GREEN POWER-PACKED SMOOTHIE

Green smoothies. I always had my doubts. I was very sceptical that vegetables could actually taste good in a smoothie. I considered green smoothies to be a new craze, fad and phase that would die down quickly. Turns out I was so wrong. 
Green smoothies do entail a bit of trial and error when starting out. I will openly admit that I have made more than a few green smoothies that have been undrinkable! Here's a foundation/base that I have learnt to use for all my green smoothies to ensure a drinkable and delicious refreshment every time: 

INGREDIENTS

• 1-2 pieces of fruit 
• I always using a banana, pear or mango as a compulsory fruit and I love to add them frozen, as they thicken up the smoothie 
• the 2nd piece of fruit can be anything such as kiwifruit, pineapple, apple, orange, nectarine, peach, plum, apricot, blueberries, strawberries or raspberries 
• No added sugar coconut water
• I only ever drink Hawaiian Coconut Energy coconut water from Aloha Health (click here for more information) as it has no added sugar. This product is also available at my Pilates studio and contains no sugar, is extremely low in calories and is full of calcium, minerals, potassium and electrotyles. 
• I add as much coconut water as I like to create a thick, smoothie consistency  
• Greenery
• A generous handful of baby spinach leaves is a must! 
• I'm not a huge fan of kale in smoothies, but some people love using this vegetable! 
• Lemon or lime juice
• The juice of 1/2 or a whole lemon or lime gives the juice a nice kick 
• Vegetables
• I enjoy grated ginger in my smoothies as well as cucumber, grated carrot and/or celery,, however go easy on these ingredients or they can overpower the final taste! 
• Protein
• I like to add 1-2 tablespoons of chia seeds to my smoothies. 
• You could also add flaxseeds, maca powder, cacao powder, hemp seeds, goji berries or any other natural supplement/superfood you can think of! 
• a handful of ice cubes 

Here's an example of a favourite smoothie of mine: 

Ingredients

• 1 kiwi fruit, skin removed 
• 1 frozen banana
• Hawaiian coconut energy water 
• a large handful of washed baby or english spinach 
• the juice of 1/2 a lemon 
• 2cm knob of fresh ginger, grated 
• 1 stalk of celery, washed & chopped
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds 
• ice cubes 

Method

1. Combine all the ingredients into a blender and blend for a minute or until combined. Add more water if you want a thinner consistency. 

Serves / 2 

x Emily