I started drinking green smoothies during my first Whole Living Challenge attempt, and ever since then they’ve been a staple in my a.m. intake. What thrills me even more than the fact that I start most days drinking literally one of the healthiest things you can put in your body (kale) – and LIKING IT! – is that Kate likes green smoothies, too!
Ingredients
1 c. Kale (stems removed, coarsely chopped, firmly packed)
1/2 c. Parsley (loosely packed)
1 Granny Smith Apple
1 Banana
2 1/4 c. water
(Recipe Credit: WholeLiving.com)
1 cup of kale, stems removed, coarsely chopped and firmly packed.
1/2 c. of parsley, loosely packed
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped
Kate, my little helper, adding ingredients to the blender.
1 banana
Kate, 35 Months
I usually blend my green smoothie ingredients with 2 1/2 cups of water, and I blend it until it’s nice and smooth and I can hardly see any kale flecks. We’re still loving our Black & Decker Blender that I first blogged about a year ago. We’ve been using it daily (sometimes twice a day) for the past year, and it still works great! The hardest part of drinking smoothies for me isn’t the taste (I don’t think these green smoothies really taste like much of anything) – it’s the texture. For a fraction of the price of Ninjas and other high-end blenders, this little powerhouse blends my smoothies so well that I don’t have to worry about gagging on any chunks. It does such a great job, in fact, that I can often get my green smoothies blended to an almost juice-like consistency!
Our inexpensive Black & Decker Blender does such an incredible job that our smoothies often taste more like juice!
I got Kate hooked on green smoothies by adding orange juice to them. At first I started her on a 50% green smoothie, 50% orange juice combination, and then I gradually reduced the OJ and increased the green smoothie. Now she just gets a little splash of OJ in her cup and still drinks it up with no complaints!
With so many fresh ingredients, green smoothies require a fair amount of prep. For one batch, which produces 2 smoothies (usually shared between Kate and I), I found that I was spending a lot of time in the kitchen washing and chopping kale, parsley and apples – something I rarely have time for in the mornings!
Another issue I was finding on my green smoothie brigade is that sometimes my kale or parsley goes bad before I can turn them into delicious, nutritious, morning delights. I HATE seeing food go to waste, so chucking the last few leaves of kale or sprigs of parsley because I can’t chug my vitamins fast enough is NOT okay with me.
My solution has been to bulk prep, freeze, and blend as needed – and it’s been working beautifully!
Freezer bags are my friend.
I chop up an entire bunch of kale and an entire bunch of parsley all at one time and measure them out into freezer bags – one green smoothie batch per freezer bag. Then I fill each bag with one peeled and chopped Granny Smith apple, and one peeled and chopped banana. (I don’t add any liquid to the freezer bags; I wait until I’m ready to blend to add water.)
I typically get about 8-10 batches of green smoothies per 1 bunch of kale and 1 bunch of parsley. (Don’t worry if you end up having more kale than parsley or vice versa – just divide your extras evenly amongst the batches.)
Kate, sneaking a bite of apple as she fills up a freezer bag.
Bulk prepping green smoothies – several batches in freezer bags, and one batch in jars that will go in the fridge and be enjoyed in the next day or two!
When you’re ready for your green smoothie fix, simply fill your blender with water, open up your freezer, and toss in a bag of already prepared smoothie ingredients! The best part is – there’s no need to thaw your ingredients! Toss them in frozen, blend, and a minute later you’ll have 2 nice cold smoothies ready to enjoy! (Or one to enjoy now and one to refrigerate for later!)
Your green smoothie ingredients can keep in the freezer for easily a month and still taste great when you blend them. I’ve even had green smoothie ingredients frozen for over two months that I’ve blended up and they still taste as great as a freshly chopped up smoothie! (Don’t worry if your bananas brown up a little bit in the freezer – they’ll still taste great in your smoothie, I promise.)
A batch of smoothie ingredients in each freezer bag – ready to grab & blend on a hectic workday morning!
Have I convinced you to jump on the green smoothie bandwagon yet? What are some of your tips for a quick, easy, and healthy weekday breakfast?
The recipe for the Cranberry Nut Bars you see in my freezer can be found here: Cranberry Nut Bars (Homemade Kind Bars).
The glass storage jars shown in the picture above can be found here: small glass jars
NOTE: Some readers have mentioned that large quantities of parsley (like in this smoothie recipe) are not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding moms. Please check with your doctor and make substitutions accordingly.
This post contains affiliate links.
Hey there – I am a greem smoothie lover but find that I often skip it in the morning b/c of the prep. i’m definitely going to try this. I also saw baby kale in the store this weekend and might try that b/c I too cannot do the texture sometimes. Have you tried this process with some of the other smoothies on your list? Do you know if it works with spinach (which I often use in place of Kale)? I also didn’t know that you could blend and use later/the next day. Do you just shake it up in the jar? Thanks so much!
I actually haven’t tried it with any of the other smoothies I drink because they’re not as prep-intensive as my green smoothies. I’m guessing it’d work with just about anything, though! I personally haven’t tried it with spinach but a commenter below mentions that you can. And yes, I will sometimes blend two batches at a time and drink them throughout the week, so they definitely keep in the fridge for a few days! I just shake them up, pour, and enjoy!
I had some spinach that was going to go bad, so I stuck it in the freezer and it froze great. Sometimes I make a double batch and put half of it in a blender bottle in the fridge for the next day. The blender bottle works great to “remix” it.
I feel you are throwing away nutrients when you peel the apple. Have you tried carrots and/or celery?
I haven’t tried carrots or celery in my smoothies yet, although I have been leaving the peels on my apples lately after reading some of the feedback in this post. I’ve found the smoothies have slightly more texture than when I peel the apples, although I don’t mind it much and am glad to get the extra nutrition.
I’ve done smoothies in my blender with spinach and frozen tropical fruit – a dash of vanilla, water or almond milk and a dollop of stevia if necessary (banana added for a bit of a change) I think they pack better if I blend them up, fill the baggie and freeze them flat. I do like this idea of blending them “fresh” since I wouldn’t have to remember to thaw it, although flat thaws pretty quickly.
I use the exact same ingreidents as you in my ” Berry/veggie Smoothie. When my bananas start to get too ripe, I cut them up and place them in the bag with the frozen tropical berries. When I get ready to make a smoothie, I just add the other ingredients along with the spinach or kale and blend. Bananas blends well frozen. (I use a Nutri-Bullet).
LOVE IT!!! I have to do this, I’ve been doing the green smoothies for a while now, but the prep time is such a pain sometimes. Never tried it with the Kale. I use Spinach and I also add one Pear and half a avocado.
Be sure to alternate your greens – don’t use spinach every day – it has oxalates that can cause kidney stones if you eat it all the time. I alternate kale and spinach every other day.
Great tip, Sarah!
I love this idea for a months worth of smoothies. I will use it , but I think I will make several kinds for the sake of changing things up some mornings.
I usually make a big batch on the weekend and store it in a recycled orange juice jug. That way I only have to clean up the blender once and I have smoothie ready to go whenever I want!
That’s a clever idea! I need to try that – only having to use the blender once sounds pretty sweet
Very easy way to clean blender, cup of water, drop of dish soap, blend for a few seconds, pour out and rinse!! Voila! clean blender.
Great tip!
I want to try this green smoothie!
I have frozen plain yogurt in ice cube trays and placed them in bags with bananas and strawberries (or other berries)
Wow, this definitely motivates me to start having a green smoothie every day. I’m not a morning person so anything I can do to save time makes my day even better! Thanks for your post Dusty!
What a great idea! I bet this would even make a good juice when placed in a juicer – though come to think of it, I’ve never juiced a banana. Not sure how that would go. Still I’ve got to try this as I juice kale up w/ other fruit quite frequently! Thanks for sharing!
You might want to check your juicers manual before trying to juice the Bananas. Mine says not to juice bananas at all.
Bananas only for the blender (I guess there’s not enough moisture to run through a juicer). It just gunks up to mush.
We juice a juice every morning and then add the juice to the blender and add the banana and blend. It’s the most refreshing way to have juice. Though we do a pineapple, orange , banana in the morning. But afternoons we do a green juice or smoothie. Didn’t know we could freez our greens.. Going to give this a try.
Do you find that these smoothies keep you full? I need some protein or fat with my breakfast or I am starving within 2 hours. So I usually add an avocado or full-fat yogurt. Even though the fat adds some calories, I find it helps me in the long run because then I am not snacking in the middle of the morning.
I typically also have a muffin, fruit, granola bar and/or coffee or tea along with my smoothie in the mornings. Sometimes I just start the day with my smoothie and pack a morning snack (like a granola bar or fruit) to have later if I get hungry. I don’t care for creamy drinks, but adding yogurt or avocado is a great idea for those who do!
I’ve added Protein powder to my smoothies before… keeps me full till lunch!
Add a raw egg to get your protein. It slightly increases the thickness but doesn’t add any taste whatsoever
I use a Protein powder called Unjury (Unjury.com) it offers 21 grams of protein per scoop (the highest on the market). I have been juicing and adding one scoop per 8 oz of unflavored. Its a great meal. Especially after my bariatric surgery.
You can also add a tbsp of almond butter, gives you the protein, less saturated fat, and a great flavor
Great idea, Tricia!
I put chia seeds and oats in my smoothies and I stay full all morning. I haven’t tried it in the green smoothie yet but you could omit the oats and use only chia seeds because they have no flavor (but lots of health benefits!).
I use chia seeds in salads, but I’ve never tried them in my smoothies. Thanks for the tip!
I know you said it does not really taste like anything, BUT what does it taste like? LOL!
I do not like vegetables, but I really want to try this smoothie.
Believe me – I was in your same boat when I first tried these, Elizabeth, hahaha! The taste is very neutral. I think the banana and apple cut the “greens” flavor of the kale and parsley. If anything it has a mild fruity flavor. You can add a little extra banana and it will taste more like banana, or you could add a little extra apple and it will taste more like apple. Or you could use the trick I used on my daughter to get her to start drinking them, and add some OJ to sweeten it up. It’s worth a try!!
I just made this, minus the parsley. The banana is the dominant flavor for certain. Then apple. You can’t really taste the kale.
It’s delicious–and I like that I just got 3 servings of fruit/veggies.
Wow, I am so going to try this. It simply had not occurred to me that a) I could prep a bunch of ingredients at a time and then freeze, or b) that my blender might work just fine. I’ve made PINK smoothies in my blender of course, but not green ones. So duh on me!
jbhat
I buy baby spinach and blend the whole bag at once. I also add a little water. I put in ice cube trays and put in a bag when frozen. This way the spinach doesn’t go bad. I also due the same thing with pineapple from the can (no sugar added).
Great tip Diane!
This is a great idea if my garden is filling up too fast with greens but during the “off” season, I just buy bags of frozen organic spinach to toss in. A little less prep.
Diane:
how do you blend the spinach, and once frozen in cubes how many do u put in for a smoothie? I find that I tend to waste part of my spinach. also what recipe do you use?
megan, put spinach in a blender with some form of liquid (water, juice, yogurt etc) and blend till smooth.. if your following this recipe pour 1cup of spinach in blender and then pour in ice trays and see how many the 1 cup fills… Im loving these ideas for we love making smoothies but get pressed for time and this will save lots of time… I bought a smoothie blender at walmart for less than 20.00 and it comes with like 6 single serve cups that u just mix and take with you and blends great…
You can totally keep the kale stems and blend them as well! That’s my favorite part about green smoothies– I am not wasting that nutrient-rich kale stem. Also, in answer to someone’s question: You can definitely use spinach – in fact, I encourage you to use both.
I’ve actually gotten away from the fresh greens and now use superfood greens from Whole Body (you can buy online or from most stores like that). There are lots of brands. Dr. Axe recommends Garden of Life. (If you don’t follow Dr. Axe, you should!)
1. Superfood Grens
2. Whole, unpasteurized milk from my farmer (Find a local guy who has this)
3. Kefir water (again from my farmer. kefir grains fermented with fruit. Very good for you)
4. Frozen berries and frozen beaches
5. Half a banana
6. Flax seeds
7. Chia seeds
Great suggestions, Kat – thanks for sharing! I’ll have to check this Dr. Axe out.
Kimberly Snyder also does the smoothies. Check her out. she’s in California and just opened her own green shop. I have tried them and they are good. Still trying to tweek the diet. Thanks.
I can’t even stomach the smell of banana let alone the taste, is there a good alternative?
Maybe pineapple? Or try doing two apples instead of just one. Good luck!
I am also a hardcore banana hater. Recently, I tried cutting one into
Chunks, freezing it and add it to smoothies. I think it gives a creamy texture and I put so much
Other stuff I honestly can’t taste it
Mango makes a great substitute for the banana.
Avocado is actually a really good replacement for banana in smoothies. It gives a thick, creamy texture, but you don’t get a strong flavor, depending on what other ingredients you add. (My current favorite is avocado, almond butter, hemp seeds, cocoa powder, and almond milk.)
Often I include a portion (about 1/4) of pre baked (or nuked) sweet potato. I suspect this could replace banana to add some smoothness
I love this idea of preparing ahead of time!!! My kids & I have been making a spinach/fruit smoothie, it varies sometimes on what fruit we use but usually it’s something like this…
1-1.5 cups Coconut milk
1 banana
1 cup spinach
1 cup blueberries
1 cup strawberries
Preparing these is usually not too time consuming, but like you said sometimes the spinach or bananas start to go bad before I can use them…. thanks for the great idea!
I have been looking for a fuss free morning recipe. I am so excited about this! I have frozen black berries, raspberries, blue berries, and strawberries I am looking to add with it in alternation….Thank you so much! Great time saving healthy idea!
Dusty, what the flip??!!! Do you remember that we met at Haven last summer?? Love you. I just popped by Roo’s place this morning and saw that she referred to “Dusty” and thought -what? how does Roo (who’s been my blog buddy from the pre-existence) know Dusty? – and came over here. I skimmed through this post about green smoothies because i think i might hate green smoothies and am afraid of them- then I found your post about double flipping off the “healthy band wagon” and thought- OH MY GOSH, WE ARE THE SAME SABOTAGERS!! (i really wish “sabotagers” was a real word. using it anyway.) Then i scrolled back up to look at the green smoothie prep post again and am still afraid of green smoothies, but had a secondary thought- maybe i’m just afraid of learning about a new great healthy thing and then ignoring it like i do all the other great healthy things in my life. that would make me feel worse!
these are my thoughts. they are un-profound. they need to be resolved.
but i wanted to say hi!
and that i’ll never forget your humping the lovely saxophone player while his wife sat nearby on a couch with her arms politely folded on her lap.
thanks for helping me feel normal today, Dusty.
-ang
LOL! Best comment of the month goes to Angie! Of course I remember you, crazy girl! That was such a fun weekend! Are you going back this year? I’m ON it! (And also probably the sax player again.)
Thanks so much for stopping by and saying hi!
Can I just say a big THANK YOU for blogging about this, and using a blender that costs $57 rather than $400? Who are these people who buy $400-$500 blenders!!??
I hear ya, girl! Our little cheapy works beautifully and doesn’t break the bank!
I make my smoothies with kale, lemon juice(only a little), spinich, an apple (or an orange, sometimes both), cilantro (occasionally) and sometimes a banana as well. But the prep always sucks! so i am so glad i found this never would of thought to put them in the freezer beforehand
I’m baaaack! So I prepped a week of smoothies last night – so excited. This morning I made a smoothie and it was okay – need to dial down the parsley I think. The issue wasn’t the taste though, it was the texture at the end. In the beginning, it was nice and juicy and smooth. 3/4 of the way into it apparently the solids separated from the rest and I was left with a thick, not so cold mess. Maybe I need to drink it faster? I put it in a cup and took it to go so it was about 20 minutes later that I got to the end and it was not good…at.all. Will try again tomorrow but wondering if you had any tips to keeping it together?
Hmm…that sounds strange. The only time I’ve ever seen it separate is when it’s stored in the fridge (or left just sitting) for a while. You certainly shouldn’t have that problem after only 20 mins! Maybe try adding more water? I’m a huge texture person so I feel you there! Maybe try blending it longer, too? I wish I had a good solution, but I’ve honestly never had this problem. Let me know the fix when you discover it!
The next day was better. I hadn’t frozen the smoothie mix on the first day and must not have blended enough. Day two was frozen and blended for a nice long time and all is good…even with the leftovers today! Thanks.
Going to try this! I’ve been sick constantly and am hoping this will help!
Hey Dusty, I love this idea. Seriously, it’s such a time-saver. How do you feel about the whole waste factor, though? Thinking about all of the once-used bags that will sit in some hole for a few centuries is the one thing that holds me back from doing much higher-volume, lower-quantity freezing than I currently do.
Excellent point, Sam! I re-use my freezer bags to cut down on waste. Honestly, they don’t even get very dirty! I just rinse and wipe them out and re-use. I know there are other environmentally freezer-friendly container options out there, but I haven’t invested in them yet.
You could try wrapping your smoothie ingredients in butcher/freezer paper instead of using plastic bags. I think it is lined with a thin layer of wax to keep the freezer flavor out. My parents used it to wrap all meat and fish when I was growing up.
I think I’m going to give this a try. I definitely don’t have a lot of time in the mornings, so bulk prep would work really well for me. I have oral allergy syndrome, so I can’t eat most fresh fruits and veggies without getting sick. But, I want make sure that my 3 year old daughter is eating healthy.
I’ve never heard of oral allergy syndrome – it sounds challenging!
I hope you find this method to be helpful for your little one, though. My daughter Kate is a big fan!
How do you make the green smoothie with OJ? I’m new to green smoothies and while i love most greens I have never even tried kale. So i need to ween on, any suggestions?
Start with adding about 1/2 a cup of OJ to a batch, taste-test it and add more as necessary. When I was first starting my daughter Kate on green smoothies I filled up her cup 1/2 with OJ and 1/2 with green smoothie to get her used to the new taste and it worked like a charm! She now drinks green smoothies daily (oftentimes at each meal) and has maybe a splash of OJ in each cup. Hope that helps!
Was thinking of adding coconut water in place of regular water for added flavor
That’s a great idea, Catherine!
Just what I was looking for! Thanks!
Have you done a post about those cranberry nut bars? Would love to find out the recipe!
I just posted about them today, Arianna! Here’s the link: http://www.allthingsgd.com/2013/03/no-bake-healthy-freezer-friendly-cranberry-nut-bars/
We’ve been blending a green smoothie base, without liquid, pouring into ice cube trays and freezing, then popping 4 or 5 cubes in the blender with coconut water and yogurt . This would be even LESS work by not blending the green base ahead of time!
I love this idea!!! I was wondering if it would be okay to freeze the ingredients. Thanks for the info. I will be freezing my batches from now on:)
So happy to hear you’ll find this helpful, Andrea and Shawna!
This is AMAZING! I’ve been drinking green smoothies for about a week now but I find every other morning I have to skip it because I don’t have time. This is going to make prep so much easier. Thank you!
My pleasure, Curls and Mo!
This is a great idea! Thank you!
I would like to add that consuming lots of parsley while breastfeeding can dry up your milk. So breastfeeding mamas should skip that ingredient. But for the rest of us, parsley has so many benefits!
I’m really glad you mentioned this, was just going to post something about parsley and breastfeeding.
It’s true, breastfeeding mamas, avoid the parsley!
Oh, thanks for mentioning this! I am breastfeeding my baby and love smoothies in the morning. I am going to try this recipe (minus the parsley) because I need variety so I am not always having the same couple of smoothies!
I didn’t realize that, Laura – thank you so much for sharing!
Love the green smoothie & especially the do ahead freezer prep! Thanks , Kathy
My pleasure, Kathy! So happy to hear you found this post helpful!
Is there a substitute ingredient for the parsley for us nursing mamas? And do you know approximately how many calories one serving is?
I would just replace it with baby spinach. Most other herbs have either too much flavor or are iffy on effects on milk supply.
Great suggestion, Laura – thank you!
Super love this idea. I honestly never thought of freezing my smoothie mix – sometimes I pre-prep and keep everything cut up in the fridge, but freezing is so much better! I too have a problem with things going to waste so this is great. Thanks for this post and super love the cute picture of your daughters slippers
Thank you Hazel!
Thanks so much for posting this! i am extremely new to green smoothies and have only made two so far. I have been reading the book “Green Smoothie Revolution” though and here is one thing I learned from it. The author says that we need to be rotating our greens frequently. So my question is this…will the pre-made bags last longer than a month in the freezer? If not, I think I would need to make a weeks worth of smoothies with a different green x 4. Thanks so much!!
I’ve had pre-made green smoothie bags in my freezer for longer than a month and they’ve still blended up tasting great. One bunch of kale and one bunch of parsley should get you approximately 8 batches of green smoothies (with 2 smoothies/batch). If you only prep that much you’ll get 16 smoothies, with lots of other days left in your month for other smoothie recipes that use different greens. Have fun trying out new flavors!
Ok, So I am back after a week of trying this….the first day I tasted it I would describe it as “Fresh”. It had a parsley taste to it more then anything else. To be honest it wasn’t my favorite and was wondering how I was going to get through the rest of the week….Well now it is the end of the week and I have to say I now love them and somewhere in the first couple of days the parsley taste went away and all I taste is the bananas and apples. I just finished putting my second batch in the freezer….I feel good and I have a ton of energy! Thank you so much for sharing I have been so excited about it I have been sharing with all my friends!!!!
I LOVE hearing this Jocelyn! Thank you so much for reporting back – I’m so happy you gave this a try and are experiencing the benefits!!
EXCELLENT idea for freezing the goodies
Thank you!
Hello all – I prepare my green smoothies the night before, and just grab them out of the fridge before work each day. I have been doing this prep for about 3 years and they still taste wonderful the next day. I add MUCH more greens than anyone I’ve ever heard (sometimes a whole bunch of kale or about 6cups spinach). Once I get to work, I merely stir them with a straw and enjoy. Also, I add chia seeds for protein and to help create the feeling of fullness and coconut oil for added health benefits and calories. I don’t typically follow any recipes, I usually just experiment with what ever fruit is ripest on my counter. But I am sure to use something like a banana or mango as a base to give it the right consistency. I fill my vitamix 3/4 full with fruit, 2 tablespoons coconut oil or butter, water to cover the fruit, then add greens while blending until the blender gets approximately full. Just before finishing, I add 3 tablespoons of chia seeds and blend for another minute: yields approximately 2.5 quarts which I drink for breakfast and lunch. I never feel hungry or deprived during the day. If I added too many greens and the flavor isn’t the best (which has happened) I then add a few frozen strawberries and it wil immediately get sweeter. I LOVE GREEN SMOOTHIES!!! I honeslty couldn’t live without them!!!
Great tips, Robin! I have some chia seeds but haven’t tried them in smoothies yet. That may be my next adventure!
I think this is a great idea! However, I am a bit concerned about deterioration of nutrients when freezing the ingredients. Do you know if that is an issue?
My Favorite green smoothie recipe is: about 100grams of spinach or kale, blended until creamy, with about 1-2 cups of fresh carrot/orange/pineapple/ginger/apple juice. Tastes just like an orange creamsicle.
I’m really not sure, Laina. It makes sense that fresh is the best when there’s time to do it, but on a busy weekday morning grabbing a bag from the freezer and blending it up is still much better than many other grab-and-go breakfast options.
Your smoothie recipe sounds delicious!
Thanks so much for posting this. I used to look at the girls at work (I am a nurse) that were drinking green smoothies and just laugh at them and think “that” is disgusting! 6 weeks ago my wife and I started the Shred diet and guess what was in there….GREEN SMOOTHIES!! I bit the bullet and tried one and now am hooked. This will help so much with the prep work! The only part of making them I don’t like is how time intensive it is! I will probably use this for other smoothies as well so I can buy less frozen fruit and more fresh!
I used to think the same way Jeremy! I’m so happy you found this tip helpful and that we’ve both become green smoothie converts!
Just made an entire batch! my family tried it for dinner and we all loved it, we’re already talking about what each one of us is going to add individually! Thanks for this amazing recipe and freezing idea.
PS. We added frozen mango and it added the perfect sweetness
That’s so wonderful to hear, Linnea! Thank you for sharing! I have some frozen mango in the freezer – I’ll have to give that a try.
what do you have to do to the kale n other greens before freezeing them ??? or can you use frozen greens?
I just wash them up, chop them up and then freeze. When it comes time to blend up my smoothie I grab the pre-prepped bag from my freezer, toss it in my blender, add water, and blend. No thawing needed!
Just wanted to note that “large” quantities like this of parsley are not safe for pregnant women. Which of course I had a hunch to look up AFTER spending hours on prep and drinking a large portion of my shake this morning. So much for trying to be healthy this pregnancy around! Panicked call to OB….check!
I’m so glad you thought to look that up, Samantha! I didn’t know that about parsley until another commenter mentioned it above. You can easily substitute other greens that you’re allowed to eat (or just add more kale) for this recipe. I’ll be sure to add a note at the end of my post for other pregnant or breastfeeding moms out there!
will defianlty try doing this, i normally do juice/smothie bags for the week and place in the fridge but they take up so much room……this sounds brilliant
Love this idea. Will definitely try.
i am doing the WLC too ~ and am always looking for new smoothies ~ i have just been doing fruit and coconut milk, but it probably wouldn’t hurt me to throw some green in there. i just didn’t know if it would knock the taste off!
sorry, I am doing a whole life challenge, not whole living challenge, but they are both healthy moves towards better eating habits,
just didn’t want any confusion
Agreed! I hope it’s going well for you, Kimbo!
I do this but i blend up everything and pour it into ice cube trays , when frozen i pop them into a lg freezer bag. I just grab 6-7 cubes add some green tea and blend it up
Has anyone tried using oranges?
I love the idea of pre prepping but using so many ziplock baggies is very wasteful And expensive. I would definitely reuse the bags of choose little tubs instead.
I wash and reuse my bags to cut down on waste. Here’s a link to some other reusable freezer container options: reusable freezer containers
These are a great bunch of comments and experience with these green smoothies. I have been using my Vitamix for a year and a half and just love making smoothies. I am definitely going to look into the bulk preparation . I use chard and spinach from my garden.
Can I ask, Why parsley? It seemed like a puzzling ingredient to me. Are there health benefits to parsley I don’t know about? I would think spinach or mustard greens or even arugula would be higher in vitamins?
Parsley has many health benefits! Here’s a link to find out more:
The Green Smoothie I make uses Spinach, Blueberries, Ground Flax Seed, and Water. Sometimes may need sweetener. I may try the raw egg for protein.
Awesome Idea!!! Since your freezing it I wonder if buying frozen kale would not make this a bit easier and cheaper. I love using frozen kale for smoothies. I get mine at Trader Joes.
I’ve never purchased frozen kale, but I can’t imagine it’d be much different. Thanks for the tip, Lauren!
You can’t use the same green veggies all the time coz you’ll develop toxicity from it especially if you drink it everyday.
I’m curious to know where you got that information from?
A couple of other people have mentioned the same concern above and referenced a book about the benefit of mixing up your daily greens. It sounds like something as simple as alternating kale and spinach every other day would do the trick.
I just made these this morning with kale and spinach in stead of parsley and it was very delicious!!!
YAY! So happy to hear it Hannah – thank you for sharing!
I LOVE green smoothies and alternate between kale and spinach (and sometimes use both)! Instead of water, I use green tea (steep a small pot overnight so it is ready in the morning). Also, as so many have commented, when your fresh fruit is getting ripe/about to go bad, put it in the freezer. I always have 1-2 2-gallon bags of fresh frozen fruit in my freezer; it will keep for a year this way. This allows us to have those lovely berries that are so good for you year round!! And for those of us who are on the go and need our protein/veggies/fruit all at once, add a scoop of vanilla or berry protein powder. I make a blender full each morning; drink one on my way to work and drink the other for my mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack (1/2 each). Thanks for all the wonderful tips above, time to go make my smoothie!!
Correction – one to two 1-gallon bags…
Great tips Brenda – thank you!
I use green tea instead of water, great taste!
I recently tried the green tea and it gave the smoothie a great taste. Love it!
Ooh, I love green tea. I’ll have to give that a try!
If the texture bugs you, you can try buying a cheese cloth at the store to use as a strainer. It’s my cheap version of a juicer. And the cheese cloths can be reused. Just rinse them out and hang them to dry.
How do you peel your apples?
I just use a vegetable peeler. My last batch of green smoothies that I prepared I decided not to peel the apples; I just cored and cut them. I noticed it made the smoothies slightly less smooth to have the peels included, but not too bad, so consider keeping your peels on if you’re interested in a time-saving tip and you don’t mind a little extra texture!
i buy 2 bunches each of kale, spinach, and swiss chard; i clean them all, and toss them all in 3 gallon ziploc bags; i squeeze all the air out and flatten them; then I freeze them overnight. In the morning I take the 3 bags out, and crunch all the frozen leaves down (still in the bag); then I mix the 3 bags of frozen crunched up leaves in a big bowl; toss them and quickly return them to the gallon bags. this makes a lightning quick green smooothie in the morning – i throw in greens, a couple spoons of milled flaxseed, a half cup of stonyfield and a splash of agave nectar – top it off with almond milk and whip it up in the NutriBullet. Cold and delish – in 20 seconds!!
Does anyone make their green smoothies with a stick hand blender, such as cuisinart? Does it do the job as well as a traditional blender? I use my stick blender for other types of smoothies as well as soups and anything else. Any opinions on cilantro instead of parsley? And does zucchini offer much nutritional value?
I’ve never tried blending this recipe with a stick blender, but you certainly could. My assumption is you won’t be able to get it as smooth as a blender would, so you might feel some larger pieces of kale and parsley while you drink.
It’s so wonderful that you are being aware of the types of food you and your family are consuming. I’m wondering though, freezing foods in essence kills what ever life/energy/nutrients that may still be in them by the time we get them from farm-market-home-table, right. So really, wouldn’t the best Bang for you Buck/Time/Energy/Health be to find the time to make it all fresh? A guide to what types of food to avoid: Frozen, Left Overs. Unnatural, Nuked, Canned (FLUNC.) These processes kill the food long before consumption.
Making (and eating) everything fresh, when possible, is ideal – I agree! Unfortunately that’s not always possible for me, so as a busy working mom I need to find some shortcuts when I can. I’d much rather get some veggies into mine and my daughter’s belly this way versus not at all.
Ive been a freezer cooker for a long while not (mainly for the kids lunchboxes and school meals) and have recently started making smoothies, so this is right up both alleys! Went out and got some kale today, can’t wait until tomorrow to try it. This morning I had a mix of banana, yoghurt, milk, 2 ice cubes to keep it cold and a half a wheet bix. It tasted ok, but was missing something, a friend suggested cinnamon or vanilla. Will have to start keeping track of what Im blending up and share share share
Well, the good tasting ones at least!
As for the blender, I have a little $20 thing and it does just fine
$400 for a blender? Nuh huh no thanks!
I would have never thought to add cinnamon or vanilla – thanks for the tip Myshelle! And :high5: for our cheapie blenders!
This is the best idea ever! Simple, but brilliant!
Thanks JJ!
Freezing food in plastic. BAD IDEA! Little bits of the plastic break off into the food when freezing.
I was always under the belief that freezing greens , depleted some of the nutrient value.. Is this wrong??
Nice idea except the waste of all that plastic. Not very green…… But this is our disposable generation.
I rinse and re use freezer bags if they’ve only had a few fruits and veggies in them. Dry they open over a water bottle or something similar, and put your next batch right in…
I wash and reuse my bags to cut down on waste. Here’s a link to some other reusable freezer container options: reusable freezer containers
If you had a VitaMix or similar blender you would not need to throw awy the most important part of your apples or other fruits and veggies…I do almost as you do, but I do not peel 99% of my fruits and veggies…after washing them to remove the wax and crap I taste the peel, if it is tart it is ok if it is gag me sour then I peel….. I have even used whole poms in my smoothies and they are almost always VERY VERY tart……the peel is where most of teh nutrition is ….
I also for to mention that when I started on the smoothie routine I had went through (burned up) 6 blenders in one month… my VitaMix has been used for the last 8yrs with no problems aside from me not adding enough
water at the beginning.
So far my trusty little ($30) Black and Decker blender (link in post) is doing the trick and still going strong! For my last batch of green smoothies I did not peel the apples, and I actually didn’t mind it too much. The drink had slightly more texture than I’m used to, but it’s a small trade-off for all that extra fiber and vitamins!
I have noticed people using Chia seeds but will flax seeds work as well?
I haven’t personally tried flax seeds in my smoothies, but I imagine they’d work, too! Let us know what you think!
Doesn’t freezing drastically reduce the efficacy of the nutritients?
I read in the Jay Kordrich book for juiceing (The father of juiceing) that freezing dose reduce the efficacy of the nutrients and when juiceing to drink it rite a way or it looses its nutritional value.
Well, just to report back, I have made my first few batches. I doubled the kale, (about 2.5 cups, 1 unpeeled apple, 1 banana, handful of parsley and 16 oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk. I used my stick blender and was fine with the texture, but if someone is averse to a few flecks and bits then maybe they wouldn’t like it. I LOVED the taste. Thought I would like it but I LOVED it. Also, because the fruit and veggies were frozen it was cool and refreshing. Next day I threw in some whole flax seeds. I totally didn’t mind the extra crunch. I made a weeks worth of this combo. To mix things up, and since strawberries were on sale I put together another batch and yesterday had one made with 2 cups spinach, a cup or so of strawberries, banana, almond milk and flax. Again, a winner. Some other combos I put together and froze but didn’t try yet are variations with kiwi, more or less apple and strawberries, and I’m going to get some greek yogurt to alternate with my almond milk.
So happy to hear your stick blender worked and you loved the taste, Denise! The crunch from the flax seeds sounds interesting to me. I’ll have to give that a try. I’ve heard that it’s beneficial to “chew” your smoothies to get your saliva and enzymes going as you drink them – flax seeds would certainly help with that!
Love ‘chewing’ the smoothies. Still trying lots of stuff. Made a months worth. Combined variations of Kale and spinach,bananas ( the mainstays) , carrots, strawberries, parsley, apples, pears, apricots, mango, kiwi. Make with variety of unsweetened almond or coconut almond milk, add flax sometimes. By the way, I do not peel most of my fruit – mango is the exception… Stomach probs seemed only temporary due to other causes. Ready to add some Greek yoghurt, and other things. Have Agave nectar on hand for sweetener but never needed it. Love, Love, Love it.
By the way
Side note/additional question : The week before trying this, I was recovering from a 48 hr stomach bug. The last few days I have had stomach aches on and off. I am sometimes lactose intolerant which is why I use almond milk (and I simply do like the taste of it. ) I’m pretty sure the tummy aches are still after pangs of the virus, but am a little worried about the sudden change in the amount of greens perhaps upsetting my system. Any thoughts?
Oh gosh, I’m really not sure Denise. I’d try temporary eliminating whatever you think the offending food might be. After a few days or a week of being pang-free try adding it back in. If it’s the culprit your pangs will return and you’ll know. So sorry to hear you’re not feeling well. Hopefully it’ll pass soon!
I love to make green smoothie sherbet and my boys like the popsicles i make out of them tricks the mind i guess lol but great for summer days
I read in a Jay kordrich book (the father of green juiceing), that when starting the green juiceing you should drink it slowly like sip on it because your digestive system isn’t use to it and could upset your stomach! Also maybe try organic because they don’t use pesticides and maybe that is it. Or its gas pains!
I love this! I’ve been making these for 2 days now and it solves the problem of morning prep. Would you mind if I posted about this recipe on my blog?
Hi Jen – thank you so much for asking!! You’re welcome to post a brief summary of this post, with a link back to my post to find out more – just please do not duplicate this post in its entirety. Thank you so much, and I’m so happy to hear you’re finding this technique helpful!
What are the nutritional values of this drink?
I have my green smoothies every morning and my boys love when i make them green smoothie popsicles and green smoothie sherbet guess it helps for those i want ice cream days and when u are have a sweet tooth day i just add more fruit than greens when i make it that way
what about buying frozen kale or spinach?