Basic Green Drink (Mango Spinach Smoothie)

 (left glass: recipe below; right glass: +3 more cups spinach)

             Are you interested in getting more raw greens into yourself, kids, or significant other? This basic green drink is your answer. I created this drink as a starting point for those not used to drinking a daily dose of veggies. I have taken this drink to a couple of dinner parties and people try it with skepticism and by the time the party is over my pitcher is empty and people want the recipe.

           No one can taste anything besides fruity goodness. This recipe uses spinach, a 'magic vegetable', and you can't taste the 'green'. My family LOVES green smoothies. I hope you use this recipe as a jumping-off-point. I will be posting some sweet tasting 'veggie smoothies' in the future to give people a push to try this.

           Remember this is just a starting point, you can add/subtract any fruit/veggie. Bean aspirates thin fluids, because of this issue, I make these drinks twice a day. I love being able to thicken his fluids naturally with fruits and vegetables. It doesn't hurt that everything he drinks is packed with vitamins, nutrients and fiber. 

           Serving this drink with a piece of toast, cereal, or a cheese quesadilla helps me feel better about even the least nutritious breakfast or lunch.

          I had Cale drink both versions of this green smoothie; and guess what?  He couldn't taste a difference! The only thing that gave it away was the texture, the taller glass (with more spinach) was thicker. 

           A great way to disguise the color of the drink, if you have some skeptics in your family, is to use a colored glass. Bean doesn't care about the color of the drinks, but these straw cups are great for kids that do. For grownups that care about the color...see future smoothies!

 Basic Green Drink (Mango, Spinach Smoothie)

1 banana

12 oz. of frozen mango

3 cups baby spinach, packed

2 1/4 cups pineapple juice (I use water, but the drink is a LOT less sweet. Start your family with juice.)

Place all ingredients into a blender. Blend on high until smooth. If you like your smoothies on the thin side, add some water, up to 1 cup after blending. Then, blend again.

Note: For the glass on the right, the taller glass, I added another 3 cups of packed spinach. Cale couldn't tell me which glass had more spinach by taste, only by texture. So, add more spinach to your smoothie and thin it out with more fluid.