What’s the number one question you’ve been asking us about smoothies?

You wanna know how to seamlessly get veggies into smoothies when you’ve been dabbling with fruits, seeds, almond milk, etc.

As registered dietitians, and authors of our most recent book, The Nutrition Twins Veggie Cure, you can imagine how excited we are that you’re ready to dive in to the good stuff! Yes, veggies! Greens, specifically, are the number one food you can eat regularly to improve your health. And we’ve got some easy breakfast-friendly ways to help you to start your day off right–on the green foot!

 

Pomegranate Green Goddess Smoothie

We’ve got some great news if you’re a bit fearful that your greens will overpower your smoothie… many greens become undetectable (like a chameleon!) when combined in a smoothie and they take just seconds to transform. Here are some tips for making the most of your smoothies and easy at-home ways to get your nutrients.
Create your green smoothie by following these green smoothie basics and then blend! (If you simply want to try a green smoothie recipe that’s tried, true and delicious, try this Pomegranate Green Goddess Smoothie (recipe and how it does your-body-good below)!  You’ll also find many on our site, just search smoothie, or green drink, etc.  And we suggest some at the bottom of this blog!

 

Here’s the formula for making a delicious, green smoothie and how we created this Pomegranate Green Goddess Smoothie:

 

1.  Begin with your greens: In general, a few large fistfuls (about 2 cups) will do the trick. Spinach is one the mildest of the greens and is barely detectable, but all greens from kale, to romaine, and even parsley and mint are fabulous additions. Experiment and see what you like best. (In this smoothie, we started with 1 packed cup of spinach, which is similar to two fistfuls)

 

*** If you’re worried about your greens spoiling, check out our awesome solution for your busy mornings.

 

 

 

2. Toss in some fruit: Hello natural sweetness, fiber and phytonutrients for even more of a beneficial boost to your morning. (We often go for frozen fruits because they make the smoothie more refreshing and “dessert-like”.  Plus, they don’t spoil!)

• In this recipe we use POM 100% Pomegranate Juice which adds a polyphenol and potassium punch with no added sugars, no artificial colors or flavors and no cheap filler juices. There’s the juice of 4 whole-pressed pomegranates in 16 ounces and its flavor is a little sweet and a little tart, which makes this smoothie so insanely delicious!
• We also added frozen pineapple chunks (not frozen is fine) –you get a lot of sweetness with just a few pieces and we added some green grapes.  Note:  If you’re watching your calorie intake, the key is to keep the fruit portions in check (about half the portion or less, compared to the green).

 

3. Add your protein/ “satiety factor” (If you skip this, you’ll need to eat a source of protein with your smoothie to keep you powered, satiated and to provide for longer lasting energy). This Pomegranate Green Goodness Smoothie is so good as is, simply have some scrambled eggs with veggies or a nonfat Greek yogurt on the side. Other great protein options? Nuts or nut butters, hemp seeds or a scoop of protein powder. One to two tablespoons of a nut or seed add nutrients and healthy fat—but stick to just that portion (about 6-8 nuts), as the calories from nuts add up quickly and could cause your smoothie to contain a lot more calories than you bargained for.

 

4. Pour in liquid: Add ½ to 1 cup of either water, unsweetened nut milk or coconut water to make your smoothie. Unsweetened vanilla almond milk adds a nice flavor perk. (In this smoothie we need less water and simply add some ice cubes as we get fluid from the delicious POM 100% Pomegranate Juice.)

 

5. Ready to get fancy? The sky is the limit! Try adding grated ginger (a personal favorite of ours!) or spices like cinnamon and turmeric (this one has quite a bitter kick that will give you a real charge to start your day!) We couldn’t resist the ginger in this recipe!

 

Pomegranate Green Goodness Smoothie

This delicious recipe contains nothing but fruits and veggies. POM 100% Pomegranate Juice, spinach, pineapple, and green grapes are blended with fresh ginger to make a zesty morning smoothie that fills you up. Pair this delicious day starter with scrambled eggs with veggies or with a nonfat Greek yogurt for protein.

 

Makes 1 serving

Work time: 5 min

Total time: 5 min

Ingredients:

½ cup POM 100% Pomegranate Juice

½ cup green grapes

½ cup pineapple pieces

1 cup packed spinach

1 inch fresh ginger, peeled

4 ice cubes

 

Directions:

In a blender, combine all the ingredients. Blend until smooth.

Nutrition Facts Per Smoothie: 167 calories, 40 g carbohydrate, 0 g fat, 2 g protein, 3 g fiber, 22 mg sodium

Bonuses:  162% Daily Value vitamin A, 111% DV Vitamin C, 11% DV calcium, 17% DV Iron

The Nutrition Twins work with POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate juice to help people to enjoy it’s delicious flavor, get more nutrients in their day without any added sugar or artificial flavors. 

 

And here are a few more smoothies to try:

• Kale Recharge and Detox Smoothie
• Skinny Green Smoothie
• Healthy Green Smoothie
• Avocado and Apple Green Smoothie
• Detoxifying Green Tea Smoothie

 

 

 

Smoothie Photo and Recipe credit: POM Wonderful.