Drink your vegetables!

...adding chopped greens to the fresh mango-peach puree...

We all strive to reach the goal of 5 servings , but life gets in the way and it can be hard to meet...
Luckily, last year I was introduced to the idea of green smoothies!

Now I’ve juiced veggies before, but the green smoothie is a bit of a different animal. Instead of just extracting the nutrients from the fruits and vegetables, you also get all the fiber and any other matter that would otherwise be left behind in your juicer's pulp basket. This is not to say one is better than the other, just different.


I use juicing to get nutrients in a more concentrated form. On the other hand, green smoothies are just a simple way of getting in (or surpassing) your recommended daily serving of fruits and veggies.

We all would love to say we eat a couple of handfuls of fruit and a few salads everyday, but let's face it, for many of us on the go, it's easier pour everything into a glass and drink up. And all you need is a blender :o)

This particular smoothie holds about 3 servings of dark leafy greens and 3-4 servings of fruit.

* * *

If you do a search on green smoothies, you’ll come upon many recipes that include healthful greens like kale, collards, brussel sprouts, etc…this one uses watercress and parsley.

I decided on watercress and parsley because 1.) they’re dark leafy greens, and 2.) being new to green smoothies at the time...I figured they’d be a bit easier to digest than the more fibrous broccoli or kale. I also thought the pairing of spicy watercress against the sweet / tangy flavor of mango and peaches would be cool (think chili-spiced mango, yum!)

Interestingly, watercress is actually a part of the cruciferous family, so it shares many of the same health benefits of vegetables like cabbage and broccoli.

As with any produce, it's important to pick lively looking greens that are void of yellow or brown spots, or wilting leaves. As for the fruits, I like them as ripe as possible, mushy even...that way they have the most intense flavor that will stand up to the vegetables.

Even though the fruits help take a bit of the bitter edge of off the greens…the drink doesn’t end up tasting too sweet, but rather a satisfying balance of sour, sweet, spicy, and fresh (wait, is fresh a flavor?, lol)

Oh, One little trick: to help smooth out the texture of the smoothie (and add a touch more natural sweetness), I add frozen ripe bananas:

I just chop some up and freeze them in little ziplocs, so they're ready to go whenever I need them.

If I didn't have such a long commute, I'd probably just bring a flask to work and keep it in the fridge...
But usually, I just drink a tall glass before work, one right as I come home, and one about an hour before bedtime.
Do whatever works for you :o)

Green Smoothie (Watercress-Mango-Peach)
makes ~ 1 quart ( enough for one person)

1 large bunch of watercress
2 bunches of parsley (mostly leaves), flat, curly or a mix
2 very ripe peaches or nectarines
1 very ripe mango
Squeeze of lemon juice (so the drink keeps better for the day)
1 frozen ripe banana
~ 1 1/2 cups filtered water…or enough to make the whole thing a quart

First, roughly chop the fruits and greens into small pieces...

Process the fruit and the lemon juice until a smooth pulp forms.

Then blend in the chopped greens and water, little by little, until the smoothie comes together.

Transfer to a flask or container for the refrigerator.

Drink throughout the day. That's it!!

Have a happy healthy day! :o)