the night before without it becoming watery?
Kathy says
Hi Rhonda,
The fruit and veggie smoothie can be made ahead of time. I find it actually becomes thicker the longer it sits. I have not made the green smoothie ahead of time - I usually just drink it as soon as I make it.
Enjoy,
Kathy
Fred G says
What an interesting use of kale.
David @ Spiced says
You make an excellent point about the color of the smoothie, Kathy. But the ingredient list in this smoothie sounds awesome! In fact, I wonder if I could get Robbie to drink a smoothie. I'd have to put it another cup (the whole green thing), but he might actually try it. And if he doesn't, then I know Laura and I would happily finish his cup off. Thanks for sharing this one! Bring on warmer days and smoothie weather! 🙂
Karly says
I probably need to drink smoothies like this more often! Thanks for sharing!
Alexandra @ It's Not Complicated Recipes says
Delicious! I love a good green smoothie! So good for you, and I love the taste!
Kathy says
It's sure an easy way to up the healthy food!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
I always have room for another green smoothie in my repertoire Kathy! Now I just have to limit my cookie intake and swap them out for one of these!
Kathy says
Me too!