When’s the last time you had a really good veggie sandwich?
I used to work in a cafe that had daily lunch specials, and one was a veggie croissant. Essentially, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and green peppers on a croissant with mayo and mustard. You know how they always say “less is more?” That was the philosophy working here. Something about it worked wonderfully, and it was always a hit.
A wise woman (well, more like one of my best friends) once said, “Veggie burgers and sandwiches are usually better because they have to make up for the lack of meat with flavour.” And she’s so right.
Let me just say that getting on board with salad is a universal struggle. It is hard and we all have to do it to live happy, healthy lives.
Not too many people grow up loving it unless they’ve been fed proper delicious salads all their lives. But, unfortunately, most people envision iceberg lettuce smothered in ranch dressing with a tomato on top when they think of a salad, and that’s off putting to everyone, even healthy people.
So with that in mind, sometimes I don’t blame long-suffering partners of fit people for having a hard time wanting to eat salad with their SO to help support their diet changes.
I know they look kind of weird, but the majesty of a green smoothie is that something that, frankly, looks gross can taste so good and fill your body with valuable vitamins and nutrients. If you want to incorporate more veggies into your diet effortlessly, you probably need to learn how to make one you find palatable.
First, you get your greens. Whatever greens you use depends mostly on what you want in your smoothie. Kale and Spinach are good starters, but know that spinach blends up easier than kale. Both are good sources of fibre, too. Some people like swiss chard and beet leaves in their too, but I find those too stem-y for my liking.
Next, your base. This part is entirely up to you for the aesthetic of the drink, but I prefer to choose a fruit like mangos, pineapple, apples or peaches to keep the colour green. Frozen fruit works a bit better to bind everything together, but don’t fret if yours isn’t – fresh works good too! And don’t forget about other veggies that can be added in, namely cucumber and celery.
Now, you want to get it nice and mixed up. So what kind of liquids go well in the perfect smoothie? Well, one great drink to mix in is coconut water. Frankly, smoothies are the only place I accept coconut water, since I find it gross on its own. But maybe you like it, no judgement. Also think about using almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, or just actual cow’s milk.
Finally, your add-ins. Chia seeds make a good accessory to your drink because they add omega-3s and fibre. Some people like to add protein powder, which is acceptable if it’s a flavour that won’t mess with the other flavours muddled in there. If you don’t have protein for that extra pow, greek yogurt can do wonders to flesh it out with more protein to keep you fuller for longer.
If you want to see these steps in action, here’s a simple smoothie to try out. Spinach, frozen pineapple, coconut water, and a little bit of lemon juice.
So get your pineapple and spinach in a magic bullet cup, or any other blending cup. How many? This many.
Next, add coconut water up until you almost cover the spinach, but not quite. Then you can start blending it together.
It’ll probably get stuck, so I used lemon juice to get it loosened. Also helps bring out the flavour of the pineapple. Which, you know, you want up front and centre.
If you are fresh out of lemon juice or anything else that would make the smoothie taste better, don’t be afraid to try just plain water. Like, you could just used water instead of coconut water in this, too. But coconut water is super hydrating and I have to drink it, according to the internet.
So once you’ve blended everything together, it should look like this!
Once you’re there, feel free to drink it out of the cup, or put it into any decorative mason jar that might be kicking around.
And to think people say they’re gross.
Congrats, you’ve successfully made a green smoothie you could probably convince anyone to drink. But why would you? It’s all yours.
This post comes to you from my old health and fitness blog, the real fit girl! I will be posting my old work from there here from time to time, so be sure to check out the #tbt tag!
good food feed 