Green smoothie is a great start to the day and provides you with a healthy dose of micro nutrients that can rival what you get from your multivitamin.

I love breakfast smoothies because they are so great on-the-go. Just fill a thermos and sip on the way to work! My eating habits have changed a lot since relocating back home, and pohe and upama are making too frequent an appearance for breakfast. I have always preferred a fuss free breakfast option that needs No Cooking! And other than cereal, smoothies are my favorite way to start the day. And what a s-w-e-e-t way they are.

It has long been fashionable to say ‘Yuck!’ when presented with a herby green drink. Remember Rene Russo in The Thomas Crown Affair (absolute must watch)? The new one with the hot Pierce Brosnan? She carries this green stuff around in a thermos and drinks it, and the guys make faces at her. Most people still have an aversion to raw or cooked greens. But you know they are good for you!

A green smoothie is good for you and tastes good, period! If made the right way. There are many ‘smoothie’ books out there, and also recipes. So of course there is a method to it. And if you use the right method, your green smoothie will taste sweet, refreshing and leave you wanting more.

This post is about a basic, a very very basic green smoothie recipe. This recipe is especially for newbies, or for anyone who feels a bit ‘meh’ at the thought of it. If you really want to get into the whole green smoothie business, you can’t go wrong with Victoria Boutenko’s Green For Life. I am going to write more about the book sometime.

Some basics – a smoothie can be enjoyed any time of the day, but a green smoothie should ideally be consumed on an empty stomach. And you should not eat anything else for at least half an hour or so. This is so that your stomach can process all those raw greens, and benefit from their nutrients.

As you venture into this green smoothie business, you can start with a small amount of greens, and gradually increase the ratio of greens to fruit until you reach a point where you are comfortable with the taste. And then you can add different herbs and spices according to your liking.

What do you need for a green smoothie? Some sort of greens, of course! Spinach is a good way to start since it is quite neutral in taste and familiar. Don’t go with bitter stuff like mustard, methi etc. A banana is a good way to add a creamy base. Use some other fruit that is in season like berries, grapes, apples, papayas, mangoes, melons etc. And some juice to add a liquid base. Simple orange or apple juice will do just fine.

You can add ice cubes, or better yet, use frozen fruit instead of ice. It’s a great way to store those bananas that are going black. Just chop and freeze them and use them in your smoothie.

Now an important consideration – the best appliance for a green smoothie or any smoothie! By definition, a smoothie has to be ‘smooth’. It means there should be no lumps or pieces of fruit or greens ‘coz that can be a big turnoff.

The smoothie Gods will of course promote a Blendtec or a Vitamix, those commercial strength blenders that are ‘worth the money’ at 500 bucks. Or think around 40,000 rupees!

I have used my cheap GE Blender or Oster blender quite successfully for a long time for making smoothies. And a stick blender is also quite good.

In India, something like the Philips immersion blender or Black and Decker one should work fine. As you can see in the picture, I have placed all the fruits in the jar that came with my immersion blender.

The Magic Bullet might also work good, or the Tribest Personal Blender.  (which can be carried to work).

These are all low cost options. Ok, so you may not be able to bequeath them to your kids, like you would your Vitamix, but they should do the job.

Here is my basic green smoothie recipe, especially for newbies. Make this your own by using fruits you like, adding herbs like parsley or mint, ginger, wheatgrass, flax seeds, cinnamon etc.

This smoothie will give two 10z (~300ml) servings or 1 large serving. This smoothie is loaded with Vitamin A and Vitamin C, and lots of other vitamins and minerals.

You Must, absolutely MUST try making this green smoothie! It tastes sweet, oh so sweet. So just do it already, and let me know how it turned out.