Green Smoothie

Start the new year off right with this yummy Green Smoothie that's packed with a variety of fruit, creamy avocado, and vitamin-rich spinach!

Green Smoothie with Text Overlay Is anyone else ready for some healthy eating after a food indulgence-packed holiday season? Don't get me wrong...I'm a sucker for rich, decadent menu items and anything falling under the category of sweets. But after Halloween followed by Thanksgiving followed by Christmas...veggies are sounding pretty darn good right about now.

Aerial View Green SmoothieLike many moms, I struggle with getting my kids to eat the proper number of vegetable servings on any given day. I have a few tricks up my sleeve to coax (unwitting) compliance on the days when I'm not getting their best green bean-eating cooperation. But honestly? The eat-your-vegetables battlefield can get kind of exhausting sometimes, and I'm always looking for easy alternatives.

As a result, I am ashamed to admit how long it took me to try green smoothies with my kids. And you know something else? I should have tried them long ago myself, since I'm not always the biggest veggie fan either. I guess the little broccolis don't fall far from the tree.

In a glass packed with fruit, creamy avocado, and vitamin-rich spinach for a creamy green color With a variety of fruit to disguise balance out the flavor of the spinach, this is a healthy smoothie that actually tastes good! I am here to tell you, my 6-year-old, 4-year-old, and 1-year-old all happily drink this concoction without complaint. And as they do, I inwardly cackle at the thought of all of that spinach fortifying their little bodies. I will admit that after watching me shove all of that spinach in the blender the first time, they were a little skeptical to try the resulting smoothie. But once I convinced them that this green Incredible Hulk/Popeye beverage would give them extra speed and strength, they conceded to take a sip. And once they tasted how good it actually was, no more smooth(ie) talking was even necessary (though, for good measure, I do still pretend to be blown backwards when I feel their muscles after they drink one of these).

Close-Up Green Smoothie in a GlassI'm no nutritionist, but I can promise that this beverage packs a powerful punch of a plethora of vitamins, plus all of the health benefits and vitamin-absorption properties (and creamy texture) of avocado, and a dose of yogurt-supplied calcium. I also love that this smoothie calls for ingredients that I typically already have on hand...no unusual or likely to be out-of-season fruits.

Close-UpIf you've never tried a green smoothie before, what are you waiting for? I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the taste and excited about the variety of vitamins you'll ingest simply by drinking this as a breakfast or snack. Here's to a healthy, tasty 2014!

More Satisfying Smoothies

Close-up of Green Smoothie in glass.

Green Smoothies

Start the new year off right with this fruity smoothie that's packed with a variety of fruit, creamy avocado, and vitamin-rich spinach!
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 5 cups (3 to 4 servings)
Calories: 126kcal
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Ingredients

  • 1 banana, cut into chunks & frozen
  • ½ cup apple chunks, about 1 small apple
  • ½ cup orange segments, about 1 small orange
  • ½ cup frozen pineapple chunks
  • ½ avocado
  • ½ cup plain yogurt, regular or Greek
  • ½ to 1 cup almond milk, OR your favorite milk
  • 2 cups packed spinach leaves
  • Squeeze of honey, optional
  • Ice cubes

Instructions

  • Place banana, apple, orange, pineapple, avocado, yogurt, and ½ cup almond milk in the bottom of blender. Blend on high until ingredients are smoothly pureed, stopping, stirring, and adding more milk if necessary. Stop blender and add spinach leaves, pushing into top of smoothie. Blend on high, adding more milk if necessary to keep things moving. Taste and, if desired, add honey to desired sweetness. If smoothie is not cold enough, add a handful of ice cubes and blend on high until they are totally incorporated. Drink immediately.

Notes

  • This recipe results in a full blender pitcher, but I've never had a problem with it overflowing.
  • I have a pretty sturdy, high-powered blender, so sometimes I even freeze the apple & orange chunks, though they need to be well broken up before attempting to blend them. This smoothie definitely tastes best cold, so be sure to add some ice if your fruit isn't frozen to begin with.
  • If you are afraid of tasting the spinach the first time you make this, you can start out using 1 cup of spinach and work your way up to 2 cups.
  • Feel free to take this recipe and sub out your favorite fruits (or those you happen to have on hand)! I made it recently with an extra banana, frozen peaches, and frozen pineapple as the fruits and it was delicious.

Nutrition

Calories: 126kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 62mg | Potassium: 427mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 1251IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 1mg
Made this recipe? I'd love to see on IG!Mention @FiveHeartHome or tag #FiveHeartHome!

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39 Comments

  1. I drink green smoothies a lot - right now I am doing a green smoothie challenge and having 1 per day. I will have to give this one a try. I have not ever put an avocado in one.

    1. I hope you enjoy the addition of avocado, Kimberlee! I don't notice tasting it, but I like knowing that it's in there and I think it does nice things to the texture of the smoothie. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!

  2. I CANNOT wait to try this. I sounds delicious, and amazingly healthy. I hoping I can get my three young boys to try it too. I'm betting they'll love it. Thanks so much for sharing! Have a great day!

  3. This sounds great! I just got a great single-serve blender at Aldi for this purpose. Sounds like a great combo! We have a link up for sharing healthy living tips and tricks and I'd love if you'd share this smoothie recipe if you get a chance! Thanks!

    1. Thanks so much, Kristin! I appreciate your kind words and the invite to your link party. Hope you're having a wonderful week! 🙂

  4. I agree with you, all I can think about after the holidays is more greens, vegies and fresh fruit. I'm done indulging - unless it comes in the form of a filling, decadent tasting smoothie! I love this recipe and just how many different ingredients you've packed in there, it's pretty much a multivitamin in liquid form. And I think we could all use one of those after all that overindulgence lately!
    I found this post through a link-party so I know you love a blog-hop as much to me, and I'd love to invite you to join the Weekend Wholefood Blender Party, a weekly Sunday event of smoothies, juices, teas, fermented beverages and other home-made drinks. I'm really enjoying the stunning recipes on your blog and would love to see you link up in the future 🙂

    1. Thanks so much for the comment and the invite, Ally! I appreciate your kind words and I hope you enjoy this smoothie if you end up trying it! Have a great week... 🙂

  5. Thanks for posting this! Have been searching and collecting good healthy smoothie recipes. This sounds good. Going to go browse around your site now. I found you on the Blissfully link up. Am your newest follower. 🙂

    1. Thank you, Kelly...I'm so happy that you stopped by! I hope you enjoy this smoothie and that you also found a few other things around the site that appeal to you. 🙂 Have a great weekend!

  6. This looks great, Samantha! I just made one of these this afternoon and my kids LOVED it! I hadn't thought of putting in avocado--I'll have to try that next time! Pinning this now!

    1. Thank you, Carrie! I was pleasantly surprised that I could even convince my kids to drink green smoothies. But honestly, if you close your eyes, you'd never guess the green stuff is even in there! Hope you all enjoy the addition of avocado. Again, I don't think you can taste it...just adds a nice texture and additional vitamins! 😉

    1. Thanks, Karly! It is a pretty shade of green, isn't it? 😉 I appreciate you stopping by and inviting me to your party!

  7. I'm not a fruit lover, but I've been meaning to find a way in which I could enjoy a bunch of fruits together and this seems to be the perfect recipe to try! I've never tasted a green smoothie, but I've always wanted to. So I'll start here. The avocado and coconut milk caught my eye. When I make it I'll let you know how it went. 🙂

    By the way, I love how you told your kids the smoothie would give them superpowers. I'm looking up tips on how to raise non-picky eaters for when I'm, hopefully, a mom someday and that tip sounds awesome! lol

    1. I hope you enjoy this recipe, Adrienne! I'm always somewhat amazed that the combination of so many different ingredients ends up tasting sweet and fruity. And yes, kids have active imaginations, so sometimes you have to use that to your benefit when trying to elicit the consumption of healthy green things... 😉

      Thanks so much for the comment...hope you're having a great week!

  8. This sounds really good. I make an avocado smoothie, but I like all the extra additions you add into yours. Mine is just avocado, kiwi, banana and milk. I'll have to try this one soon!

    1. Yum! That sounds really good, Kathy...I'll have to try your avocado smoothie next! I really think that the banana is key to adequately sweetening everything up. 🙂 Hope your week is going great!

  9. Avocado!!! That must be the secret. I have not met a green smoothie I like but none have had avocado in them which I love so I know this will be amazing!! And you added coconut milk?? I'm loving this juice 🙂

    1. Oh, Zainab...now I'm nervous for you to try it! I hope you do like it! But seriously...you can't be pickier than my kids, and they love this one, so I bet you'll enjoy it, too. 😉

  10. Hey!... I love green smoothies! Thanks for sharing - I found you via Creating Really Awesome Free Things!... I find that to get the most out of a package of avocados I cut them all up, quarter them and then freeze them on a tray - once they're frozen I toss them into a freezer baggie and then just use a quarter for every smoothie! 🙂

    1. What a fabulous idea, Lacey...thank you for sharing! I've been using half of an avocado at a time and covering the leftover half (pit intact) with Press 'n Seal. It was staying pretty fresh that way, but I like your idea even better! Plus starting out with a frozen avocado would only help the texture and temperature of the smoothie. Thanks again for taking the time to leave such a great tip! 🙂

  11. Sounds great! I got a Ninja Blender for Christmas so I'm on the lookout for all the smoothie/juice recipes I can find!

    1. Oooo, congrats on the Ninja, Andrea...I bet you can make all kinds of good stuff with that! 🙂 Hope you enjoy this smoothie, and have a great week!

  12. Oooh! Clever idea adding avocado. I'll bet it makes the texture smooth and gorgeous. I just started drinking green smoothies at home and have had some great ones and some pretty terrible combos too. This one sounds yummy, especially with the variety of fruits and addition of coconut milk. Pinning! Thanks, Samantha.

    1. Thanks so much for the pin, Jelli! And yes, I had to be careful to come up with a green smoothie combo of ingredients that would pass muster with my kids but still include all of the good stuff I was trying to sneak in...there's a fine line! I hope you enjoy this one, and I hope your year is off to a great start! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  13. Ok, I have to admit. I have never had a green smoothie before either. I've had green juice and it was delicious so I'm sure this one is too. Plus, anything to get kiddos to eat veggies is a winner in my book. 🙂 Pinning, great recipe Samantha!

    1. Thanks so much, Krista! I was recently a green smoothie newbie as well and now I'm a convert! But I totally agree with you...I will do whatever it takes to get my kids to ingest veggies. Fortunately, this green smoothie method doesn't even qualify as torture... 😉

      1. hahah.. very true! Wish my mom gave those to me growing up instead of making me sit at the table to finish my green beans while everyone else was done. 🙁

  14. Hi Samantha. I have been looking for a good green smoothie recipe, so was thrilled to see this at the Inspiration Monday link party. Thanks for sharing!

    1. I hope you enjoy this one, Tasha! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. Hope you're having a great week!

  15. I don't dislike spinach, but I've always been skeptical of drinking it in a smoothie. I love the sounds of this drink though. All that delicious fruit and coconut milk, I can't wait to give this smoothie a try!

    1. Thanks, Megan! I was skeptical of green smoothies for a long time as well, but I'm glad I finally gave them a try! It's like getting vegetable servings without any effort, and that's just fine by me. 😉