Grant's Green Smoothies
Years ago I began making green smoothies for my morning breakfast. Admittedly it was a bit of a hurdle the first few times. Green goop first thing in the morning seems rather gross. I started with just spinach and half a banana. Those bananas were the trick to removing any spinach flavor. Later I switched from bananas to protein powder which covers the flavor and adds a much needed boost of protein. Since then I’ve refined my recipes and hate going a day without one of these green concoctions to start my day.
The other day my wife asked what all this stuff did for me anyway and I couldn’t list it all so I took a minute to write it all down.
Base
All my smoothies start with a base of 6cups or so of greens. My blender holds about 6cups and i just stuff it full. I’ll add about 3 cups of water but you can increase or decrease the proportions based on how thin you like them.
| Ingredient | Calories | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 cups spinach | 40 | eye health, reduce oxidative stress, help prevent cancer, and reduce blood pressure levels. Calcium, Magnesium, Iron |
| 1 serving orgain powder | 250 | provides 21 grams protein. It’s recommended a diet contains 25% protein. Another way to view this is to intake .4 grams per pound of body weight. For a 200lb person that’s 80 grams per day |
| 3 cups water | ||
Tips: Fill blender with greens and blend to reduce volume. Add any additional ingredients. Add a smaller portion of water and blend into a paste. This helps ensure everything is pureed. Add the remainder of water.
Variations
Interestingly eating too much spinach is not good for you and can give you kidney stones so it’s important to add variety in your greens. My go to is kale, it’s a nice variation on texture and has great fiber if you know what I mean. Substitute an equal amount of spinach with kale or broccoli or other greens. Whatever mix suits your day. For Cucumber since it’s mostly water swap out some of your water. I just drop the cucumber in my water measuring cup first and fill the rest with water.
| Ingredient | Calories | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Cups Kale | 198 | Of all the super healthy greens, kale is king. It is definitely one of the healthiest and most nutritious plant foods in existence.Kale is loaded with all sorts of beneficial compounds, some of which have powerful medicinal properties. |
| 2 cups frozen broccoli | 62 | broccoli is good for heart health. It may help with cancer prevention, help with cholesterol levels, and it has several vitamins and minerals that contribute to overall wellness. |
| 1/2 Cucumber | 13 | high in nutritional value! It contains many important vitamins and minerals. Half a cup of sliced cucumber contains only 8 calories but 1.9 grams of carbohydrates, 0.3 grams of fiber, and 0.3 grams of proteins. It also contains magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin K, and manganese |
Tip: Use frozen greens. This helps break them down better in the blender and make a smoother smoothie.
Boost
Add in these healthy superfoods for a nutritious boost.
| Ingredient | Calories | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 tsp spirulina | 13 | Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Copper, Iron, Magnesium. a powerful plant-based protein called phycocyanin. Research shows this may have antioxidant, pain-relief, anti-inflammatory, and brain-protective properties. Anti-Cancer, Absorption of cholesterol, Immune System Support |
| 4 Brazil nuts | 132 | Brazil nuts are rich in selenium. One nut can contain 175% of the RDI. Selenium is an essential trace element that is vital for your immune system, thyroid gland, and cell growth. |
| 1 tsp matcha | 10 | Prevents heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer, and even encouraging weight loss. Boost of caffeine |
| 2 tbsp chia seeds | 138 | Chia seeds contain large amounts of fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, plenty of high-quality protein, and several essential minerals and antioxidants. They may improve digestive health, blood levels of heart-healthy omega-3s, and risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. |
| 3 tbsp hemp seeds | 180 | Hemp seeds are exceptionally nutritious and rich in healthy fats, protein, and various minerals. They contain all nine essential amino acids, and research suggests that hemp’s protein content is well-absorbed by our bodies. Hemp seeds are a great source of magnesium, which helps regulate your heartbeat and is linked to the prevention of coronary heart disease. They also contain Linoleic acid, which one study found reduced participants’ cholesterol levels by 15% and may act to reduce blood pressure. |
Supplements
In addition to my green smoothies I regularly take the following supplement pills for even more health benefits.
| Ingredient | Notes |
|---|---|
| Probiotics | Probiotics promote a healthy balance of gut bacteria and have been linked to a wide range of health benefits. These include benefits for weight loss, digestive health, immune function, and more |
| Macuhealth | MacuHealth rebuilds and maximizes macular pigment over a lifetime, resulting in enhanced visual performance and aid in the treatment and prevention of age-related macular degeneration. |
| Krill oil | Krill oil contains essential fatty acids like DHA and EPA that your body can’t produce on its own, as well as phospholipids and the important carotenoid, astaxanthin that aren’t found in traditional fish oil. These components help support cognitive, cardiovascular, heart, and joint health |
| Resveratrol | Resveratrol is part of a group of compounds called polyphenols. It’s in the skin of red grapes, but you can also find it in peanuts and berries. beneficial health effects, including anticancer, antimicrobial, neuroprotective, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, and blood-sugar-lowering properties, as also life-prolonging effects. |
| Niagen | Nicotinamide riboside, or niagen, is an alternative form of vitamin B3. It is promoted as an anti-aging supplement because it boosts your body’s levels of NAD+, which acts as fuel for many key biological processes. research indicates NAD+’s promise for improving several aspects of health. Raising levels of the molecule appears to rejuvenate mitochondria - the cell’s energy factories, which falter over time |
| Turmeric Curcumin | Turmeric and especially its most active compound curcumin have many scientifically proven health benefits, such as the potential to prevent heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and cancer. It’s a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant and may also help improve symptoms of depression and arthritis. |
Looks like a huge list I know. I’ll stock up on all the ingredients and make different combinations throughout the week. Be careful though, even though these are some of the best foods you can put in your body they all do contain calories. Adding too many in one smoothie can really add up. Today I treated myself including many of the options and eded up with a 1000 calorie breakfast!
Enjoy and be well