The difference between a green smoothie and any other smoothie is, well, it's green! Yes, I mean green in color, but I also mean green, as in good for you. Green smoothies combine your traditional fruit smoothie with a handful of fresh spinach leaves, which give it both it's color, and a whole serving of your daily vegetables in one, fruity drink!
Now, I really don't know if the green smoothie is a relatively new concept, or if avenues like Pinterest and Instagram have just shined a spotlight on it in recent years, but I for one had never had one. Sure, I've made my own smoothies or been to Smoothie King, but I'd never had anything with spinach in it, and to be honest the thought (and sight) of it kind of freaked me out. Don't get me wrong, I love spinach (and the fact that I had some in my refrigerator led to this experiment), but I just didn't know that I would love it in a fruit smoothie.
Oh, how I was wrong!!! Like I said, I had some fresh spinach in my fridge that I wanted to use before it started to wilt, but wasn't really in the mood for a sandwich. I was browsing Pinterest (of course) when a picture of a bright green smoothie caught my eye. Aha! I know what I'll make. I scrounged around the kitchen coming up with what to put into my very own smoothie concoction, and here is what i came up with:
It's an Apple-Banana-Almond Green Smoothie. Let's not kid ourselves. It's not exactly appetizing - it looks like some sort of photosynthesis sludge or something, but it didn't taste like it!
It tasted pretty apple-y/banana-y to me. I couldn't really taste the spinach at all. I started out by blending together the spinach and ice, to get it minced up a bit, and then added in the banana and one apple, peeled, cored and cubed. I also added in 1/4 cup of almond milk, to give it a creamier texture (I really hate when you make a smoothie and it's a little too fluffy - like you're drinking air).
I also added a small handful of almonds, to give it some staying power - you know, keep you fuller longer. Plus, I just love almonds. (Tip: when you add the almonds, cover the lid completely before blending - when they hit the blades, things get a little wild in there!) And voila!
My first green smoothie. And man, is it green. So, how did it taste? Delicious! It actually tasted nutritious, so I felt pretty good about it while I was sippin'.
If you're like me, I just couldn't quite get past the green-ness of the smoothie - it tasted delish, but I think next time I'll see if I can come up with something a little less, well, green! Stay tuned for the Not-So-Green Green Smoothie Recipe!
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