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Green Smoothies & Boost Juices
I’m sitting here with the kids and their cousins, watching ‘Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead’. I love how the kids are totally fascinated with the difference that freshly juiced fruits and veges can make to a person’s health and well-being. The first time we watched this, Miss C (9 yrs old) decided she wanted to start drinking green juices. Before that, she’d always turned her nose up at anything too obviously ‘green’. Now she often runs down to Grandma’s house in the morning for a juice, if I’m too slow getting one going! (Grandma makes Thermomix juices every morning, without fail.)
I know some of you will be thinking, ‘But that’s just too much fructose all at once – too much fruit is not good for you.’ I agree, too much concentrated fructose is not good – our bodies need the WHOLE fruit and veggies for good health. Which is why I use a Thermomix for my boost juices and smoothies, blending up the whole fruit and veg, and not straining out the fibre. I call it a ‘wholefood juice’! Most of us don’t get enough micronutrients in our diet, so this is an easy way to do it. Think of it as a ‘salad in a glass’ – if your kids turn their noses up at salads, you can serve up a green juice with their dinner instead!
If you’re worried about too much greens resulting in excess oxalates, have a read of this article. Your body naturally produces oxalates, and unless you have a tendency towards kidney stones, or you have a rare medical condition such as Primary Hyperoxaluria and Enteric Hyperoxaluria, the health benefits of leafy greens far outweigh the risk of forming kidney stones. For instance, dark leafy greens are a fantastic source of calcium, which is really important if you’re dairy free. And raw parsley is amazing for your health – it’s a rich source of potassium, which stimulates the kidneys to eliminate poisonous waste matter; it helps preserve the proper alkaline balance in your blood, and will promote healthy skin. It’s the best vegetable-herb source of iron and vitamin C, is high in magnesium and calcium, and so much more. What I do is rotate my greens so that I’m having different ones each day. Sometimes kale, sometimes baby spinach, or lettuce, or parsley – sometimes a mixture. So add some parsley and greens to your juice and enjoy!
Green smoothies have become such a regular part of the day here that even visitors get handed a glass when they turn up… so be prepared for that if you drop by.
Green juices and smoothies are a great way to start the day. If you leave the fibre in, you’ll feel full for a fair while, so they can be used as a meal replacement if you are trying to lose weight, or just a ‘pick-me-up’ for when you’re feeling tired and hungry in the afternoon. And since you’re not straining out the fibre with this method of juicing, you can use organic fruit and veges without breaking the bank. A couple of carrots, a couple of apples, a handful of baby spinach, and a stick of celery makes juice for four people – no need to use half the produce in the fridge!
There’s so many different ways to make a green juice or smoothie. Here’s some tips to get you started.
For a boost juice, just whiz up your fruit and/or veges and greens with a couple of handfuls of ice on speed 10 for two minutes. Add a little water if you need to thin it down to a drinkable consistency, and there you are. No wasted pulp, and the bowl is easy to clean up afterwards. The reason you need to add ice to your juice is because it helps to grind up the fibres of the fruit and veges, stops the juice from becoming foamy, and also helps retain the enzymes in the juice by keeping them cool. So don’t leave out the ice.
For a green smoothie, you may want a thicker, creamier result. I use frozen bananas and sometimes ground up raw almonds or cashews or sunflower seeds to create the creamy ‘smoothie’ texture. Some people like it so thick it’s almost like soft serve ice cream – I like mine drinkable. Just add more frozen banana or ice or chia seeds (or all three!) if you like it really thick.
Tip for fussy kids: Start with a juice that isn’t too thick and has plenty of sweetness, like the Shrek Juice. The texture is usually quite important to kids, so keep it thinned down. Another tip is get them to watch “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” with you. Once they know why it’s so important to have lots of living enzymes from raw fruits and veges in their diet, and the difference it will make to their health, they’re much more likely to want to drink one.
My Favourite Green Smoothie
Ingredients
1 or 2 frozen bananas, quartered
2 apples, quartered (no need to peel or de-seed)
1 lime, peeled
2 handfuls of ice
300g coconut water
2 or 3 big handfuls of fresh greens (kale, baby spinach, English spinach, cos or butter lettuce)
Instructions
1. Blend in the Thermomix on speed 10 for 2 minutes.
2. Check texture – if it’s too thick, add some more water and re-blend briefly.
Green Coconut Boost Juice
Ingredients
a couple of big handfuls of kale
the flesh of a young coconut
coconut water (from young coconut)
a frozen banana or two, quartered (depending how thick you like it)
1 lime (peeled)
2 teaspoons of mesquite powder
300g water
a couple of handfuls of ice
Instructions
1. Blend on speed 10 for 2 minutes.
Notes
Note about mesquite powder: Mesquite powder is made from the bean pods of the mesquite tree, dried and ground up. It has been used as a staple food for centuries by Native Americans. It is a high protein meal that contains good quantities of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron and zinc, and is rich in the amino acid lysine as well. Its low GI of 25 helps maintain stable blood sugar levels. It adds a sweet, nutty taste with a hint of caramel, and can be added to smoothies and other drinks, to jellies, and to baking (breads, pancakes, muffins, cakes and cookies). When used in baking, the mesquite bean powder/flour is used in combination with other flours – substitute ¼ cup-to-½ cup mesquite flour in each cup grain flour.
Lime & Parsley Juice
Ingredients
300g ice
2 limes (peeled)
1 orange (peeled)
a big handful of organic parsley
1 tsp green stevia powder
300g water
cold mineral water, to taste
Instructions
1. Place ice, limes, parsley, stevia powder and water into Thermomix bowl.
2. Blend 1 min/speed 10.
3. When serving, mix with mineral water, to taste.
Notes
- Variation: Use some honey or pure maple syrup instead of stevia powder if you like, to taste.
Cucumber Orange Juice
Cucumber is another great addition to green juices. This is a great one for the kids, as it’s sweet, not too thick, and doesn’t taste too ‘green’.
Ingredients
half a cucumber (peeled)
2 green apples (quartered)
1 orange (peeled)
1 lime (peeled)
1 frozen banana (quartered)
2 big handfuls of ice
2 big handfuls of cos lettuce
300g water
2 tsp of Vital Veggie Powder
Instructions
1. Blend on speed 10 for 2 minutes.
Notes
Vital Veggie Powder is optional, but I love to add some to the kid’s drinks for extra nutrients. It’s made from organic carrot, mango, pumpkin, tomato, broccoli sprouts, barley grass, spirulina, alfalfa, psyllium husks and chlorella. Available from Nutra Organics.
Fruity Green Boost Juice
This one can really just be a mixture of whatever fruit you need to use up in your fruit basket. Get creative and see what you can come up with!
Ingredients
a nectarine or two, deseeded
a lime, peeled
an orange, peeled
a handful or two of grapes
a couple of handfuls of fresh pineapple
an apple, quartered
a big handful of cos lettuce
a big handful of parsley
2 big handfuls of ice
300g (or so) of water
Instructions
1. Blend on speed 10 for 2 minutes.
Blueberry ‘Yoghurt’ Green Smoothie
Ingredients
100g raw cashews or blanched almonds
2 frozen bananas, quartered
100g frozen blueberries
1 lime, peeled
2 big handfuls of ice
1–2 big handfuls of cos lettuce or baby spinach
300g coconut water or water
Instructions
1. Grind up the dry nuts first for 10 seconds on speed 9. Then add the remaining ingredients and blend on speed 10 for 2 minutes.
Purple Power Green Smoothie
Ingredients
300g frozen blueberries
2 nectarines or peaches, deseeded
1 frozen banana, quartered
2 big handfuls cos lettuce
2 big handfuls of ice
300g coconut water or water
Instructions
- Blend for 2 minutes speed 10.
I hope that’s given you lots of green smoothie inspiration. If you check out this post on my Facebook page you’ll get plenty more ideas from readers!
Wow! Mix with coconut water. Looks refreshing, I would definitely going to give these a shot.
So glad I popped back onto your website! Stainless steal straws…. Who knew! I previously used a cold pressed juicer but it ceased working recently and I replaced it with a Thermomix, but haven’t really made great juices with it. Now I have renewed faith after trying your amazing recipes. I wasn’t blending for long enough. Now my juices look like yours and my daughter is trying to make her own recipes. Ella, Anna, Maleficent… and the list goes on.
Thank you for taking the time to blog.
Yay!!! So happy to hear it 🙂
I love green smoothies but I’m leaving my house and Thermie to friends who are house sitting while I’m away and they have a young daughter who won’t eat greens. You have inspired me to give them some smoothie recipes to try while I’m away.
I have been making carrot, celery and beetroot juice with a juice extractor for many years. Having recently purchased a thermomix I was looking forward to my new healthier juice!!! I must be doing something horribly wrong as what I have produced so far has not been very nice. Can anyone help with a suggestion of quantities and ingredients that will produce a drinkable juice?
After seeing you in action last Friday night I was inspired to try your ‘Quirky’ recipes and am loving them. I ditched my cup of herbal tea for brekkie and replaced with your Strawberry Milk OMG I really wasn’t convinced in adding nuts AMAZING!!! Can’t wait to try a new smoothie tomorrow. Thank you Jo 🙂
Delighted to come across this post as have just purchased some ingredients to start green smoothies for breakfast time. My 7 yr old eats mountains in the mornings and I need to fill him up more. I was looking for inspiration on what to use which might be deemed acceptable to a vegetable avoider. Now the trick will be making it without him seeing what went in…..
I am new to Thermomix (just bought it yesterday) and looking for recipes to start making juices and smoothies. I wonder why your recipes always call for a frozen banana. Is it important or I can use fresh one instead?
You can use fresh – frozen will make it thick and cold like a thick shake.
I don’t have a Thermomix but I would like to start giving my son fruit & veg juices to help his eczema and immune system. I know the slow, cold press juicers are best but I don’t know which one to buy and they are so expensive. Can you help guide me in the right direction?
Hi Briony! 🙂 Sorry, I am not sure what to recommend. Perhaps go and ask in the Quirky Cooking Chat Group on facebook to see what others have and love. xx
Hi Jo. Can you half the recipes as only just 2 of us x
Hi Jules, definitely yes:-).