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DH and I have started exploring green smoothies as a way to get more veggies in our diet. We have each made one every morning for the past week, using spinach and blueberries as the constants and playing with other ingredients. So far we have a couple of good recipes, but I would love to expand and have a bit more variety, so bring on the recipes!

 

Also, if you make green smoothies, or just use a lot of produce, how do you manage your grocery budget? I'm looking at buying some things in bulk from the farmer's market - mainly the spinach.

 

:bigear:

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I use frozen fruit to save on cost. The smoothie I make most has frozen mango, frozen strawberries, frozen blueberries, swiss chard (or other greens), a scoop of green superfood powder, and most recently, chia seeds. I just add a couple of cups of water until it blends smoothly.

 

I made one the other day with frozen mango, frozen pineapple, coconut water and curly red kale. That was mighty tasty.

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I don't Pinterest. Though I suppose I could start. Do I need an account just to look at stuff?

 

And do you find the taste of the greens is more apparent using chard or kale? So far we have stuck with spinach because it is supposed to be the easiest to hide with fruit. I do put a carrot in as well, but again it is relatively sweet and easy to cover with the fruit.

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We've been doing green smoothies for a couple of weeks. I've only done spinach so far, but now I'm going to have to try carrots!

My suggestions for controlling the budget would be to 1) grow your own if possible 2) buy at the farmers market or CSA 3) use frozen fruit and 4) use what's in season/on sale at the store. I'm sure you could buy fresh in bulk and then freeze it.

I'm :bigear: for recipe ideas!

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You can also just google green smoothies. When I am in a hurry, I just toss in a hand full of Spinach, one apple, half a lemon, and flax or chia seeds. You can also toss in carrots, a dash of ginger, and change up the greens. I have used various types of Chard, kale, and whatever I see on sale. I buy frozen fruit (when not using apples or pears), but I have used fresh fruit when I find it at a really good price.

 

I think others have given good ideas for saving money. I buy in season and on sale. DH is looking forward to starting a garden once we make our move to ID. Yippy!

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We do garden and are adding several spinach plants, so hopefully that will help. I also looked online and found Sam's has big bags of frozen blueberries and dark cherries. :drool5: I think too that once we know what we need it will be easier to budget. We're just experimenting so much right now.

 

I did look up recipes online as well, I was just hoping to get some tried and true ones here! My favorite so far is 1 banana, 1 cup blueberries, 2 cups spinach, 1 medium carrot, and about a cup of water. On heavy exercise days I added half an avocado as well.

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I buy frozen fruit at Sams in big bags. You can also buy fresh spinach and then freeze it. It blends better that way (at least that has been our experience). That would also allow you to take advantage of good prices. We put yogurt and bananas in ours. I think the banana makes it creamier.

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DH and I have started exploring green smoothies as a way to get more veggies in our diet. We have each made one every morning for the past week, using spinach and blueberries as the constants and playing with other ingredients. So far we have a couple of good recipes, but I would love to expand and have a bit more variety, so bring on the recipes!

 

Also, if you make green smoothies, or just use a lot of produce, how do you manage your grocery budget? I'm looking at buying some things in bulk from the farmer's market - mainly the spinach.

 

:bigear:

 

 

Kale is cheaper than spinach and the taste is milder, so we usually use kale instead of spinach. Our Lowes sells it for 99 cents per bunch. I put the kale and some liquid in the blender first and puree it to break up the fiber well, because kale is much less tender than spinach. During the summer, we buy several flats of fresh strawberries to freeze. Sadly, I used the last of last summer's strawberries last week. This year, I want to find a source for blueberries to freeze, too. Aldi's often has fresh pineapple for 99 cents each, so I'll buy a couple and cut them up to freeze. During the winter, citrus is cheap, so I'll use mostly bananas and oranges in our smoothies. I don't like to use frozen fruit from the grocery store if I don't have to because it has no flavor imo.

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I don't notice much taste difference using whatever types of greens I have on hand. But, then again, I really like green smoothies. I do try to vary the types of greens I use, mainly because I think variety is what provides the most nutrients. All sorts of kale, parsley, spinach, every sort of green lettuce (not iceberg of course), the tops of carrots, turnip greens, etc. some types may have more of a peppery taste, but I think it adds interest, and the addition of fruit always mellows things out. You can also soak chia seeds in water overnight & add the resulting gel. It doesn't take that long to gel up, but it's what is most convenient for me.

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I have them 3 or 4 times a week for a snack

 

Banana, strawberries( or frozen mixed berries) or pineapple, spinach and almond milk

 

Pumpkin, yogurt ( or vanilla yogurt, I use Greek), pumpkin pie spice! some banana, handful of spinach,maybe some vanilla and honey and ice

The same as above with cooked sweet potatoes

 

Sweet potatoes, orange (deseeded) cinnamon

 

Peaches, spinach, almond milk, a little mint

 

To keep things affordable I use frozen fruit from Aldi, I buy the old marked down bananas and peel them and freeze to use. I use Kroger almond milk and canned pumpkin.

My kids like an instant breakfast, almond milk, bananas, peanut butter and spinach. I figure the stuff in the instant breakfast is cancelled out by the fruit and veg they actually will enjoy.

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Does anyone know the best starter green smoothie for kids?

 

I have finally got myself a working blender, so I made a lovely (well I liked it) smoothie of blueberries, raspberries, banana and silver beet (chard), but the kids wouldn't have a bar of it. They won't tolerate the slightest hint of green in a smoothie, even if it's a vegetable that they would eat on a plate!

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Has anyone used an immersion blender for this? I've been working myself up to buying one and this would be another potential use. I do have a large "pitcher" blender, but it's a pain to get out and use. I really want an immersion for mayo and soup...and maybe green smoothies?

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I just bought a Ninja at Costco yesterday. I love it already. Yesterday I put in two bananas, a yogurt, some green superfood powder, some strawberries, blueberries and kale and it was too thick. I think if I had added water or ice it would have been better. Today I started with 12 oz of organic apple juice. I put in kale, an apple, one banana, green superfood powder, strawberries and blueberries (all organic) and it was delish!

 

Kale doesn't taste or smell like anything to me. It does add little specks of green - maybe since it's almost March you can tell the kids they are Leprechaun sprinkles?

 

I am looking forward to adding other stuff, I just needed to get going, but I can see myself running amok with this smoothie thing! :thumbup:

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Has anyone used an immersion blender for this? I've been working myself up to buying one and this would be another potential use. I do have a large "pitcher" blender, but it's a pain to get out and use. I really want an immersion for mayo and soup...and maybe green smoothies?

 

Great point! I'd love to hear if this works for anyone! I haven't done smoothie's at all consistently, but if the immersion blender would work which I can just fit in the dishwasher in a little corner, that would make a HUGE difference.

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I have seen some recipes for green smoothies that are chocolate or peanut butter. That might help with the kids. I also use small insulated mugs with lids, so the kids don't actually see what they are drinking. You might even want to start with just fruit/yogurt/milk smoothies for them, and then gradually add the green stuff. A fruit smoothie is healthy in and of itself. The green is an added bonus!

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That's what we did - started with just fruit and worked our way up. Ds9 has a green smoothie most days, but his is less green than mine. I put about half the spinach and add a little fruit juice to sweeten it. Usually just 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup depending on the juice. He's been fine with it so far. We actually tried a citrus green smoothie instead of our usual berry blend today. It was pretty good too, though the green was a lot more visible.

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I use frozen fruit from Sam's. I put any combination of frozen strawberries, blueberries, mango, peaches, mixed berries that I have on hand. I buy spinach at Aldi. I add in chia seeds, coconut oil, and a scoop of protein powder. I don't eat bananas, but I do freeze them to add to smoothies for my kids. My kids wanted to try my smoothies in the beginning and then they got hooked, too. My husband on the other hand won't even give it a try with the spinach in it. He does make orange julius type of smoothies. Just nothing green. Lol.

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I just bought a Ninja at Costco yesterday. I love it already. Yesterday I put in two bananas, a yogurt, some green superfood powder, some strawberries, blueberries and kale and it was too thick. I think if I had added water or ice it would have been better. Today I started with 12 oz of organic apple juice. I put in kale, an apple, one banana, green superfood powder, strawberries and blueberries (all organic) and it was delish!

 

Kale doesn't taste or smell like anything to me. It does add little specks of green - maybe since it's almost March you can tell the kids they are Leprechaun sprinkles?

 

I am looking forward to adding other stuff, I just needed to get going, but I can see myself running amok with this smoothie thing! :thumbup:

 

 

 

Can you tell me more about the green superfood powder? I haven't heard of it....

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I found this one recently & it's really tasty. I've had it quite a few times already.

 

Green Monster Spinach Smoothie

 

I think I'd like it better w/ almond butter than peanut butter, but it's good w/ the peanut butter. (I've got PB I'm trying to use up & am out of almond butter, so that's what I'll use for now. Also, I have tried other greens instead of spinach -- mostly a mix of salad greens w/ kale. It's pretty good, but I like it better w/ the spinach. I use what I have on hand, though.)

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Can you tell me more about the green superfood powder? I haven't heard of it....

 

I'm sorry I didn't see this post, Sunrise. I use Amazing Grass superfood powders, specifically the Vanilla "Amazing Meal" powder and the "ORAC Green Superfood". I was using one scoop of each and adding it to almond milk, with a bit of strawberry yogurt mixed in for a better flavor, but now I have been adding one scoop of each to the blender when I make the smoothies.

 

You can look Amazing Grass up on the internet- they have a website and you can check out all of their offerings. I swear by this stuff now. I was quite ill last year - 7 sinus infections in one year. I started drinking these powders in shakes and I have only had 2 sinus infections in the last year. My dd, who has chronic fatigue syndrome, went from literally laying in bed all day to being able to go to co-op classes 4 days a week! I am hoping that adding it to the real fruits and veggies in the blender will really up it a notch - maybe dd will be healed - you never know!

 

I buy the powders at Sprouts or Mother's Market here in Southern California. If you order from the AG website and sign up for recurring orders, you get 20% off and free shipping.

 

Let me know if you have any more questions!! I am a devotee of Amazing Grass and no, I don't work there!

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What's the deal with the chia seeds? I have never heard of them.

 

I hadn't either so I did a little research yesterday. Chia seeds are supposed to be good for you, but you have to make sure they are ground up and organic. Dr. Oz says they don't have to be ground, but many others say they do. Organic, because a lot of Chia is imported from China and is bad quality.

 

I read that they are high in Omega 3s and fiber. I did also read that you have to be careful of Chia if you have low blood pressure or some other issues.

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Sorry, I didn't see this either. Caroljenn's right. Get organic. There are so many benefits to chia seed gel, and you could google to find out all about them, but a few that I like are the fact that they're packed with nutrients (like all edible seeds), and the gel helps me feel full. They're quite good for the digestive system too.

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I was just wondering about more recipes for green smoothies - this is great!

 

 

Great point! I'd love to hear if this works for anyone! I haven't done smoothie's at all consistently, but if the immersion blender would work which I can just fit in the dishwasher in a little corner, that would make a HUGE difference.

 

 

I use an immersion blender but the order in which you put in the ingredients is important....Once I tried with the spinach on the bottom - big mistake.

 

Today I did carrots with water first, then the frozen berries and other small ingredients, then the spinach last so it was just blending into liquid.

 

BUT I wouldn't put the immersion blender in the dishwasher - seems better to handwash it...

 

Joan

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I'm sorry I didn't see this post, Sunrise. I use Amazing Grass superfood powders, specifically the Vanilla "Amazing Meal" powder and the "ORAC Green Superfood". I was using one scoop of each and adding it to almond milk, with a bit of strawberry yogurt mixed in for a better flavor, but now I have been adding one scoop of each to the blender when I make the smoothies.

 

You can look Amazing Grass up on the internet- they have a website and you can check out all of their offerings. I swear by this stuff now. I was quite ill last year - 7 sinus infections in one year. I started drinking these powders in shakes and I have only had 2 sinus infections in the last year. My dd, who has chronic fatigue syndrome, went from literally laying in bed all day to being able to go to co-op classes 4 days a week! I am hoping that adding it to the real fruits and veggies in the blender will really up it a notch - maybe dd will be healed - you never know!

 

I buy the powders at Sprouts or Mother's Market here in Southern California. If you order from the AG website and sign up for recurring orders, you get 20% off and free shipping.

 

Let me know if you have any more questions!! I am a devotee of Amazing Grass and no, I don't work there!

 

Thanks so much! I'm going to check it out!!!

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