Smoothie of the Week: Spinach Mango!
I L.O.V.E. this smoothie. And no, I’m not a glutton for punishment. Nor do I love it only for its nutritional value, which is pretty high. I actually truly enjoy the taste of this smoothie. At first, I was afraid to make and drink something so green. I expected to have to pinch my nose and guzzle the whole thing as quickly as possible. When I finally got up the courage to try it, I was pleasantly surprised by its not-so-green flavor. When I have this for breakfast, my mornings seem to get along just a little better than usual.
Ingredients:
1 mango
2-3 handfuls fresh spinach
about 1/2 cup cold water
I try to use fresh ingredients whenever possible, but sometimes I run out. When it comes to mangoes, I don’t always have enough time or energy to deal with the mess of cutting them, so these come in handy.
Instructions:
Step 1: Add Ingredients
In a blender, add 1 mango, a couple handfulls of spinach (I do 3 big handfulls), and just enough water (about 1/2 cup) to make it blend-able.
This is what my ratio of spinach to mango to water looks like. The strong sweetness of the mango covers up the spinach flavor pretty well. Spinach is a fairly mild green…I tried this once with that fancy lacy-looking lettuce called frisee, and boy was that spicy. That’s what I get for abandoning my spinach.
Step 2: Blend
If you don’t have one of those blenders with the fancy tamper that pushes stuff into the blades, you can CAREFULLY use a plastic spatula (is that what it’s called?) through the hole in your blender lid. I stress the word “carefully” because it’s really easy for the spatula to get caught in the blades, which could probably be dangerous. Even if it’s not dangerous, you don’t want little pieces of plastic floating in your drink. If you choose to do this, keep the spatula near the side of the blender while pushing down the spinach.
This is what a spatula looks like when you’ve used it to push down spinach a few too many times…
Make sure you blend it long enough to get the spinach into super tiny pieces. How gross would it be to drink your smoothie and have a whole spinach leaf float into your mouth? gross.
Step 3: Enjoy!
There are some benefits to drinking your spinach versus eating it. We tend to speed through our meals, which means we probably don’t chew our food enough…which means less of those good nutrients can be absorbed. I don’t think I’ve ever chewed my spinach this small…mmm, tasty :)
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Cody
mmm… I dunno, do the drinks come in different colors besides green?
Tim L
Would you drink it if it was called the Incredible Hulk Super Smoothie? j/k
Patty Esposito
Ohhhhhh, I am soooooooooo gonna try this Margaret! I can’t wait to get a ripe mango now!
Amy O'Neil
hahaha Tim is funny- and I’m glad my mom saw this. She can pass it to my dad… and I might even have to try it sometime. I’m kinda nervous but next time I got to the grocery store… hopefully I’ll have the courage to buy the *two* ingredients!! =)
Maxie
trying this one for sure, it looks so green it has to be good for you
Rachel
I’m going to make this tomorrow morning. And I know the rest of my day will be better.
p.s. i’m putting a link on my blog to your blog. the world needs to know!
Rachel
I’m drinking this RIGHT NOW and it’s delicious.
Melissa
My girlfriend told me about these smoothies…and I am HOOKED!
It has been a week now and I actually CRAVE them in the morning!
I have been experimenting and added fresh mint sprigs as well… it is really good
Julie
These are great smoothies. I highly recommend them. Innocent Smoothies in the UK has one that utilizes mango, basil, and apple (maybe lime too, though I can’t remember!)
I think basil also works in this one. Yum yum!
champagne007
Brilliant! I’m on a detox and this will be great. I love mangoes but struggle to eat spinach. Thanks.
VICTORIA
I have one every morning. I love it. My hair and nails have grown
alot since I started drinking these. You can always add a packet or two of sweetnlow if you need it. I will drink this the rest of my life.
soptu777
just made it ………………. mmmmmm!!! DELICIOUS! every one should try this!!
Bards
I doubts about this one … But i was pleasantly surprised, it really tasted yummy!
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