Two Weeks of Green Smoothies in Twenty Minutes

Last year for Christmas, I received a NutriBullet from my hubby. I fell in love with it. Do I believe the hype that it 'extracts and unlocks' secret nutrients in fruits and veggies? No, but that had nothing to do with why I wanted it. I love green smoothies, but I'm not so fond of the texture that comes from a smoothie made in a traditional blender. Even a good run-of-the-mill blender will still leave little flecks of fruits and veggies behind. I like my smoothies blended to near juice-like perfection. Nothing kills a smoothie for me like a hunk of kale floating into my mouth when I'm expecting a smooth drink of awesome. The NutriBullet definitely fit the bill and got the job done well.

Though I love eating fruits and veggies, I don't always get my recommended daily amount. A green smoothie is a great way to pack in all of those missed-out-on daily nutrients. If your taste buds aren't too picky, almost any vegetable and fruit can be thrown into a smoothie. Green smoothies are delicious and refreshing, but different from chain restaurant and coffee house versions of smoothies which contain mostly fruit, yogurt, and sugar. Green smoothies contain 50-75% vegetables, making them less sweet but MUCH more nutritious. Natural sweeteners, such as honey, or agave nectar are great additions if you wanna sweeten things up. As I type this, I'm drinking a kale, pumpkin, carrot, and strawberry smoothie with a touch of honey. Yum.

The two days a week that I work, I leave the house at 6am. I barely have time to make coffee (which is necessary to live), so I rarely have time to make a smoothie. Chopping, portioning, and freezing the ingredients ahead of time allows you to have that good for you drink every morning. This recipe makes an excellent drink on its own, but if you have any veggies floating around in the fridge, feel free to toss an extra goodie into your green smoothie. I tried it with cucumber and it was extra refreshing.

Makes enough for two weeks worth of green smoothies, and can be doubled for a whole months worth of green nutrient-rich gold.

Green Strawberry Smoothie

1 Large Bag of Kale, washed
3 Zucchini
7 Gala Apples
2 (16 oz) Bags of Frozen Strawberries
14 Quart Freezer Bags

Wash all the produce. Peel, and half apples. Remove seeds, and place half of an apple in each bag. Add roughly one cup of loosely packed kale into each bag. Chop zucchini into one inch slices, and add roughly half a cup per bag.

Finally add 3-4 strawberries to each bag. Divvy up any leftover fruits and vegetables into each bag. Label and freeze.

Blend with one and a half cups of water until smooth.