Recipe: Green smoothie with kale and pineapple

I have started making green smoothies couple of months ago and have not stopped since. Having green smoothies or juices (there is a big difference though, more about that below) is a good way to up your intake of veggies and fruits, but especially leafy greens. This way you will easy have your 5 a day in a short period of time. Think of the time it would take you to eat and chew the same amount of fruits and veggies. This does not mean you should not eat fresh fruits and salads, but is great for those who find it difficult to eat the recommended intake. The base for your green smoothies and juices are veggies and leafy greens and their content should be 70% for smoothies and even 80% for the juices.

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What is the difference between smoothies and juices ?

Blending a smoothie

Smoothies are usually made in a blender, high power blender is recommended. When making them, a liquid must be added. You can make just pure fruit smoothies, with addition to milk, I recommend plant based milk, or a mixture of greens/veggies, fruits and/or milk. When making smoothies whole cut up fruits are being blended in the blender. When doing this, the gut-friendly fiber from fruits is not removed and you are getting benefit from it when drinking. Fiber being present in the smoothies also ensures a slow and steady absorption of sugar into your bloodstream. It also makes you feel fuller longer, therefore it can be a great and filling meal replacement, too.

You can add different things into your smoothies, which is the advantage you have compare to drinking juices. As as said, the base should be green veggies, such as kale, spinach, arugula, cabbage, mint, coriander and other greens. You can then add cucumber and avocado - which is great for smooth texture and added healthy fats. As for fruits, the choice is yours, but kiwi fruit, pear, apple, various berries, pineapple, papaya, nectarines are great choices.

I personally, add only 1 portion of fruit per glass of smoothie. I usually make about 3 glasses, then I would add 3 different fruits, my favorites are kiwi, banana, pineapple, berries and apple. I have made only green fruit smoothie so far without the addition of plant milk. However, I always add some extras like flax seed powder, hemp seed powder and baobab powder. These are not possible to handle by a juicer. My new favorites are maca and mesquite powder. They are great addition, and mesquite especially, if you want to add some sweetness to your smoothie without having to put too much fruit. Mesquite is a south american white carob with a nice caramel flavor and can be added to different dishes, smoothies, as a sweetener or flour into cakes. Other great extras are cinnamon powder, turmeric, green superfood powders and using coconut water instead of plain water.

I will talk about superfoods in one of my upcoming blog posts.

It is nice to alternate between different fruits and veggies in your smoothies and add various additional stuff like fresh grated ginger, lemon and lime juice and even nut butters and almond flour. Nuts and nut butters are great when making more creamy smoothies together with almond or coconut milk. In fact, fats are great in smoothies for extra protein intake.

Blending is quicker compare to juicing and the cleaning is done quicker too. Blenders usually cost much less than juicing machines, even if opting for a more expensive and quality blender.

There is a possibility to make green smoothie in the blender as well. It is more time consuming than just blending your produce, but it can be done if you do not have a juicer or want to use blender for both smoothies and juices. When done with blending your fruits and greens together with water in your blender, simply use nut milk bag or paint strainer bag and strain the fiber out.

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Juicing

Juicing, on other hand, is the process of extracting the liquid content of whole fruits and vegetables through a juicer. Fiber is then discarded. Due to this fact, you will also have to use more produce, to get the same amount of liquid when making smoothies, because no extra water is used while juicing and the fiber is removed. But removing the fiber, all of the nutrients in the juice like vitamins, minerals, enzymes instantly flood our bodies with goodness. Juicing also give your digestive system some rest, so it is great for those whose digestive systems cannot handle so much fiber. They are great for healing and repair in general and a better choice for those with some health concerns wanting to improve their health.

They are better option for those who cannot stand the thicker texture of smoothies and it allows you to drink bigger amounts without feeling full compare to smoothies.

While juicing, only vegetables and fruits with high water content are used, like different leafy greens, cabbage, cucumber, celery, tomato, carrots, apples, pears, pineapple, papaya, berries, citrus fruits, watermelon and cantaloupe.

Making juices is more time consuming and also more expensive, because more produce must be used and the cost of a juicer is higher than that of a blender. Juicers also usually serve only for juicing purposes.

The bottom line is that both juicing and blending are wonderful and efficient ways to maximize your consumption of the good stuff like greens, vegetables, fruits and superfoods. One has fiber, the other does not. One will give you a maximal nutrient intake in one sitting, while the other allows you to incorporate a wide range of ingredients and take advantage of fiber, protein and healthy fats.

It is probably best to incorporate both into your daily eating practice and reap different benefits for the health they provide. You will not go wrong with using either of them or both at the same time especially when you are flooding your system with alkaline rich foods that are great for your body and health.

Here, I would like to share a simple green smoothie recipe:

Green smoothie with kale and pineapple

Ingredients:

• 2 cups curly kale
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1 tbsp baobab powder
• juice from 1/2 of lemon
• 1 tbsp flax seed powder
• 1 tsp fresh ginger
• 1 cup cut pineapple
• 1 cup water

I usually start blending my greens in the water, then I will add everything else and blend again until everything is incorporated well and the result is smooth.

You can substitute kale with other greens like baby spinach, which may give a bit smoother result and a bit different taste.

The ingredients listed will give you 3 medium (3x 300ml) or 2 big portions (2x 450ml).

Enjoy