Green Smoothie Dreams...and a Giveaway!

Before I get started on this post, I just want to mention that Maria at Dreamy Whites is having a giveaway where you can enter to win a $200 gift card to her online shop. This will end on August 20th, so don't forget to visit her site for a chance to win something absolutely dreamy from her store!

Now I want to share with you something I've been doing since I became vegan/vegetarian last Spring of 2010... Mixing some fresh greens with some fruit (fresh or frozen) to make a refreshing green smoothie blend!



I took these pictures at our old place last year {as you can see from the lighter speckled granite vs. the icky black one that we currently have in our new place}. It's really simple, healthy...and yes it is yummy. ;)

All you need is a bunch of fresh ORGANIC kale


Take about a 1/2 bunch {or more if desired} and tear them into pieces. I don't have a fancy Vita-Mix or Blendtech just yet, so cutting them helps your blender "blend" them better.


Be sure to rinse it well in cold water


Then pick a main fruit of your choice. In my case, I chose some fresh strawberries, removed the stems, and rinsed them.


Cut them into halves or fourths


First put the kale pieces into your blender with just enough water to blend


Start blending...and adding more water as needed, but not too much since the greens & fruits naturally have water in them.


Then add your fruit & keep blending. By the way, for this blend, I also added mandarin orange slices {not pictured}.


I like my smoothies "thick" and very cold, so at the end I add a dash of frozen fruit. You can use anything really, but here I chose frozen peaches.

Fun Tip: if you have an over abundance of overripe bananas, I like to peel them, cut them into slices, & put them in a plastic zip-loc bag and freeze them for future smoothie use.


And voila, you have yourself a green smoothie drink! You can choose to drink it as-is...


But I like to add a bit of dried Goji Berries for that extra crunch & antioxidant punch!


I then store my extra smoothie in a airtight glass jar.


Note that you can use just about any greens, like spinach, chard, etc. Just make sure they are organic. Same with the fruit {fresh, frozen and any combination as preferred} - choose any organic type & add as much as you need to taste.

I hope you enjoyed one of my favorite summer smoothie blends. I hope everyone is enjoying the month of August so far!

XO's,
Jessie

Linking with:
Just Something I Whipped Up @The Girl Creative
Strut Your Stuff Thursdays @Somewhat Simple
Catch a Glimpse Thursdays @A Glimpse Inside
Hooking up with the House of Hepworths Thursdays
Inspiration Friday at The Picket Fence