Photo credit: Eat Better America
I love smoothies...honest and truly, wholeheartedly love them. They're cold, refreshing, and make a great start to a day. They were also my first step towards a healthier lifestyle and made my daily headaches disappear. Here's a secret: Smoothies are also a great way to add a vegetable or 2 into your day.
I don't have any exact recipes from my own kitchen, because with smoothies it's usually a "bit of this" and a "handful of that." I use whatever produce I have on hand or is in season. Instead, I can give you an idea of combinations of fruits and vegetables that I have found to work.
Squash and cauliflower: The all-around versatile veggies. These are the MVPs of smoothies when it comes to picky eaters, because no one will know they are included unless you tell them. The mild flavors and light colors will not change the drink.
Carrots, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes: Good additions to citrus smoothies that already have a yellow-orange color. The mildly sweet flavors mix well with sweet breakfast drinks. Think papaya, mango, banana, oranage, or pineapple. Just be careful adding too much pumpkin or sweet potato to smoothies loaded with bananas. They all have a thicker texture, so your smoothie may be more like pudding rather than a drink. Smoothies with a peach or strawberry-peach base also work well with these vegetables.
Zucchini, avocado, cucumber, and green-leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, or lettuce: All of these will add a strong green color to your smoothie. Remember back to art class in elementary school before mixing these. Red strawberries plus green zucchini equals a brown muddy mess (but it tastes good!). Green fruits to include with the green vegetables are honeydew, green grapes, and kiwi. Pineapple, pears, and apples also have good colors for blending. Zucchini and avocado have mild flavors that will not change the taste of the drink. I don't recommend adding avocado with bananas because both are incredibly thick. Again, you'll have pudding instead of a drink. I'm not a fan of cucumber in breakfast drinks, but some people love them. As for the greens, they are just a little harder to mask the flavor. When first making a green smoothie, I started with a sweet green, like Romaine lettuce. Some people swear they add a couple of cupfuls of spinach to a smoothie and can't taste it, but I've never been able to add that much. Start with the fruits, puree a small handful of greens into it, and taste. Add enough to your liking. You'll be able to add more greens in the future once you get used to the flavor.
Vegetables I plan to try: Rhubarb (how about a sweet/sour combo with strawberries and bananas?), celery (should be mild enough for any smoothie), and cooked rutabaga (again, mild enough for any smoothie)
I may not have recipes for you, but here are a few to consider:
Related Post - Vegetables for Breakfast: Eggs
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