The Master Vegan: April 2021

Green Monster Smoothies For Weight Loss

Green Smoothie Recipe

This green smoothie is a simple, healthy and nutrient-dense recipe that will fuel your mornings! From apples to spinach to bananas, these wholesome ingredients are a great way to sneak more greens into your everyday routine. Trust me, this is one drink you’re going to want to make again and again.

Green smoothie recipe in a glass.

You’ve probably come across many healthy green smoothie recipes in your lifetime. But do you find that you’re extremely hungry right after – or that it lacks in flavor? Well, after doing lots of testing, I can definitely say I’ve created the perfect green smoothie.

So it’s time to ditch store-bought smoothies and blend your own right at home! Chances are, this one’s way more delicious and well-rounded with the right nutrients.

Green Smoothie Recipe Video

Tips For A Healthy Smoothie

If you haven’t read my post on how to make the healthiest green smoothie, make sure to do that. But here’s a few quick tips:

Add more greens: If you want that boost in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, use fresh produce from the market or your local farmer’s market. You don’t want wilted or dirty greens that lack in nutrients. A few leafy greens that blend well are kale, spinach, or chard. But, feel free to switch it up with celery, mustard greens, or romaine!
Stick with a healthy liquid base: Since you’ll already be adding fruit into your smoothie, it’s best to not add any additional sugars with fruit juice. Instead, opt for water, coconut milk, or any nut milks such as almond milk or cashew milk.
Mix up your fruits: For most people, 2:1 ratio between fruits and vegetables is a good rule of thumb. Some of my favorite fruits to slice and freeze are apples, bananas, strawberries, mangos, or pineapple.
Don’t forget about healthy fats: If you didn’t know, healthy fats help absorb all the nutrients from the veggies and fruits – so this is crucial! You can do this simply by adding coconut oil, nuts, seeds, or 1/4 of an avocado.
Boost with superfoods: While the 4 steps above make a perfectly good green smoothie, it doesn’t hurt to add additional superfoods or mix-ins, like I do on my post-workout green smoothie recipe. You can add spices such as cinnamon or ginger and superfoods like maca powder or bee pollen.

Green Smoothie Ingredients

While the the ingredient list is extremely flexible, here’s one of my favorite combinations that’s simple yet so delicious:

Milk– 1 1/2 cup of milk, or any nut milk
Spinach– 2 cups fully packed
Banana– 1 banana (frozen is best)
Apple– 1 apple sliced into pieces
Avocado– 1/4 avocado

Close up view of green smoothie recipe.

How To Make The Best Green Smoothie

Just toss the above ingredients into a high-powered blender and blend for about 30 seconds. That’s it! By the end of it, you’ll have a deliciously creamy and vibrant smoothie.

Smoothie Tips

If you like your smoothies a bit thicker, add another 1/4 slice of avocado. If you like your smoothies a bit thinner or you’d like to save a few calories, you can substitute the milk with water.
Don’t add ice cubes as it will dilute the smoothie. The best way to keep the smoothie cold is to use a frozen banana.

More Easy Smoothie Recipes

If you’re on the hunt for more smoothie ideas to throw into your weekly rotation, here are a few of my favorites:

Vegan Pho - Vietnamese Soup

Vegan pho Soup

Prep 30 min
Cook 1 hr 10 min
Serves 6

For the broth
1 white onion, peeled, topped and tailed, to create flat surfaces for the griddle
2 large thumbs ginger, peeled and halved lengthways
½ daikon, peeled
3.5 litres water
1kg mixed root veg (carrot, swede, turnip, celeriac, parsnip)
250g mushrooms (chestnut, oyster or shiitake)
1 fennel bulb
2 celery sticks
½ tsp sugar
25g salt
20 star anise
1 small cinnamon stick
2 cloves
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
Vegetable oil, for frying 120g block firm tofu, sliced into thick, short batons
75g dry flat rice noodles per person

To garnish
Black pepper
Bird’s eye chillies, finely sliced
Spring onions, thinly sliced
1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
A handful of coriander, roughly chopped
16-20 enoki mushrooms
Green leaves (pak choi, chard, cress, spinach)

Char the whole onion, ginger and daikon on a griddle. Boil the water in a large pot. Add the charred veg, root veg, mushrooms, fennel and celery. Add the sugar, salt and spices, cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove and set aside the mushrooms, then simmer the broth for 40 minutes. Remove and reserve the remaining vegetables from the pot.

Meanwhile, fry the tofu in hot oil for five minutes on each side, until golden brown, then drain on kitchen paper.

To serve, cook the noodles according to packet instructions, drain thoroughly, then portion into bowls and season with black pepper and chilli slices. Top with the tofu, sliced stock veg, spring onion, shallot, coriander, enoki and leaves. Ladle over the hot broth, submerging everything. Serve at once with more of the garnishes.