Green Smoothie Basics

If you're using a blender that isn't heavy duty like the Vitamix or Blendtec (I have an Oster Beehive), you'll need to pre-chop your produce. But you don't need to cut out the ribs of greens or peel cucumbers--those blend up fine. That being said, certain greens just won't blend up smooth enough and there's nothing worse than taking a big sip of smoothie and feeling tiny bits of greens on your tongue. My husband likened it to eating a cigarette. I'd skip curly kale and a large amount of dandelion greens. Lacinato (AKA Dino) kale blends up beautifully though. The beehive does fine with frozen fruit straight from the bag.

My recipes are somewhat different than many I've found because I do not prefer super thick and "creamy" green smoothies. I don't like using bananas or avocados. My average green smoothie contains 50-60% (by volume, not weight) greens and the rest is frozen and fresh fruit, little bit of veg (usually cucumber or some other gourd), seeds, water, and ice. I don't use milk/nut milks or yogurt. But this is just my preference; I'm not saying there's anything wrong about thick and creamy green smoothies.

I like to alternate the produce in the blender and then pour the water (or other liquid) in. But you should do what works for you and your blender. The picture to the left is from my very first green smoothie (heavy on the fruit). I leave a little bit of space at the top so it can blend. If you have more than will fit in the blender, blend it down and then add more making sure to always leave some room at the top. Always use something frozen, be it ice or frozen fruit, to keep the foam to a minimum.

You'll start to get the hang of it so don't be discouraged--it's not rocket science! ;)

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