Okay, so I know this smoothie is green, but before you run from the room screaming, just check out all the goodness I’ve put in here for you.
We’ve got bananas, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, pineapple, orange…and maybe just a bit of broccoli and kale.
Broccoli for fiber (it’s important), and kale because I love you.
Trust me, this doesn’t taste green. Unless you want it to, in which case you can totally add more kale and really get your healthy juices flowing.
This has been my go-to drink/snack lately and I really hope you try it. It’s been just a little chilly out, so I’ve been eating a lot of warm and comforting (read: carb-y) foods lately and this smoothie has been balancing all that out beautifully.
I’m also sort of a banana junkie, so bananas make up the base of all my favorite smoothies. Get on my level, guys.
If you really want to get serious about it, wait until your bananas are nice and brown then peel and freeze them in small pieces in a freezer bag. Then, whenever you want to get your smoothie on, use the frozen banana pieces and you’ll be rewarded with the creamiest drink you’ve ever made at home.
(Pro tip: you can also blend a bunch of frozen bananas together for some “nana ice cream” – the closest thing you’ll get to real ice cream without any unnatural ingredients. And you have total freedom over it as far as flavor goes: peanut butter? Yes. Amaretto? Yessss.)
Back to this smoothie. As a rule, I like to use frozen fruits and vegetables for smoothies because 1) since they’re flash frozen, they’re just as nutritious as their fresh counterparts, 2) they’re cheap, 3) they make smoothies incredibly easy to make, 4) blending frozen foods makes everything texturally better, and 5) they never go bad.
I also like to make large amounts of this smoothie so I can have it on hand whenever I’m in need of a snack and I don’t have the time to whip up something healthy (which is a lot of the time). If you don’t think you can handle 8 cups of this fruity goodness at once, cut it down – the measurements don’t have to be exact – but I don’t think you’ll have a problem with having too much of it on hand once you try it.
Green Banana Fruit Smoothie
by L.
makes 8 cups
4-5 bananas
1 cups mixed berries (I use strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and cherries)
1/2 cup pineapple chunks
1 cup broccoli
3/4 cup kale
1 orange, or 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 cups cold drinking water
Combine all ingredients in a blender, with the bananas at the bottom, and blend on high until smooth and fully combined. Add more liquid if you want a thinner, more juice-like consistency.
Keep in an airtight bottle in the fridge for up to 3 days, and shake well before serving.