Jane’s “Straight A’s” Smoothie
With its deliciously tart and slightly sweet taste, you'll never know you were drinking more than three servings of cruciferous veggies hidden among the ripe fruit in this simple-to-make smoothie. This recipe makes it easy to consume all of the U.S. recommended daily servings (RDA) of fruits and vegetables plus more in one simple drink! Not only do you get to check off all of the fruit and veggie U.S. RDAs, but since this was built based on the Daily Dozen recommendations from NutritionFacts.org, I've added in additional dietary recommendations for maintaining a healthy diet such as flaxseeds, chia seeds, and ginger. You can double up this recipe in the blender and either share it with a loved one or save it in the fridge for the next day's healthy goodness.This may not be the prettiest green smoothie around, but I'm not going for picture perfect. Instead, I'd like to be the picture of health and earn all A's in my nutrition.
Equipment
- Blender I recommend using a high-powered blender such as Blendtec, Vitamix or Ninja
Ingredients
- 2 cups Water If none of your fruits and veggies are frozen, you can add in some ice cubes to make the smoothie colder if that's to your liking.
- 1 tbsp Flaxseed (ground)
- .5 tbsp Chia Seeds
- 1.5 cup Strawberries
- 1 tsp Ginger (ground or raw)
- 1 Banana I recommend a ripe banana for its sweetness. You can chop up your banana at its ripest and freeze to use for the best flavor.
- 1 Lemon I cut off the lemon peel and use the whole lemon.
- .25 cup Broccoli Sprouts I grow my own sprouts in large batches for safety and cost savings then store in the freezer.
- 1 cup Carrots (raw)
- 2 cup Kale (raw)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into the blender and choose the appropriate setting on your blender.
Notes
Feel free to substitute a cup of the strawberries for a different fruit of your choice. I recommend always including at least some berries in your smoothie for their antioxidants, but other fruits such as green apples, oranges, and mangos (nearly all fruits) taste great in this smoothie. You may also substitute out some of the kale for spinach or collard greens if you prefer. My favorite ‘green’ in smoothies is spinach.
Many of the fruits and vegetables in this recipe can be frozen which can be a cost savings if you’re able to purchase your ingredients when in season and on sale. Simply peel and chop (if necessary) before freezing and save for future smoothie use.
After some practice, you will probably be able to eyeball the serving sizes of your greens which may save you some time in the future.