So can you use green powders in green smoothies instead of fresh greens? Why yes you can!
I think a lot of us are guilty of not getting enough green leafy vegetables in their diet day after day. Myself included. Sometimes I don’t have enough room in the fridge to have salad ingredients every single day, and sometimes I get tired of chewing salad every day. So I often opt for a green smoothie to get more greens in my diet and it’s pretty fast and simple.
You kind of need a decent blender to blend the fresh greens though otherwise they can end up a little chunky or not so smooth. So you may consider using green powders in your smoothies instead for texture.
Or you may not have access to the best fresh greens all year round so a green powder is a more attractive option for you as well.
You can find a variety of green powders at the health food store and on Amazon.com. Some are based on wheat grass, barley grass or a mixture. I picked up a new one the other day to try out called Vitamineral Green. I’d heard people talk about it before and really liking it so I thought why not give it a shot.
I first tried mixing Vitamineral Green into some water and stirring well in an attempt to drink it. I figured I could manage it. I was dead wrong! It’s not very edible this way! So instead I’ve been playing around added it into smoothies instead of my regular baby spinach or baby greens or kale.
As soon as I started drinking this green smoothie I immediately felt more alert and had a very positive reaction to it. My body definitely enjoys getting more greens!
This is my favorite version that I came up with so far and it definitely tastes like a fruit smoothie with some greens in it, instead of a strong green drink so I think you’ll enjoy it.
Veronica’s Vitamineral Green Smoothie Recipe
Serves 1-2
Ingredients:
1/2 cup filtered water
2-3 large bananas (I use 3 so it’s filling)
1-2 heaping tablespoons of Vitamineral Green (I use 2, but you can work up to it)
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
1/2 cup frozen mango
1/2 cup frozen cherries or blueberries
Directions:
Place ingredients in a Vitamix or blender in the order listed and blend on high for about a minute until smooth and creamy.
*Note: You can adjust the thickness of the smoothie as desired by added more or less water and banana. If desired you can add some ice and blend again.
Other Tips:
Make sure to add enough water and sweet fruits such as banana or mango to help mask the strong flavor of Vitamineral Green or other green powders.
You don’t have to use Vitamineral Green, you can use another green powder. Be careful as straight wheat grass or barley grass powder may be stronger in taste. Use a small amount of Vitamineral Green or green powders to start until you get used to them. Gradually increase until you use 1 – 2 heaping tablespoons per smoothie.
Try using 1 banana and 1 fresh mango and frozen berries.
Try 1 Hawaiian papaya 2 bananas and frozen berries.
Try 3 bananas, 1/2 cup almond milk and a scoop of cocoa powder.
What’s your favorite green powder to use? How do you drink it?
Dear Veronica
Have you heard of the new Nutribullet that was shown on TV in an infomercial.
The nutritionist advertising for it said that he places spinach, almonds etc and it works better than many blenders. What do you think? Also what about for diabetics what can they use in a green smoothie to maks the flavor in a green smoothie? Linda
I don’t really believe they hype with the nutribullet, it’s like a magic bullet but they hired David Wolfe to promote it. I use my Vitamix and the blend it gives is superior.
Veronica, loving your website! You can also add Vitamineral Green to fresh orange juice. Tastes yummy that way. If you want Vitamineral Green at a lower price than Amazon, go to Dimond Health. They give discounts on that whole line and I’m finding it very helpful to supplement fresh foods.
I also tried Vitamineral Green in water and almost gave up on it. I now use it everyday in my smoothies and just love it! Thanks for the recipe, which I’m going to try tomorrow.
Extracts are simply NOT the same as getting these nutrients from whole food. Sorry! Love this website anyway!
Who says that those are “extracts”? It’s real food that was dried to store and conserve.
Yes it is dried whole food.
these are NOT extracts, this is a blend of dehydrated whole foods. there is no way that you can get all of the nutrients in vitamineral green from juicing or even making a green smoothie. when you read the ingredients in vitamineral green you will understand what i mean. this is the most superior product on the market and far far surpasses anything that you can make at home. cancer survivor here, done years of research, hands down, the best product on the market and the results from taking it religiously are astounding. and i take it in water with a bit of my own dehydrated stevia… add a few drops of food grade essential oil… cannot beat it.
Andrew and Rainbow LOVE the “Green Vibrance Junior” powder blended with bananas and water!
http://www.vibranthealth.us/onlinestore/green-vibrance/green-vibrance-junior-detail
I was out of this green powder and didn’t have any fresh spinach in the refrigerator so I decided to try using FROZEN spinach to make the “Peachy Keen Green Smoothie” from my book, “Feed Your Tike What He Likes.”
It was a HUGE hit. Andrew and Rainbow LOVED it! Rainbow drank hers and took Andrew’s cup from him and drank that too! I even had some of it!
Even though vegetables are blanched before frozen and aren’t technically “RAW,” frozen spinach DOES work great in green smoothies.
Because of the convenience of frozen spinach (no worries about it getting wilted or going bad before it can be all used, plus it’s so ECONOMICAL), I’m going to start using frozen spinach EXCLUSIVELY in our green smoothies regardless of the opinion of the “raw police” ;)!
For those looking for a great deal on frozen spinach, COSTCO has ORGANIC frozen spinach for a great price! In Hawaii I paid $6 and some change for 4lbs of it!
Lol thats great Karmyn. It definitely is cheaper that way. Thanks for sharing!
GREAT ! I will try through ‘ Amazon ‘ ( … GreenPowder … ) , once I ‘ m here in Berlin .
As soon as I have the Blender , it will be easier to Me to get more Nutrients , those I need . And I want now – bc of Health Issues – Foods which are more Delicate , Softer , Smoothier .
I thank You so much ! I ‘ ve send already to Facebook …
With all my Respect ,
Teresa ***
I always use a cup of fresh carrot juice in my green smoothies. Tastes great
Willet
I love VitaMineral greens been using them for a long time, when I feel groggy I take some. and jut grin & bear it..mixed with water and WOW big difference, I learned about what greens, esp sea greens can do 4 the mind..thanks Veronica ur so sweet hugs
Hi Veronica
I like Green Vibrance. I just mix a scoop with water and then add a little juice to cover up the flavor. I have never put it in my Green Smoothies because I didn’t want to mess up the flavor of my delicious smoothie.