Green Garden Smoothie
It’s that wonderful time of year where backyard gardens are overflowing with delicious bounty. My mom, who I’m currently visiting, is picking more vegetables than we can possibly eat… ever! So this garden smoothie has really come in handy.
My garden smoothie is basically the garbage disposal of smoothies; I just throw in whatever leftover veggies are in the fridge and blend them up for breakfast. Yum!
This works especially well when our garden-finds get to be a bit rough around the edges. I wash and dry the veggies, and throw them in the freezer. Imperfections are non-existent after a good blend. Plus, since they’re so ripe when they’re picked, they’re still nutritious even when frozen.
To make this smoothie extra green (because I might as well, right?) I added a little spirulina.
This ancient, blue-green alge has so many great health benefits (it’s is one of the most nutritionally dense foods), but can be a bit strong; a little goes a long way.
Which brings me to my next point, well, more like a warning: this particular smoothie is a bit more “green” than my regular smoothies. It is still sweet from the banana, apple and dates, but the subtle undertone of veggies remains. That doesn’t bother me at all, but it may not be your ideal way to start the day.
I encourage you to test it out before retreating to the fruit-filled side.
I use a combination of frozen and fresh fruits and veggies so that the smoothie comes out cold without needing ice. For my smoothie, I used frozen broccoli (picked from the garden and put in the freezer the night before) and frozen banana.
If you don’t want to use frozen vegetables, try substituting the coconut water for ice.
Ok, that’s pretty much all I have to say, so now let’s get to the smoothie!
Ingredients
1 cup of loosely packed kale
1/2 cup of frozen broccoli
1/4 cup of chopped cucumber
1 frozen banana
1 apple
4 dates
1 teaspoon of hemp hearts
¼ teaspoon spirulina
½ cup of coconut water
Method
Combine all of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
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