How To Get 5 Plant Servings in One Delicious Green Smoothie

Green smoothies are an easy and delicious way to consume 5 plant servings in one glass! I can’t think of a more efficient and purposeful way to get those nutrients and colorful plants in. 5 plant servings equal over half of the 8 (1/2 cup) servings of fruits and vegetables recommended per day, all in one delicious green smoothie!

 

 

5 Plant Servings = 1 Green Smoothie Breakdown

Let me break it down and show you how one smoothie contains 5+ plant servings. Remember, a serving is 1/2 cup or approximately what can fit in palm of your hand.

 

1/2 frozen banana = 1 serving

1 cup baby spinach = 2 servings

1/2 cup frozen mango = 1 serving

1/2 cup frozen peaches = 1 serving

We are already up to 5, and we have yet to add nut butter and seeds, which are also both plant foods and will add even more amazing nutrients.

 

Get Plant Servings in Early

Eat this for breakfast and feel proud that you have such a great head start in getting those fruits and veggies in.

Do you fast for breakfast? Then break your fast and have the green smoothie for an easy, portable, filling and ‘full-of-goodness’ lunch.

By the time dinner rolls around, you are on a roll and adding a simple vegetable side or green salad to dinner can easily get you to 8 servings.

Not quite there by the end of dinner? Munch on a carrot stick as an after dinner snack or before you consume any treats after dinner.

 

 

Green Smoothie Goodness

It is no wonder that green smoothies are not a passing trend, but something that has been around for a while. I posted my first green smoothie recipe years ago, back when my girls were young enough to beg for green smoothie popsicles!

When green smoothies are made with the right ingredients, they can be a great snack or meal full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, protein, healthy fats and so much more!

My goal lately has been seeing how far I can push the vegetable content in my green smoothies, always trying for more veg than fruit.

Balancing the fruit with veg, seeds, nut butter or nuts helps keep blood sugar stable as the natural sugars in fruit can cause spikes.

I’ve been experimenting with frozen greens, frozen zucchini, and even frozen cauliflower. Watch for more posts and recipes to come on this!

 

 

Green Smoothie Tips

• Any milk can be substituted for almond milk–coconut, dairy, cashew, etc.
• Taste your smoothie before you pour. The sweetness often differs depending on how sweet your fruit is. If you want more sweet, add 1 T organic agave nectar, 100% organic maple syrup, raw honey, or a Medjool date (remove the pit first). My first choice is no added sweetness, but a date is my second choice as it adds some fiber along with the sweetness.
• Use ripe bananas. This will make your smoothie super sweet!
• If you don’t have a high-speed blender, blend the greens and liquid first, then add the rest of the ingredients. If you do have a high-speed blender, all ingredients can go in at the same time.
• Use frozen fruit whenever you can to make smoothies nice and frosty cold!
• The key to good consistency is seeing a vortex when blending. If you don’t see this, add more liquid.
• Use organic ingredients as much as possible! The number of plant foods that go into a smoothie can really concentrate the number of pesticides if the fruit is not organic. This is especially important if you are drinking a green smoothie every day.
• Have leftover smoothie? Do what I did all the time when my girls were young and pour into a popsicle mold and freeze. Can also freeze in a small mason jar and thaw to drink later. Just set out on the counter to thaw for at least an hour.
• Any greens can be used instead of spinach. Baby spinach is the mild and the taste disappears. Baby kale is my second fav. Swiss chard, microgreens, etc can all be used! Mix it up!
• To increase protein content and make your smoothie more like a meal, add protein powder. I like to use organic pea protein or any plant-based protein. But…my first choice is protein from natural food sources like nuts, nut butters and seeds.
• Add 1 T of chia or hemp seeds to power up your smoothies even more and full of plant power! I love the ease of throwing in a couple of tablespoons of my make-ahead super seed mix.
• Have good straws on hand. I love glass straws or metal straws. I’ve been eyeing these large metal straws because they are nice and wide for gulping those thick green smoothies down quickly.
• I also love drinking my smoothies from mason jars. I have this Cuppow sipping lid that screws right onto the top of a wide mouth mason jar. I also have these lids that have an opening for a large straw.
• Make green smoothie frozen ziplock packs to conveniently grab and throw in the blender. If I have these in the freezer, my family uses them up like crazy and I get the satisfaction of knowing all those nutrients went into the ones I love.

 

 

2 Ways To Freeze Bananas Tip

1. Peel bananas, half them, and freeze them in a ziplock.
2. Throw ripe, unpeeled whole bananas in the freezer. The skin will turn brown, but the banana will not. Fill blender with hot water and place unpeeled frozen banana in it to thaw for a few minutes, but do not thaw completely. Empty the water, them slip and slide the banana right out of the peel.

 

 

Sneak Peek New Nostalgia Shop Launch

Have you noticed the fun green smoothie cards in the photos? They are a little sneak peak of what is coming very soon from New Nostalgia! You will be able to purchase them once New Nostalgia shop launches the first week of October 2018!

Eek! We are almost there!

I have been working hard behind the scenes creating card sets that I know will be helpful for you! These cards on rings will be printable, portable and have themes for all areas of life that you will be able to refer back to over and over again.

Anti-Anxiety Cards, Green Smoothie Recipe Cards, Prayers for your Kids Cards, Room by Room Home Rescue Cards, 20 Favorite Essential Oil Blends–these are just a few of the card sets that you will find in the New Nostalgia shop.

They have been life-changing for me, allowing me to live life in an efficient and purposeful way.  I can’t wait to share more about them and offer them to you, too!

 

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