My Vitamix Green Smoothie recipe :)

bebe777 · ‎12-10-2012

A few years ago, I shared this recipe here because I knew there were some other Vitamix enthusiasts here. It's perfect for the summer months!! lol, in fact, a green smoothie is perfect any time of the year. Enjoy!!! -- bebe

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MY VITAMIX GREEN SMOOTHIE

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Below is the basic green smoothie recipe that I make every morning. This makes 30-40oz. of green smoothie. As soon as I make it I pour it into three glass 16oz. empty Snapple bottles, refrigerate the extra bottles, and then drink green smoothie throughout the day. The recipe is a twist on Dr. Oz's green smoothie. I use more veggies and less fruit. I also add a bit of oil because some of the nutrients are lipid/fat soluble. Your intestine can't absorb these particular nutrients unless they are bound to a fat (examples: the lutein and zeaxanthin for eye health that are found in green leafy veggies).

Except for the pineapple, all the produce is organic. This is important because, since you are emulsifying everything, your body would be absorbing all of the pesticides in the produce.

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MY BASIC GREEN SMOOTHIE

* 1 tablespoon flaxseed (grind first) - great lignan source. Or 1 tablespoon phosphatidylcholine granules - great choline source. Or a tablespoon of another healthy oil that you like, such as coconut, avocado, or mild EVOO.

* 6 kale leaves (green antioxidants / lutein / zeaxanthin), or substitutions:

-- green swiss chard (using some red rainbow chard will give you your red antioxidants but it changes the green flavor slightly. it's an acquired taste)

-- spinach which is sweeter (less bitter)

* 1-2 napa cabbage leaves (cruciferous vegetable - amazing health benefits from recent research / only use the napa cabbage because it doesn't have the cabbage taste that other types of cabbage have)

* 3 long celery stalks

* 1/4 to 1/3 cucumber (excellent silicon source for good skin)

* 1 to 1.5 medium carrots (orange antioxidants, Vitamin A)

* 1-2 small red apples (red antioxidants, quercetin)

* 1 inch diameter cut of pineapple, cut off outside prickly skin (yellow antioxidants, bromelain)

* 1/3 medium lemon with peel (yellow antioxidants / detoxifier / limonene)

* ginger to taste - great anti-inflammatory (for me, 1 to 1.5 inches of ginger but I like a powerful ginger kick, start gradually. You can always slice in more ginger a bit at a time)

* 1/2 cup of water

* 6-12 ice cubes to water the smoothie down a bit, depending on taste

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Directions

1) Put the 1 tablespoon of flaxseeds into a dry Vitamix container and grind them up. I was amazed but the Vitamix actually does grind them up into a flour. If you add them after you have put the other ingredients in the Vitamix may not grind them all up.

2) Add 1/2 cup water. Then add the cucumber and celery. Then add in everything except for the leafy greens (kale and napa cabbage). Turn the Vitamix on and emulsify the produce until it's slightly chunky smooth (probably 30-45 seconds).

3) Add the kale and napa cabbage and blend for another 30 seconds. -- For some reason the leafy greens emulsify better if they're added after you have roughly blended the other produce.

4) Add the amount of ice you need to create the liquid consistency that you prefer and blend for another 20-30 seconds. The smoothie should be completely emulsified by now. If it's not then just blend until it's the consistency that you like.

5) Now's the time to taste your green smoothie and modify it your liking. If it's too bitter you can add more apple or pineapple for added sweetness, or more celery or cucumber to reduce the bitterness. If it's too bland then you may want to slowly add a bit more ginger.

Enjoy!!

-- bebe

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Vitamix vs. Ninja Storm

Before I bought my Vitamix Pro 750, I bought QVC's Ninja Storm Food & Drink Maker (K39392) TSV for $29.95. I was pretty sure that the Ninja wouldn't be effective, but before I took the Vitamix plunge it was worth the $40 mistake to be sure.

The Ninja actually did a good job of emulsifying everying except what I really needed emulsified... leafy green veggies. Green smoothies are an important part of my daily diet. No matter how long I left the leafy greens in the Ninja it just cut them up into very small bits. I couldn't even drink the green smoothie because I had a gagging reflex when I kept trying to drink it.

I was also really terrified by the very sharp blades that the Ninja has. A slip of the fingers would mean a trip to the emergency room and that was a chance I was not going to take.

The top of the line Vitamix Pro 750 is amazing. It's much better than the previous generation of Vitamix. It emulsifies the leafy greens even more quickly and it's significantly quieter. I searched around for the best price and eventually I was able to buy one (with the extra container to grind dry foods) for $629 including S&H (and tax free). I viewed this as a purchase for the long term and I think it's a great investment. Preparation and clean up is done in no time!

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wagirl · ‎03-09-2010

bebe---I use alot of the same things in my smoothie only I add collard greens too. Parsley is good too. Not a fan of celery but add cukes and the broccoli cole slaw shreds too. also add beets that are great for your liver. I add just 2 fruits and then coconut water and chia seeds, hemp protein powder and goji berry powder. Sometimes fresh turmeric as well. I love ginger too. Sometimes add avocados too. I had 5 months of chemo in the past and drank this smoothie every a.m. and am convinced it helped me handle it pretty good. I have a 34 year old Vitamix that stills does a good job but got a nutri bullet for Xmas that works very well too. Also make a brownie smoothie using black beans that is so good.