Smoothie recipes, before I forget :)

As promised, this post is all about smoothies!

For months I wanted to get myself in on the green smoothie trend. Back in November I finally got a new blender container/blade for the Vitamix blender Darren picked up at a garage sale 6 (!!!) years ago. At that time I tried one green smoothie and did NOT like it, so I stuck to fruit and nut smoothies only for a few months. In April I revisited the green smoothie when I found some interesting looking recipes via Pinterest. Now I'm a green smoothie lover!! Lila and Darren are too chicken to give my smoothies a try (they're crazy, so don't be like them), but me and Walt slurp one down just about everyday.

Tips and links
One thing I've learned that was great advice when making green smoothies is, blend your liquids + greens FIRST. This ensures a smooth texture for those greens. Frozen banana slices are also great for getting your smoothie cold and creamy without needing to add ice.
A couple of the recipes I've listed below have been adapted from a blog post from Jamie, of the Prudent Baby blog. Click here for the link to her post with 20 recipes!
I follow SimpleGreenSmoothies on Instagram and love how frequently they post recipes and tips. Their pictures are really pretty too! Check them out on the web here.
I personally prefer kale in my smoothies. Kale is more nutritious than spinach and I've just found that I really like it! But, I think rotating your greens sounds like good advice, so I will be working my way into trying that.

Adapted from a recipe by Jamie of Prudent Baby

Purple "green" smoothie: 1 cup frozen mixed berries, 1 frozen banana, 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup almond milk, 1 T chia seeds, 1 T flaxseeds, 2 cups kale (stems removed), 2 clementines

This one wasn't green, but Lila loved it!

"Orange Julius" wannabe: 6 clementines (peeled), 1 date, 1 tsp orange zet, splash of vanilla, 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup ice

2/3 cup Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup almond milk, 2 cups kale, 2 pears (cored), 1 T flaxseeds, 1 frozen banana, a splash of vanilla

4 clementines, 1 cup grapes, 2 cups kale, 1 T chia seeds, 1/2 cup each of frozen banana and pineapple, 1 pear (cored), about 1/2 cup of water

This is a chocolate green smoothie, and yes it is good!

First blend: 1 cup almond milk + 1 cup tightly packed spinach + 1-2 dates; after that's smooth, add 1 frozen banana, 1.5 T cocoa powder, 1-2 T of almond butter, and a splash of vanilla

I enjoyed this recipe found here:

Kale and Pear Smoothie with Herbs
Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water ( I threw in a couple clementines instead)

2 cups greens (I used kale)
1/4 cup herbs (I used parsley)

2 ripe pears, cored
1 frozen banana (remove the peel, cut into 1-inch slices, and freeze in a plastic bag overnight)
1 cup ice
1 Tablespoon flax seeds
Protein powder (optional)
1/4 avocado (optional)

Instructions:
Blend water, greens, and herbs for 15 seconds - 1 minute (depending on your blender) on high. Then add the pear, banana, ice, flax seeds (if using), protein powder (if using), and avocado (if using) and blend for an additional 30 seconds - 1 minute.

Carrot Pineapple smoothie

Ingredients

3/4 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1/2 cup ice
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup chopped carrot
1/2 banana

Directions

Place the pineapple, ice, orange juice, carrot, and banana in a blender.
Blend until smooth and frothy

This recipe came from Real Simple, and I increased the carrot, left out the ice and used frozen fruit instead.

Banana Almond Smoothie from Cookie + Kate

Ingredients

1 medium to large frozen banana (break your bananas into one-inch chunks before freezing)
1 heaping spoonful of almond butter
2 spoonfuls flax seed
1/2 cup almond milk, yogurt or regular milk
drizzle of honey, agave nectar or maple syrup
tiny drop of almond extract (or vanilla extract, but the almond extract makes the smoothie taste almost like candy!)