4:1 Green Smoothie

Do you know how many servings of fruits and vegetables is recommended per day for robust health? According to the Healthy Way of Life Food Pyramid it's 9-11 servings with a 4:1 ratio of vegetables to fruit. A super easy way to give your veggie intake a boost is to make a Green Smoothie.

I'll admit I'm a novice when it comes to green smoothies. I have perused my fair share of recipes, however, never dabbled in making them as most are loaded with fruit which also means they are loaded with sugar. I wanted to come up with a refreshing recipe that not only tastes good but is loaded with veggies meanwhile keeping the sugar low. This recipe was my first stab at it and I have to say, it turned out quite good.

I started with about a cup of cubed jicama. I picked this root vegetable because it is on the sweeter side, reminiscent of an apple and can be eaten raw. Jicama is loaded with fiber and water. To this I added twelve baby carrots, which are great for juicing and contain potent cancer fighting properties. Next up, two stalks of celery, another water loaded veggie with superhero blood pressure lowering powers. Lastly, in the veggie department, I added a couple handfuls of spinach. A great source of vitamin K and calcium along with several other antioxidants and anticancer agents. You'll notice, there's no berries or bananas, which are common green smoothie ingredients, instead I added a whole peeled lemon. Low in sugar but not in flavor this added just the right twist of tartness.

I made my very first green smoothie with the aforementioned ingredients along with ice and water. It was very refreshing and no hint of bitterness. I decided to give the recipe a second go, adding some fat and protein in the form of homemade almond milk and a scoop of high-quality protein powder. It was outstanding! The best part was knowing how simple it was to get half a days worth of veggie power in one sitting, I was satisfied but not stuffed, which sometimes a lot of veggies does to me.

This 4:1 Green Smoothie delivers the perfect ratio of vegetables to fruit. One serving gets you halfway there…to fulfilling the daily recommendation. To give your daily veggie intake another bump, try a couple of my favorite recipes, like Kale Chips, Mexi-Cauli Rice and Zoodles.

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About Vanessa Rae Romero

A Christ-follower, wife, mom, grandma, entrepreneur, city slicker, purple lover, and health nut who inspires women to live healthy, love intently, lead purposefully, and to have fun along the way.