It looks so innocent just sitting there all green and pretty in the glass, doesn’t it? My first (and possibly last) Green Smoothie just about gagged me to death. I don’t know if I dare try to drink one again. What did I do wrong? I thought Green Smoothies were supposed to taste at least a little bit good. Green Smoothie drinkers of the world, please help me!
I really wanted to love Kimberly Snyder’s Glowing Green Smoothie Recipe as part of her Beauty Detox Program. I’m not trying to lose weight, but I would like to get more fruits and veggies into my diet for better skin, health and increased energy.
Here’s where I need advice on the best way to make Green Smoothies. I followed the GGS recipe almost exactly (I didn’t add any cilantro, parsley or celery, though.) I put the ingredients in my Ninja blender and blended until they were as smooth as possible. I tried to drink it, but the little bits of spinach and lettuce that didn’t get shredded enough triggered my gag reflux (sorry about TMI). It really did make me gag. I tried to drink it fast (with my nose plugged, I literally chugged it down by the sink). I took about 2 gulps and had to put the glass down. I couldn’t bring myself to drink any more. I think it is more of the thick, yucky texture than the taste, even though it still tastes very green and spinach-y to me.
Would a better blender make all the difference? Is there a better recipe? Recommendations?
Do you drink Green Smoothies? Do you LIKE them?
If you have any thoughts about Green Smoothies, please feel free to share them in the comments section. Any advice is much appreciated. Thank you!
Katrina Moody says
I’m so glad you put this out there! I tried a ‘green’ smoothie at one time and was scared off until I finally switched over to a whole foods diet. Now that I want to try one again I’ll learn from your mistakes LOL 🙂
Nicole says
Hi Katrina,
It’s so hard to want to try drinking them again after having a bad experience. I know green smoothie lesson #1 is don’t use so many cups of greens or it will be disgusting. LOL I’m going to try again soon – and I’ll be sure to post about how it turns out.
heather says
I keep thinking about trying adding veggies to smoothies but never seem to have the ingredients or the guts to try. I’m a super picky eater and can’t stand the taste of most veggies. My daughter is also picky. I’d love to find something that gets the needed nutrients in us without the yucky taste. If you find a recipe that tastes good let me know.
Nicole says
Hi Heather, I will let you know if I find a good recipe that includes veggies that is drinkable. The first one I tried was NOT for me, but I think I put way too many greens in there and not enough fruits to help drown out the taste. Plus I may have to get a better blender to really get things smooth. I want to find some kid-friendly Green Smoothie recipes too – and I will share anything I find that works with my picky eaters. 🙂
Bre Fowler says
I drink a “green” smoothie every morning and I can’t even taste the spinach, it’s delicious! I don’t exactly use measurements but if I had to guess it would look something like:
1 banana
6-8 frozen strawberries
1/2 cup Vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 Cup Coconut Milk
A handful of baby spinach, maybe 1 cup? Or less if you’re sensitive to the taste.
If it needs more liquid you can add a splash of orange juice, or a little more coconut milk.
The spinach should get totally blended in, you won’t even be able to tell it’s in there. If you can, then it must be a problem with your blender! And you can always add little extras in there for protein like a couple tablespoons of greek yogurt, or flavored probiotic juice, or just a scoop of protein powder 🙂 So good! I can’t start my morning without it!
Nicole says
I’m thinking the 6 cups of baby spinach I used in my smoothie was WAY too much for a newbie like myself! 🙂 Yum, your recipe sounds delish. Thank you for leaving it here for me to try.
judy gregory says
whoa just saw the stuff about flax. skip the seed buy the oil. just make sure buy it out of refrigerated section or in black plastic, blue glass or dark brown glass. these products become rancid super quick and easy and it’s not as easy to tell as you think. if you must use seeds use whole ONLY grind in a coffee mill daily. ground flax seed will become rancid in 2 or 3 days un-refrigerated. rancid oils are carcinogenic. don’t go there
Nicole says
Thanks for the info on the rancid flax seeds. Yikes. That is all I need to have happen. I wouldn’t have known that otherwise, THANK YOU for sharing that! I think I have some flax seed oil from a recent KlutchClub box. It’s cinnamon flavored though. Maybe that would be good in a smoothie?
judy gregory says
depends on where u live and when it was shipped. did it get hot? sorry, i’m picky about oil based supplements. the company i worked had climate controlled trucks that not only delivered to our stores but picked up the products headed to the warehouse. my biggest “pet peeve” is co-enzyme q10. one of the best supplements out there. the good stuff isn’t cheap. one reason is it is very heat sensitive. if, it hits 85 degrees for more than an hour dump it in the garbage because it’s that’s what it is. as for flax oil a true “veg head” friend of mine would only use barlean’s. it’s in a black plastic bottle and the company will only sell to stores and distributors that guarantee refrigeration
judy gregory says
um,,, spent 20+ years in the “health food industry” just buy spirulina and add to your favorute smoothie when you add up the cost of those fresh ingredients it’s much more $$ friendly too. spirulina is like a dried plankton. and you CAN’T beat the nutrition. why make life complicated. it doesn’t have to be. BTW a good quality spirulina will turn your smoothie black put it in one of those thermal coffee mugs with a lid and drink with a straw if black food bothers you
Nicole says
Does spirulina alter the taste of smoothies?
judy gregory says
it will make it taste a “liitle” green. my brain’s slow today. should have also suggested green magma. it’s a whole green food powder you can stir into juice as well as a smoothie. don’t fall for pill or capsule versions of ANY green product. takes 10 to 20 to equal a teaspoon of powder. (even if the package says otherwise) you can’t make a gram smaller than a gram
Andrea says
That smoothie recipe sounds really good to me (I love green smoothies), but for your first ones you may want to start with something a little simpler. Try something like this:
1 c. milk (any kind – I like coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk)
2-3 c. baby spinach
1 frozen banana
1 c. frozen fruit (Either mixed berries or mixed pineapple and mango are good)
1 T. chia or flax seed
Or to keep it even simpler, instead of the frozen berries or other fruit, you could use 1-2 T. of any type of nut butter.
I hope you try again because green smoothies are so delicious and nutritious! 🙂
Nicole says
Hi Andrea, I don’t want to give up on the green smoothie – so I will definitely try again using all the great advice people are giving me. I think I just tried an advanced green smoothie recipe and need to start out a little easier on the greens! 🙂 Just wondering if the flax seeds you use are whole or are they already the ground up kind?
Andrea says
I think that you could probably use either. Ground would be great, but I think that whole ones would work as well because as you are blending your smoothie, they will grind up a bit anyways. 🙂
Nicole says
Thanks!
Allyson Bossie says
I make mine with yogurt, ice, lots of berries, along with other fruit (any fruit you want really, mangos, bananas, papaya, peaches, etc), milk. ice, and then I fill the blender with spinach. Anytime I made it the spinach blended right in. Maybe try blending the spinach down with some juice first, then add the fruit, ice and yogurt or soy. When I read your recipe, I see some bland fruits (apples, pears, bananas are blander than things like mango or berries) and maybe the spinach decided to rule. Try adding some really flavorful fruit with your blander ones and I wouldn’t use romaine, but that is just me.
Nicole says
Thanks for your advice, Allyson. I think I will have to try this again with berries and other things that can possibly drown out the spinach taste. And I’ll add ice – great suggestions! 🙂
Becky Ryan-Willis says
What did you put in it? If you are just starting you just want 1 leaf of spinach, kale or rommaine, (sp)… also I always do a banana, blueberries, or strawberries-frozen, 8oz of water.
another variation which won’t work if you are not for using yogurt-is 2 handfuls of baby spinach, 1 cup nonfat yogurt, 2 bananas, 1 cup pineapple, 1 cup water -this one you can get away with more baby spinach because -well everything else offsets it..lol 🙂
Nicole says
I put in a ton of baby spinach (6 cups!) – I also put in Romaine, banana, apple, pear and lemon juice. I think adding berries would help the taste a lot. Mine was really “green” – but the texture was not smooth at all. The little bits of leaves weren’t easy to drink. I froze the remains of today’s smoothie. Maybe I can doctor it up a bit tomorrow. Thanks, Becky!
Barbara M says
Here’s one that I was told is good – haven’t tried it yet.
1cup vanilla soy milk
kale 5 leaves
banana 1
Frozen fruit 1 cup pineapple and melons are supposed to be good.
All this goes in the blender.
If you make this will you let me know if you like it?
Nicole says
I like Very Vanilla Silk milk a lot – I wonder if that would go well with this. I’ll have to make a trip to the grocery store before I can try this. I’ll let you know how it goes if I make it. Thanks for leaving your recipe!