My go-to green smoothie mix

For Owyanna: my go-to green smoothie recipe. It is my go-to recipe because I usually have all the ingredients, and it is also one of the less experimental smoothies and therefore a good one to start with. Apparently a lot of people are put off by the green colour, which is a mystery to me, as nobody seems to have a problem with eating green vegetables, but when it comes to beverages, green is vilified.

I have to say that I haven't managed to entice anybody to drink green smoothies, though I occasionally force-feed them to those close to me. Matt might have a quarter of a glass, but reckons that is enough "fun". It baffles me. I don't think it's an acquired taste at all - this version simply tastes really good. I took the basic green smoothie recipe (milk, banana, spinach) and added things I like that add more nutritional benefits. Sometimes I use kale as well as spinach. And sometimes I add a few frozen blueberries. And chlorella powder (to make it super-super-green). I never bother with ice, as I never have any and don't want it too cold, anyway - I reckon cold water/milk is enough.

I cannot give exact quantities, as I never measure anything, so the following is approximate.

I fill the beaker in this order:

-1/2 cup of water or cold green tea
-1/2 cup of soya milk (or almond or rice milk)  - OR no water and 1 cup of soya milk
-two handfuls of fresh baby spinach (I tried frozen - it didn't work)
-1 tsp almond butter 
-1 tsp bee pollen
-1 tbsp hemp seeds
-some chopped ginger
-juice of 1/4 lemon
-half a banana (or more, but I think half is enough)

Blend until no big pieces of anything are left.

This makes about two glasses of smoothie.

You can leave out the bee pollen, ginger, lemon juice, almond butter and hemp seed and adapt as you like.

Check your teeth after drinking this!

P.S.: This is the book I mentioned in the last post. It includes an interview with Victoria Boutenko, who discovered green smoothies. According to the authors, drinking green smoothies daily will make you crave more greens and healthier foods, something I can confirm. I am not sure whether I will ever make it a habit to drink one litre per day (I usually have less than half a litre), but every little helps. The main reason the green smoothie has revolutionised healthy eating is that its liquid form means nutrients are absorbed quicker and better (it is easy on the stomach, too). It is also a convenient way of consuming lots of healthy things, and unlike fruit smoothies, it isn't full of sugar.