Most mornings Mrs. Saturday and I rise, shine, and then whip together our kick-ass morning green smoothie recipe that keeps us powering through all the way to lunch.

I consider this drink a “gift from the gods” — packed with incredible flavors and an insane amount of nutrition considering the variety and genius we’ve crammed into this one beverage. But hey, that’s just my opinion!

Over the years, we started juicing a variety of fruits and vegetables and at some point along the way, we also started making smoothies with our wonderful Vitamix blender. Then something happened — a thought occurred to us:

Why don’t we combine juicing and smoothies into one great drink?

It made complete sense!

Many times our smoothies would be too thick and we’d cut it with water or even some kind of orange juice to thin it out but then, ding! The light bulb went off to use the juice from the juicer as the liquid for our smoothies. Then we wouldn’t water down the flavor of the smoothie and at the same time we’d be adding what I consider to be the best multivitamin you can get — concentrated fresh produce.

Healthy living & longevity are our main goals, but if we can achieve those through great-tasting food and drinks then why not?

I present to you our secret weapon in the morning.

 

Kick-Ass Morning Green Smoothie Recipe

We make this just about every morning and depending on the seasonal ingredients we have available, the recipe changes according to that, but any combination is great! And yes, if you add beets it will be VERY red!

Makes 2 large glasses (plenty for 2 people)

JUICE: – (Mr. Saturday’s job)

4 large carrots

4 celery ribs

1-2 inch chunk of fresh ginger

2 apples

Optional:  (Add in any combination)

1 medium beet (beetroot juice makes your smoothie intensely dark red & sweet!)

1 medium sweet potato (adds sweet, starchy flavor)

1 cup cabbage (slightly stronger flavor & juicy)

1/2 cucumber (fresh flavor & full of juice)

 

BLENDER:  (Mrs. Saturday’s job)

2 bananas

2 cups greens, packed (kale, spinach, beet greens, etc.)

1 cup frozen or fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, papaya, pineapple, melon, cherries – any available)

1/2 cup walnuts (omega 3’s & more)

2 brazil nuts (highest source of selenium available)

2 tsp. flaxseeds (high omega-3’s)

1/2 tsp. spirulina or kelp (green!)

 

Really, you can alter this recipe any way you like, but this is the format we’ve been following for years now and we still love it every morning. It’s ever-changing but generally follows this template.

For the juice recipe, we use a Breville centrifugal juicer, but you can also use Omega masticating juicers depending on the bulk majority of what you’re juicing. Really though, any juice extractors that can get the job done work, but that’s your choice on the style.

As for the flavor of fresh juice, keep in mind that when you put things through your juicer, the flavor intensifies so be sure to try the juice first!

 

 

A few tips on juicing with this recipe in mind:

• Carrot juice and beet juice are intensely sweet and have their own intense flavors & vibrant colors
• Juicing sweet potatoes yields sweet juice that’s starchy in mouth feel
• Celery juice is somewhat salty due to the sodium
• Ginger is spicy so use sparingly
• Cabbage can be a strong flavor so be careful on the amount
• Cucumbers have a strong fresh flavor
• Using combinations of different colorful ingredients will turn your smoothie any range of colors from pale green, bright green, dark red, vibrant purple, or even a gross-looking brown or gray

As for the smoothie part where you’re blending whole foods – one thing I can tell you is that a Vitamix blender is not cheap at around $400, but we’ve been extremely happy with it for almost 8 years now. It can do things that other blenders can’t — like make ice cream and grind grain into flour. It’s expensive but very worth the cost for us.

Also, their warranty is really unbeatable. We just had our blender container seize up after many years of use and their customer service department was quick and easy to replace it at no cost to us! We are Vitamix customers for life!

Also, if you have the space, don’t forget to compost your fruit & vegetable scraps. Remember – if you’re not composting, you’re leaving money on the table! That “waste” will produce more beautiful fruits & vegetables at no cost to you except a tiny bit of work.

 

 

 

If you make this recipe or one similar with different ingredients let us know!

Are you juicing or making smoothies?