One of the reasons I decided to try a spinach smoothie is because I've become more concerned about my health, but I realized that I just wasn't eating enough fruits and vegetables during the day. It seemed like an impossible task to get in five servings of fruits and vegetables, and even if I bought them (in some vague dream world where I cooked them all), they generally ended up spoiling in the fridge. That's just a waste of money, and they certainy weren't doing me or anyone else any good just sitting in the fridge.
I began to do some research, searching for a combination of greens and fruit that I thought I would be able to get down. I initially settled on spinach because it's a nutritional powerhouse. One cup of spinach has almost 20% of the RDA of dietary fiber, 40% of the RDA of magnesium, almost all the RDA of mangnese and folate, not mention all the Vitamins A and K it contains. As for health benefits, spinach has been shown to help protect against prostrate and ovarian cancer and has anti-inflamatory properties. It has also been shown to lower blood pressure and help protect brain function from premature aging as well as protecting bone density. Recently, I've added kale to greens I use in the smoothie. Kale is a powerhouse as well. It is high in fiber and an excellent source of beta-carotene, which helps protect against cancer, heart disease, and certain age-related chronic diseases. It is also helps protect against osteoporosis because kale is an excellent source of calcium. I also added Greek yogurt because of its high protein content. Peanut butter was added to the ingredient list because, well, I like it and I thought it might help with the taste. Yes, peanut butter is high in calories and fat, but it has many health benefits. First, it contains almost 7 grams of protein. It also contains resveratrol, a natural antimicrobial agent. In a 20 year study of 80,000 women, conducted by the Nurses Health Study, women who ate 1 ounce of peanuts and/or peanut butter had a 25% lower risk of developing gallstones. Another study, published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry found that the niacin in peanuts, when eaten regularly, provides protection against Alzheimer's disease. Finally, to round out my smoothie mix, I throw in a couple handfuls of blueberries and frozen, sliced banana. I now get the daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables in my breakfast drink! Still, it's important to watch what you eat the remainder of the day; this smoothie doesn't give you license to eat with abandon!
So, here's the recipe:
Spinach Smoothie
1 cup lowfat milk (I use 1%)
1 container of Greek yogurt (approx 6 oz. I also use all sorts of flavors)
1 Tablespoon of peanut butter
1/4 cup frozen blueberries (add more if you like; I use about 2 handfuls)
1 medium banana, sliced and frozen (slice before freezing; trust me on this one)
Kale & Spinach (approximately 3 cups, but I don't measure, I stuff my blender
until I can't get any more in)
Hit the liquify button on you blender and blend until everything is smooth. I usually stop my blender several times and push the spinach and kale down into the blender (but do be careful here--I chopped up a wooden spoon one time because I didn't wait for the blender to completely stop!).
I finally just made the decision that I was going to try one, so I bought the ingredients and chose a day that I would have time to eat something else for breakfast in case I hated the taste (which, of course, I was anticipating would happen).
The milk, fruit, yogurt, and peanut butter really covers and "green" taste. Enjoy!
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