It’s National Nutrition Month! This month I’ll be sharing some of my favorite recipes + tips! I know green smoothies have been all the rage since forever but they also get a bad rap. Do you still find they taste gross and refuse to add them to your diet? Here are 3 easy ways to make your green smoothie or juice taste better. 
Keep it simple!
Let’s paint up a scenario: Opens Pinterest. Sees green smoothie/juice recipe. Clicks on pic. 10-12 ingredients with a puppy on the side. Ok, I exaggerated that last part but tell me I’m wrong? LOL! When it comes to any recipe, the fewer the ingredients the more likely you are to make it and WANT to make it. You don’t need 7-10 ingredients, unless that’s your thing. Usually 3-5 basic ingredients maximum will do the trick and keep you coming back for more!
Combinations 101
Still not sure what ingredients to put to together? Ask yourself, what taste are you going for?
If you’re leaning more towards green juice/tonic try this combo: green(s), citrus/tart fruit, zesty herb. One of my faves is kale/spinach, red apple, ginger, lemon. Add filtered water as your base and you’re good to go! If you don’t want any pulp or grind just use a cheese cloth to get nothin’ but juice. You’ve got your healthy serving of greens, sweet tangy fruit for taste, lemon for zesty detoxing and ginger as a flavorful anti-inflammatory kick. This combo also masks the bitter flavor of kale.
If you want more of a protein boost in your green smoothie try this combo: greens, sweet fruit, nut butter. Add a non-dairy milk as your base and you’re good to go! My fave plant-based milks are homemade cashew/almond milk blend, MALK Organics and Forager Plain Unsweetened Cashew Milk. These brands of nut milks are gum and filler free. These additives can be harmful to your gut when consumed regularly over time so I steer clear of them.
My favorite green smoothie combo is spinach, ripe banana (not too ripe or under ripe), and almond butter. I usually use almond/cashew milk blend as my base. The banana and almond butter mask the taste of my greens which makes it way more enjoyable!
If you’re not into nut butters you can nix it & try adding avocado and mango instead. Avocado is a healthy fat and adds a whipped creamy texture to any smoothie. 
Mango adds a tropical flavor boost that’ll take you back to summer in no time. I’ve done it plenty of times and it tastes DIVINE!
Fresh or Frozen?
Frozen greens or raw greens? This debate has been around as long as “The Chicken or the Egg?” debate. In the end, it all comes down to your preference and palette. I’ve noticed from my experience smoothies with raw greens taste better than smoothies with frozen greens. I’ve alternated between both for years before deciding to stick to fresh greens. When it comes to fruit I have no issue going the frozen route but I will use fresh fruit if I have it on hand. 
To save money, I only buy raw greens if I’m going to make them that week. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve bought a bag of greens used it once and remembered a week later I even had them. Has this happened to you? Another tip: store your greens in glass Tupperware immediately. This will keep them fresh in your fridge for about 10 days! My fave is Pyrex Snapware. I occasionally use glass mason jars as well.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know 3 easy ways you can make green smoothies and juices taste better, will you try it? If I haven’t convinced you to drink a green juice or green smoothie daily, at least try one of my combos. If you don’t like it I can’t give you your time or money back but I can promise you won’t suffer from FOMO about it!
Cheers,
Healthy Hair To Toe
