Smoothie Starts with Spinach

You would never guess this smoothie has spinach in it, right? I mean, it's not even green! That is the beauty of smoothies starting with spinach - no one will know! Plus, you get the added benefit of starting the day off with a green leafy vegetable. And, how many of you can say you do that? There's folic acid, fiber, calcium, potassium, vitamin K and plenty other great things in that smoothie. It's like a secret little bonus to start off your day.

Plus, spinach has such a delicate leaf (as opposed to kale, which is very hearty), most blenders have no problem chopping it up into tiny, small pieces for a smooth smoothie. My blender is not fancy at all, and the spinach is broken up easily. You don't need a Vitamix blender to try this smoothie at home!

I always prefer to make my own smoothies at home rather than buy them. I just never trust what other restaurants or coffee houses put in their smoothies. "Smoothie mix" is often the answer I get when I ask this question. (And yes, I have asked this question multiple times). My impression of "smoothie mix" is added sugar. Added sugar that is disguised as yogurt (or, powdered yogurt, whatever that is). And, often times extra sugar really is added to smoothies, even if it is in the form of honey. (Honey is still added sugar, people and the natural sugar in fruit is plenty).

And sometimes, real fruit isn't even used! Some places use some sort of flavored fruity syrup instead of real fruit. Then you're missing out on fiber and vitamins, and getting flavored sugar instead! And, to be honest, I don't even really support using fruit juice in smoothies (even if it's 100% juice). I think juice just adds extra calories that aren't needed. And it doesn't have any of the good fiber from whole fruit either.

Anyway, my point is, don't trust all the smoothies out there marketed as healthy options, because that just may not be true! They can often be filled with added sugars and lacking benefits of real fruits. So ask how smoothies are made before you order. And make sure you could buy every ingredient mentioned. Make sure smoothies are made out of real food. Real fruit, real yogurt.

Better yet, make your own smoothie at home and pack in the nutrients with a surprise handful of spinach!

Spinach Smoothie


Handful washed spinach
3/4 c frozen berries
1/2 fresh or frozen banana
1/2 - 3/4 c liquid of some sort (milk, water, soy milk)
3 generous spoonfuls plain yogurt

Put all ingredients into a blender. Blend on high until smooth. You may need to adjust the amount of liquid, depending on how thick or thin you like your smoothies. Also, the amounts are very flexible. I don't even measure ingredients when I make a smoothie. So use these measurements as guides, but not strict rules. Adjust ingredients to your taste preferences. Enjoy!