Vegas Style Green Smoothie with Spinach

Hi Everyone, I know it’s been a while since I posted a green smoothie recipe. The last half year, or so, has felt like a rerun of the previous few years when it comes to creating new green smoothie recipes. But today is a little different.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned to a friend that I would look into changing the base for my smoothies in order to make it something that would be a little friendlier for her new-found diet and her new-found restricted income. Basically, she didn’t like the idea of using juice as a base and her friend was allergic to coconut milk. Juice can also be expensive. To me, those are two really good base liquids that greatly enhance the flavor of smoothies. I don’t mind spending a little more for that enhancement.

So, I’m making an effort to remove some of the cost along with reducing the calories.

To do this, welcome Tea! Not just any tea, but your favorite tea! In my case, it’s Sweet Oolong Revolution from Teavana. You can find it on Teavana’s tea wall here. Notice they’ve got White, Green, Oolong, Black, Red and Herbal tea blends. They’re generally not cheap, but they sure are good. 

The best part about these particular teas is that they’re full of flavor. The Sweet Oolong Revolution tea has a hint of cinnamon which really caries through the smoothie. Because the key to a good smoothie is a flavorful base, these teas serve that function well.

Recipe:

2 apples

  • 4 Medjool dates
  • 2 cups seedless grapes
  • 2 bananas
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1+ cup Sweet Oolong Revolution tea (chilled)
  • 1lb Baby spinach

I like to place the soft fruit first. That way I’ll quickly get some mass in the blender that will suck down the harder fruit (like apples).

After you’ve worked the chunks out, it’s time to pack in the greens. It’s amazing how many leaves you can press into the blender as the liquid fills in all around it.

You might need to help the blender get through the ‘plug’ of leaves. But once you do, breakfast is only 60 seconds away!

Note that this recipe makes a little more than 2 quarts. If it was just for me, I’d cut the ingredient list in half.

It’s also interesting to note that apples give a fluff to green smoothies that other fruit doesn’t do. Notice all the air in the jar? After I let this mixture sit for an hour (made before yoga, consumed afterwards) the volume was reduced almost a cup.

Banana’s a cinnamon go together very well. Even though there are extra dates added, the mixture comes across as being a bit more savory than sweet.

If you have a favorite tea that you’d love to see mixed into a smoothie, let me know.

Oh, almost forgot. A long time ago I came across a video describing a Vegas Style Smoothie. I did a quick search and found this by the Renegade Health Show.

At one time I was an advocate for putting lots of different powders in my smoothie. But it just doesn’t make sense to me any longer. I’m all about simplicity and ease. Yet, I did make one association in this video and that was Tea with Vegas! I’ve forever thought of Vegas Smoothies as being Tea based. I guess I should have thought of them as being over the top with 40+ ingredients.

Oh well. I don’t know of anyone that’s explicitly calling tea based smoothies anything different. Thus, to me, they are Green Smoothies Vegas Style!

See ya soon…

Orange Grape Spinach Smoothie

Today’s a great day to post another beautiful green smoothie recipe. This one is light, yet not all that cooling. I find that typically, when I consume oranges, I find that they have a cooling effect on my body. Yet, this recipe finds a balance somehow and you don’t instantly cool down. It’s easy and all I’m willing to bet that the ingredients are all available today!

The one thing that’s different about this smoothie is that the red grapes have seeds in them. I normally don’t like seeds – of any type – in my smoothies, but this time it’s different. Somehow, I believe the feeling of this smoothie would not be the same without the seeds. Maybe that’s where the warmth came from to tame the cooling oranges! In any case, the seeds actually add to the smoothie rather than take away from it. So, if you’re feeling adventurous, keep the seeds. Give it a try.

Recipe:

  • 3 seedless oranges pealed and split
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 3 pitted dates
  • 1 ½ cup red grapes with seeds
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • ¼ cup probiotic (I used coconut water)
  • ½ pound young baby Spinach

You’ve got to look hard in the picture to see the grapes for they’re kind of hidden in the blender. In this second picture they show up better.

Spin for a few seconds to liquefy. Stuff in the spinach.

And then spin on high for nearly 60 seconds. You want to make sure you grind the seeds down to nothing – or next to nothing. If you find the smoothie warming up, don’t be afraid to add a couple ice cubes and grind a little longer.

In the end, you’ll get about 7 cups!

The jar is my late breakfast, the cup is for Lori and what’s left in the blender is my clean up treat!

Share the treat with yourself – peal a few oranges!

Good day.

Strawberry Orange Grape Spinach Smoothie

Good day for another raw green smoothie! This one has got to be one of the easiest and most comforting. I believe this is the first time that I’ve mixed oranges and strawberries. What a wonderful combination. The orange is so neutral, I rarely think of it as being a flavor all in its own. But in this case, when you add the strawberries, the orange flavor is really accentuated. Like wow!

Who would have thought that if you mix a few strawberries in with a couple oranges the oranges would taste stronger?

Even though I’m making the smoothie in order to get the greens, you don’t always want to get the flavor of the greens. In this smoothie, you’d think that the grapes and spinach are just along for the ride!

Winter is upon all of us in the northern hemisphere so oranges and frozen strawberries should be plentiful. You might want to give this one a try!

Recipe:

  • 2 oranges (remove the seeds)
  • 10 frozen strawberries
  • 1 to 1 ½ cups seedless grapes
  • 1 cup coconut milk (I like the one with added vanilla)
  • ¼ cup (or so) “Good Belly” probiotic
  • 2 medjool dates (remove the seeds)
  • ½ lb raw baby spinach

Pile everything but the greens into the blender.

I usually place the wettest, easiest to grind stuff at the bottom. Place the lid on tight and liquefy (this should only take a few seconds).

Now stuff in your spinach! You should be able to easily get the half pound in and around that juice. Now place the lid on again and blend until smooth. I usually let it spin for about a minute. The frozen strawberries will keep it from overheating so if you want to spin it longer, that’s probably ok too.

In the end, you get orange flavored green magic!

Each morning I make about 64 ounces. This recipe makes just that. If you want less, cut the fruit in half and don’t use more than 1 cup liquid.

Oranges are a bit cooling so make sure you’re going to stay active during the day. Don’t want to hear about anyone getting cold after drinking an Orange Strawberry Grape Spinach Smoothie!

Enjoy!

Blueberry Kale Apple Smoothie

Blueberries and Red Kale make a fantastic green smoothie combination. I’ve been dogging the kale for months reaching for Swiss chard, parsley and spinach (even lettuce) rather than picking up with vegan special. Yet, on the advice of one of my favorite yoga instructors, I broke down and picked up some kale to give it one more go.

As it turns out, this Red Kale mixes really well with blueberries! I would have never guessed – but my yoga instructor did!

I’ve always reached for the lemon to tame kale, but it looks like there is a match in the berry-world.

Recipe

I can’t believe when I was putting this one together that I totally forgot the blueberries!

  • 1 full bunch Red Kale (stems removed)
  • 1 crisp apple (seeded and quartered (or better))
  • 3 madjohl dates
  • 1 cup dark seedless grapes
  • 1 to 2 cups frozen blueberries
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup coconut milk
  • Juice of ½ lemon (if it’s juicy, else 1 lemon)
  • 1 probiotic
  • 1 serving ORMUS powder

Like most other smoothies that I put together, liquids first followed by soft fruit than harder fruit. In this case, water, coconut milk, lemon juice, grapes, blueberries, quartered apples (or even smaller) and dates. Blend until big chunks are broken down. It should taste fantastic at this point. Kind of like blueberry sorbet.

Next, stuff in kale and give it a good spin. The frozen blueberries will keep this on cold for a long time so blending can go for almost two minutes. When you get to blend this long you really break things down to the point where it’s easy to drink.

Finally, add the ORMUS and probiotic and give it a good mixing. Not need to go long, just stir it around.

I think I’ve found a new way to love kale. I’m also warming up to blueberries.

If you’re having a hard time getting to like kale, try this combo. I believe you’ll find it quite satisfying!

Sweat Spinach Peach Smoothie

If you’re looking for something super palatable, this is your smoothie. Peaches, coconut milk and baby spinach make for a dynamite combination. All the flavors are simple and smooth, so there is nothing that stands out as odd. If you’re tired of all those super smoothies with the strong flavors that you have to mask, this is worth a try.

You’ll most likely also notice that I’ve added a couple ingredients that are outside the norm; ground flax seed and ORMUS. The ground flax seed gives the smoothie a ‘breakfast’ feel – a taste of grain, but not too much. If you let the smoothie sit, you might want to pass on the flax seed for it will thicken up like pudding! ORMUS, on the other hand, adds a bit of saltiness that really makes the flavors pop! Also doesn’t hurt to add angstrom size particles into the diet.

Recipe

  • 4 frozen peaches (I store 8 per quart size bag, so ½ bag)
  • 1 – 1 ½ cups grapes
  • 3 small dates
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • ½ lb baby Spinach
  • 1 Tablespoon flax seed ground
  • 1 serving ORMUS minerals
  • 1 probiotic

Add liquid first, followed by grapes, dates and frozen spinach. Blend to get the initial grind down. One thing that will help is if you split the frozen peaches into ice cube size pieces.

If they are much larger, you’ve really got to work the mixture in order to keep it from jamming up. Even in my case with my Vita-mix, I’d have to plunger it if the pieces are too big.

When it’s broken down a bit, add the spinach.

I’ve been tempted to stop at this point in order to enjoy the peach sorbet! It’s just as amazing without the greens as it is with them!  Notice that after stuffing in ½ pound spinach it’s ready to blend and plunge. Close everything back up and mix on high under creamy.

Meanwhile, get out the coffee grinder and place the flax seed in it for grinding. Grind until it starts to stand, but not before it starts to heat up and melt. You want to keep the olds cool.

Finally, turn the blender off and add the ground flax seed, probiotic and ORUMS. You want to turn the blender on to mix in the dry ingredients, but not too long for you don’t want to break down the probiotic critters.

In the end, you’ve got breakfast and sometimes lunch. It just depends on how hungry you think you are in one sitting. With this smoothie, I really don’t mind having it for both breakfast and lunch. Thus making a little extra foots the bill for me.

I’m so glad I put up peaches last summer! I’ve been craving early summer fruit, but nothings out yet. I think this one will tide me over.