Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Vary Your Greens

I’ve been on the “green smoothie” kick for a few years now.

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I love it.

I crave them every day, and I love how I feel after I have one.

But I’m not very good at branching out…I pretty much put the same old spinach and fruit combo every day. So when I cam across this article on other options for greens in smoothies, I loved it. Here are some of the other options I learned about:

Swiss Chard – Similar to spinach in the texture and the way it blends. Swiss chard is an excellent source of vitamins A, C, K magnesium, manganese, potassium and iron. It has a slight salty aftertaste, but that often can’t be tasted with other fruits in the mix.
Collared Greens - Collard Greens have tough leaves that taste slightly bitter, but are easily masked by fruit in a green smoothie. They are a great source of vitamins A, C, K, folate, manganese and calcium! Know to help in detoxing and supporting the heart, lungs and immune system.
Parsley – There are two kinds of parsley…curly and Italian. Italian is less bitter and works best in smoothies. It is a great source of vitamins A, C, K and folate as well as iron and calcium.
Dandelion Greens – Looking to make a detox smoothie? Dandelion greens are where it is at! Dandelions are used to cleanse the liver and gallbladder and to help support kidney function. They may help stabilize blood sugar and lower bad cholesterol. Dandelion greens are an excellent source of vitamins A, C, E, K, calcium and iron. Since they have a slight bitter taste, be sure to add some sweet fruit like berries or bananas.
Kale – We already know kale chips are delicious. But you can also add kale to smoothies! They are a great source of calcium. Since they are a bit tougher than other greens, a quick chop before the going in the blender is a good idea.

Get blending!

~What are your favorite greens to add to your green monsters?

4 comments:

  1. I read about this once and tried parsley in my smoothie. Maybe I put in too much, but I don't think I could do it again. Now kale and swiss chard and collard greens I could do!
    Thanks for all your good information!

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  2. I definitely need this I am a creature of habit when it comes to my smoothies.

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  3. I have to admit...I love a smoothie, and I love spinach, but the one time I made a green monster I was NOT a fan. I don't know if I just had a bad recipe or spinach ratio or what. I keep meaning to give it a second go, but I always forget or am not in the mood since I remember not liking it last time. I'll have to try it again!

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  4. I just started adding spinach to my smoothies and I am loving it! Thanks for the info on other greens though because I need to start changing it up a bit. Plus, the kale and swiss chard are abundant at my local farmer's market right now!!!

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