A green smoothie that combines a mixture of healthy veggies with sweet fruit and is blended with coconut water for a refreshing “pick me up”. This smoothie is so good you’ll forget it’s healthy!
A few months ago, Kyle and I decided to take the plunge and buy a Vitamix. Those today’s special values on QVC always have a way of sucking us in. How could we not get a machine that can whip up smoothies, hot soups, and make homemade peanut butter? It didn’t take long until I was sold!
I couldn’t hardly wait for it to arrive on my doorstep – I had the door open before the UPS man could knock! Since then I’ve made countless smoothies, soups, milkshakes… the list goes on and on. I strayed from smoothies for the longest time because my old blender just couldn’t make them smooth. There is nothing worse than a chunky smoothie – it’s called a “smoothie” for a reason!
Well, chunky smoothies no more!
I’ve been doing all kinds of experimenting with smoothies – it’s a great way to use up extra fruits and veggies in your fridge. Not to mention all of the health benefits! I have yet to make a bad one – they all come out tasting amazing.
Today, I’m sharing my new favorite smoothie with you. I cannot get enough of it! It’s been my breakfast or lunch everyday for the past two weeks. It’s filling, delicately sweet, and super refreshing. This smoothie really is the perfect pick-me-up drink – it will give you lasting energy and make you feel so darn good!
Ok, let’s get to what goes into this perfect “pick me up” smoothie.
Cucumbers add a light, refreshing flavor to this green smoothie. Avocado adds creaminess and a dose of healthy fats, while spinach adds color and is full of vitamins and minerals. To sweeten it all up, I add in green grapes and frozen pineapple. I add frozen pineapple for two reasons: it replaces ice to make the smoothie nice and cold, and because it’s winter!
If it were summer and pineapples were in season, I would certainly use fresh and probably freeze my grapes to have a frozen component. I don’t really like adding ice into my smoothies because it tends to water down the flavor. By adding a frozen fruit, you’ll get so much more flavor than if you use ice.
For added freshness, I toss in quite a few mint leaves. The mint makes the smoothie! It now goes in all of my smoothie creations – it’s so good and goes with just about any combination.
Then comes the liquid component. I’ve experimented with a few different liquids – water is bland and milk adds too many calories and sugar. Almond milk works good with certain flavor combinations, but my favorite liquid, hands down, is coconut water.
Coconut water was a trendy thing a few years ago – it’s still around of course and works so well in smoothies! I’ve never been a fan of coconut water on its own, but it works great in fruit and vegetable smoothies. You get a good dose of electrolytes for not a lot of calories and sugar. Plus, it’s mild enough that it doesn’t overpower any of the other ingredients, but flavorful enough that it doesn’t make the smoothie bland.
Once this delicious smoothie is all blended up, you’re ready to drink! I consider this to be one serving, and for me it’s substantial enough to replace a meal. However, if you’re having it as a snack then this recipe will serve 2.
Green smoothies are all the rage, and they really do make you feel good and healthy. One taste and you’ll forget how healthy it really is for you! If you’re worried about tasting the vegetables, I assure you that you won’t! The fruit and mint are what provide the taste – and it’s down right delicious!
- 1 Cup Green Grapes
- ½ Cup English Cucumber, not peeled
- ½ of an Avocado
- 1 Cup (Large Handful) Spinach or Kale
- 10 Mint Leaves
- ½ Cup Frozen Pineapple
- 1 Cup Pure Coconut Water
- Place all of the ingredients in a high-powered blender (you can use a regular blender, but you will need to let the pineapple thaw slightly before you blend) and blend on high speed for 1 minute.
- Pour into serving glasses and get ready to feel refreshed, hydrated, and full of energy!
- *This recipe will yield 1 large smoothie or 2 smaller smoothies. If i'm using it as a meal replacement, I drink the whole thing. If it's just a snack, I share the other half!
I haven’t tried putting cucumber into smoothie yet. Thanks for the idea!
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It’s so refreshing! You’ll love it 🙂
Hey Keri. I was wondering what brand of cocoanut water you use.
I make smoothies every day and I’ve been experimenting with gluten free and I feel much better.
I use Zico because I can buy a case of it Costco. That’s great that you’ve been experimenting with gluten free, and I’m glad you’re feeling better! If you have any questions be sure to let me know.
I love smoothies! So refreshing. They lift my mood :). This one sounds absolutely amazing! Also…homemade peanut butter in a Vitamix?? That sounds awesome…
Annie @ The Garlic Diaries recently posted…Mexican Twice Baked Potatoes
Thank you! This one is definitely a mood lifter – I like to close my eyes and picture myself drinking it somewhere warm 😉 And yes, the homemade peanut butter during the demo is what sold me to buy one, but I haven’t tried it yet! I’m forcing myself to use up the giant peanut butter jar in my pantry because I have a feeling once I have the homemade I’ll never go back to the jar…
I often make green smoothies but never have added grapes to mine before. This is definitely something i need to try – what a refreshing and delicious idea!
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Thanks, Thalia! Definitely give it a try and let me know how you like it!
This looks great! I’ve never put grapes in my smoothies before, but now I’m inspired to chuck a bag of them in the freezer to have them on the ready for smoothies any time. Just heading to the store so I’m going to pick up some pineapple and make this green beauty. Thanks for the inspiration!
I love throwing any extra grapes I have in the freezer for that purpose! You’re very welcome and let me know what you think!
I love smoothie. It’s my all times favorite. But I never tried Green Grape smoothie before. After reading this, I want to try it next weekend. Thanks for sharing this post.
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Green Smoothie! Seems good. Here we get a super recipe of green smoothie. It’s a informative article to green smoothie.
Thanks a lot for sharing the awesome information. I love smoothies because it refreshes my mind and boosts my energy to start my busy day.
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Thanks a lot for sharing the awesome detailed recipe for green smoothies that not only refreshes my mind but also boosts my energy to start my busy day.
In addition, I use the best Turkish coffee maker to brew Turkish coffee at home that also works as gasoline for me.
thank you for sharing. I just love smoothies. So refreshing
Got a new Idea from this recipe.
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Thanks for sharing your recipe, Keri. It didn’t cross my mind to add frozen pineapple as a replacement for ice before.
That’s a very good idea! I’ll try it out and develop a new smoothie recipe with this inspiration.
Keep up your great work!
The recipes are good guidelines. I don’t see how anyone would go wrong mixing different combinations of these ingredients. I love you smoothie btw
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This is delicious!! Going to make it again… and again!!