Green Smoothie

Since January 1st I have (on and off) been trying to be a bit healthier. I've been working out, and trying to steer clear of us having Papa Johns more than once a week.... With this, came the revival of my smoothie making. Usually my smoothies consist of orange juice, yogurt, and a variety of fruit. I love them, and Nathan seems to enjoy them as well.

For several weeks, I had been contemplating trying a green smoothie. I was very nervous about this and I kept making excuses to not try it. But finally, although the excuses were still echoing in my head, I finally had a really really good reason to try one. I had a coupon for a package of spinach (I like spinach just fine in salad form or even in some pasta dishes).

I was still a little reluctant to try it because pretty much all the people I know personally are HEALTH FREAKS! They know whats good and what goes well together, and let's face it, I'm not a cook, nor am I a health guru. I am, however, a decent mixologist. So, I had a small bit of confidence. 

To give some additional confidence, I researched "green smoothies for beginners," "easy green smoothies," "green smoothies that everyone thinks are delicious," and "how to make a green smoothie if you've never had one." Finally, I found one that I thought I could stomach.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Spinach (packed)
• 1 1/2 cup Coconut Water
• 1 Banana
• 3/4 cup Blueberries / Raspberries

Directions

1. Put ingredients in a blender.

2. Blend together.

3. Drink.

Review:

Well.... honestly, this was not the best smoothie I have ever made, that's for sure. When I took a drink of it, it was pretty much what I expected. It tasted....green. Honestly, I'm pretty sure Nathan might have puked had he taken a sip.

I rated the first version a 1 / 5

After a few sips trying to figure out why it was so nasty, I decided it would be a lot better cold. So, I added several ice cubes and re-blended. I couldn't believe how much better it was cold!!!!!

I rated the second version a 4 / 5

About 1/3 of the way through drinking this sucker, I remembered I was going to add some immune system booster powder because I thought my throat was hurting a little bit. And so, I re-blended. Due to the powders raspberry flavor, I was pleasantly surprised that it was even BETTER than the second blend!

I rated the third version a 5 / 5

Then, I was looking at the original recipe and noticed that it also called for 1/4 cup sunflower seeds. So, in the seeds went into the fourth version. I should have known better.... even though I had drank almost half of the smoothie, I added the original amount of sunflower seeds instead of only half. I'll just say, it was almost as bad as version #1.

I rated the fourth version a 2 / 5

**Nathan had no ratings because he declined trying a green smoothie at this time**

Original Recipe + 4 others were found on MindBodyGreen.com.