“Layered” Green Smoothie
January 29, 2010 by Sheri
Filed under Feature, Feeding Vegan Kids, In A Vegan House, Smoothies & Such, featured post
It’s winter, and in winter I like to dress in layers.
I also like to DRINK in layers.
Look at all the pretties in my blender!
This was the lovely layered base to one really SPECTACULAR green smoothie.
Usually I keep my green smoothies on the simpler side, but every now and then I like to jazz things up.
This was one jazzy smoothie.
From the bottom up:
- organic freshly ground golden flax meal (I grind it fresh in my Blendtec) (bought flax seed in bulk, 25 lb bag)
- organic hempseeds and organic sesame seeds (both bought in bulk, both in 5 lb bags)
- organic goji berries (I use this brand, bought in bulk, 10 lb bag)
- organic pumpkin seeds (bought in bulk, 5 lb bag)
- organic chia seeds (Say it with me…”Ch-ch-ch-CHIA!”) (I’m sorry. I have outbursts like that all the time. Darn chia song is stuck in my head). (bought ch-ch-ch-chia! in bulk, 15 lb bag)
- organic spirulina powder (bought in bulk, 1 lb bag)
- organic sunflower seeds (bought in bulk, 25 lb bag)
- organic raw cacao nibs (I use this brand, bought in bulk, 10 lb bag)
There were some serious superfoods among these layers. And look at the color of those gorgeous gojis! Promise I didn’t Photoshop them. They were really that red and vibrant. Like tasty little gems.
I topped up those pretty layers with a few more goodies.
Fresh organic kale:
I washed the head of kale, tore it up a little, and then crammed the entire head in there, stems and all:
Then I added some frozen organic raspberries and mango:
And I stuffed a few organic bananas in to top it all off:
**I buy my organic bananas in bulk in a 40 pound case. I bring them home and ripen them. Some get eaten fresh and some get peeled and frozen, destined to become all sorts of yummy smoothies, vegan shakes, and raw vegan ice cream. Buying in bulk like this means I don’t need to go to the grocery store as often, and with 5 little kids, fewer grocery trips is a VERY good thing!
I added some filtered water (reverse osmosis) to the full-to-bursting Blendtec and gave it a thorough blending:
This is Blendtec’s new 3-Quart BPA-free jug. We recently purchased this bigger jug so that we could make bigger batches of smoothies to accomodate all the little smoothie-drinkers in this house.
So yeah, that’s 3 quarts of Green Sludge. Yummers!
Close-up of Green Sludgey Goodness:
This was my breakfast.
I just LOVE my morning sludge.
My kids love it too. I poured a round of green goodness for everyone and we jumpstarted our day in a very GREEN way.
Smoothies packed with greens and nutrients like this one leave me feeling like a million bucks! There is no denying how fabulous I feel when I have a glass or two of very green smoothie to start my day.
I’m telling you, that green smoothie “high” is WAY better than a caffeine buzz 
What yummy concoctions have YOU blended lately? Do tell! I love hearing new ideas for sludge smoothie combinations!
Well, I had decided to give up green smoothies for the winter and reinstate them in the spring, when, I hope, the weather will be a wee bit warmer, but you’ve made me think again! Our allotment kale took a bit of a beating with all the snow we had, but all going well, it’s recovering, so… My only problem with copying your recipe is the goji berries. I used to be able to get organic ones, but the supply seems to have dried up over here and I really don’t want to get chemically enhanced ones (as we describe non-organic food!) Your sludge looks great, anyway, and has drawn me back into the green smoothie fold earlier than I had intended
But I missed seeing a photo of your wee ones enjoying it!
THAT LOOKS AMAZING. I need one of those for lunch right now, I think! Fabulous ingredients you’ve got in there.
Wow, lovely photo! I still want to come live with you.
Yummy! I can’t handle the taste of Spirulina so I take it in pill form, and it helps w/ my headaches – hurray!!
I got a 40lb case of bananas at my store the other day – they weren’t organic, but they were browned, so it cost me $4.99!!!
You smoothie looks really good. I have recently started making a similar smoothie and I really like them. It is taking some time for my body to get used to it. Only 1 of 3 kidlings like it.
Well, I made a simple exotic fruits smoothie, with watermelon, papaya, mango, lychee and orange. So good!
Your green smoothie looks so delicious!
Oh YUM! This looks amazing!!! I just posted a whole blog on smoothies for a contest I am having! I like to match my straws with color smoothies, lol, I am OCD.. I know you can understand!
Are all of your bulk orders made through your co-op? Or do you ever order them on your own online? We’re buying a blendtec next week! wooohoooo!
This looks Scrumptious!!! I love all of the layers. Makes me want to have a smoothie for lunch…YUMMY!!!
Wow the colors in your smoothie are so beautiful!! Its making my mouth water…nothing better to start your day with than a super green smoothie.
Oh how I wish I had a blendtek!
Our smoothie this morning was collard greens, hemp seeds, flax seed, raw almonds, frozen bananas, frozen mixed fruit and filtered water, blended in my beloved vitamix. Frothy, green goodness! My 3 year old is a smoothie addict like her momma.
Yummy! Now I will have to go track down the bigger blender jug. Yours looks so clear, how do you keep it that way? Mine gets cloudy with use. I have tried to get the residue or whatever it is clouding the container off but it is near impossible. But then we use it several times a day, love my blendtech!
Hi Laura,
Well, I wash the jug right away…could that be why it isn’t cloudy? I don’t really know! As soon as we’re done using it, I put a drop of soap in it, a bit of water, and blend on high for a moment. then a quick scrub and rinse in the sink and a drip-dry…30 seconds to a clean jug.
OR…maybe because this is a BPA-free jug, that’s why it’s not cloudy?
Thinking out loud here
Do you have hard water. We have really hard water and it leaves the film. White vinegar and water solution works well for hard water.
Beautiful and yummy! We like spinach smoothies around here.
I’m a simple smoothie gal
Orange, 1/2 apple, pomegranate juice, water, flax seeds, chia seeds, and as much mixed greens as I can fit in the Vitamix container. Simple and keeps me full for a looooong time.
Sometimes I use blueberries instead of apple.
Kathy
Awesome post!
Yum,
Great post! I love my morning sludge, too. There’s nothing like a juicy organic pear in a green smoothie, IMHO. I also always add some herbs and spices–a cup of parsley, some fresh peeled ginger or cinnamon… plus some hemp seeds for protein. Mmmm! Now I want another one.
Love the layers! That is more nutrition in one smoothie than some people get in an entire week! You are so inspiring, as always… now as soon as I get hungry again today (just had breakfast), I’m heading to my kitchen for some green sludge myself.
Have an awesome weekend
Steph xx
Yum, what a beautiful photo of the layers! My BlendTec also makes daily green smoothies and my favorite combos usually include some (or all) of these:
- frozen bananas
- frozen raspberries
- ground flax
- spirulina
- hemp protein powder
- whole limes (peel and all)
- So. Much. Kale.
I am a kale-in-my-smoothies fantatic. Seems to run in the family!
I made the family a smoothie today with chard, frozen pineapple, an organic pink lady apple and chia seeds. Yummy, yummy!
I check your blog every once and a while and I always learn something new. Thanks for helping inspire me to be healthier and giving me great ideas! I started making smoothies for myself, husband and daughter….it’s probably the easiest way to ensure some extra good, super healthy, stuff gets into our bodies! I appreciate all the info you share
Ok – our favorite is more like a dessert….but you guys have dessert for breakfast, so you dont mind!
bananans
spinach
1 scoop Cacao
frozen cherries
4 tbls hemp seeds
water
This is our favorite! Think chocolate covered cherries….yum! I started craving this when I was pregnate this last time and it has just stuck around here!
Without thinking about it I’ve always removed the stems from kale before smoothifying it. Looks like a smoothie turns out wonderfully with stems included:-)
That is one GORGEOUS layered smoothie. YUM! And I love, love, love hemp, pumpkin, and chia seeds!!
Hi Michele!
Yes, those seeds are my faves too — good in smoothies and good for snackin’
Hi Sheri! You might have mentioned this but I was wondering what you guys do with that miso. I went to the company website and it all looks so good. Do you just add it to soups?
It’s good stuff! We use it a lot of ways: make soup, add a dollop to raw dips and spreads, add a bit to green juices, add some to a raw cracker or raw bread mixture and then dehydrate, add a tsp. to savory savory green veggie juices…it really has a nice flavor, we like all the varieties we have tried.