By RMHP

Four Green Smoothie Recipes to Try This Summer

You won't even realize you're eating veggies with these four delicious green smoothie recipes

1. Avocado Lime and Basil Smoothie

This yummy smoothie recipe includes several non-conventional ingredients, like basil and avocado. But, when blended, the result is a deliciously light, bright, and refreshing drink.

Ingredients:

• 1 large ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into cubes
• 4 fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup of rice or almond milk
• Juice from 2 limes
• 1 heaping tablespoon coconut or brown sugar
• ½ cup crushed ice (add more if you love a frozen smoothie)

Directions:

Any blender should be able to puree this smoothie, so simply add all of your ingredients to the pitcher and blend until smooth. Top off the tropical experience by adding a lime wedge to the edge of your glass.

2. Strawberry Spinach Smoothie

Looking to add some greens into your child’s diet? This strawberry spinach smoothie is a great option for picky kids who refuse to eat their veggies — they won’t even taste the spinach.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups packed spinach
• 1 very ripe medium banana peeled, cut into chunks, and frozen (which should equal a bit less than 1 cup)
• 1 cup whole frozen strawberries
• ¼ cup frozen pineapple chunks
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or your other favorite milk)
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds

Directions:

If you don’t have a high powered blender, puree your spinach and milk first. Add the remaining ingredients slowly, and don’t hesitate to add some extra milk if needed.

With a high powered blender, simply toss the ingredients into your blender and blend until smooth. With either option, you can add extra milk or even some ice.

3. Simple Peach Coconut Green Smoothie

Karen Mangum, the creator of this green smoothie recipe, is a registered dietician whose recipes include healthy fruits and vegetables. This particular concoction has lots of fresh fruit, so you won’t even taste the spinach.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of fresh spinach
• 1 cup coconut water
• 2 cups seedless grapes (you can use green grapes if you want a lovely green colored drink, but red grapes also taste great in this recipe)
• 2 peaches, quartered (fresh or frozen will both work perfectly)
• 1 clementine, peeled
• 1 lemon, peeled and quartered
• 1 teaspoon agave nectar
• 3-4 ice cubes (less if you’re using frozen peaches, but you can always add more or less based on your texture preferences)

Directions:

Like the last recipe, you’ll want to blend the spinach and coconut water first if you don’t have a high powered blender that can pulverize leafy greens.

Then, add in all of the ingredients and blend until smooth. If you have a heavy-duty blender, you can likely blend everything in one go.

4. Tropi-Kale Breeze Green Smoothie

Kale is an awesome ingredient to include in your green smoothies, but the taste can take some getting used to. This recipe is a great introduction.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped pineapple (frozen or fresh)
• 1 cup chopped mango (frozen or fresh)
• ½ to 1 cup chopped kale
• ½ avocado
• ½ cup coconut milk
• 1 cup water or coconut water
• 1 teaspoon matcha green tea powder (optional)

Directions:

If you have a powerful blender, simply puree all of the ingredients until smooth. Otherwise, blend the kale and coconut milk first before adding the remaining ingredients. Add more milk if needed, and enjoy!