I know, I know. Here I am, posting a green smoothie. Me, the girl that berated juice cleanses and liquid diets in lieu of hot fudge sauce.
But, you know what, sometimes after a week of decadence and doughnuts and tacos and fried everything, we were craving something fresh for lunch instead of our usual melted cheese something or other.
We actually used to do smoothies for lunch quite often, though not so often as of late. While they are typically of the blue and pink persuasions, however, we have learned a few lessons in green smoothies over the years. This kind of smoothie-wisdom only comes from making horrible, inedible mistakes. But I’ll spare you that injustice and share with you today:
1. Stick to yellow, orange, and green fruit if you actually want a green smoothie, and not some sludge the color of a mud puddle. Seriously, step away from the strawberries.
2. Stick to spinach or kale. But whatever you do, avoid mustard greens at all costs. They do not make for an appetizing beverage. Trust me, Taylor learned that one the hard way. (Sip. “This isn’t so bad.” Another sip. “Hmm.” One more timid sip. “Ok. It’s totally gross.” And down the disposal it goes…)
3. Add ginger. Always ginger. The end.
I kind of threw this one together, and Taylor totally turned up his nose when I poured it in his glass. But despite the verdant hue, you’d be hard pressed to taste the vegetation. It’s refreshing from the cucumber, sweet from the mango, and spicy from the fresh ginger. We added a full 2 tablespoons (you know I like it spicy), but feel free to dial it back if you’d like. Just, please, don’t leave out the ginger. It’s what makes this smoothie sing.
I totally get bonus points for creating a smoothie the perfect shade of green to match my blog design, right? Right?
Don’t worry, we’ll be back to fudge sauce next week.
Ginger and Spinach Green Smoothie
Ingredients:
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 cup frozen mango chunks
- 1/3 english cucumber, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 handful fresh baby spinach
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh minced ginger, to taste
- ice cubes, as needed
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender; purée on high speed until smooth. Add a few ice cubes and blend until it reaches your desired consistency.
Did you make this recipe?
Let us know what you think!
Leave a Comment below or share a photo and tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #loveandoliveoil.
So many green smoothie recipes are kind of bland but the addition of ginger really perks up the taste. Love this recipe, tasty and healthy.
I like this recipe. I love the taste of ginger in smoothies and juices.. thanks,Anna
I’ve been using Ginger for some time now, in every Green Drink I make, and boy does it give your drink a kick…Great
This sounds incredibly healthy and very tasty.
I loved the notation regarding mustard greens. Had a similar experience with collards when I lived in Texas. I’ll definitely start adding fresh ginger now to my own smoothies, great tip and fun article.
Gross is eating all that nasty cheese, chips, doughnuts…
Like I read the other day; crazy is not to have a plant based diet, crazy is to have open heart surgery.
I love this! I think the English Cucumber is a good choice versus the conventional cucumber. This smoothie is packed with Vitamin C, Vitamin A, fiber and amazing minerals! And I LOVE ginger! Cancer prevention smoothie!!! You might like my broccoli, kiwi, kale and green apple smoothie: http://kissmywellness.com/2014/10/27/broccoli-kale-kiwi-green-apple-smoothie/
I just made this smoothie for dinner! I had to leave a comment, that this was delicious! I appreciated the color tip. and these basics made such a clean tasting smoothie! I add fennel chia seeds to my smoothies, it helps me to feel fuller longer.
I love your smoothie rules! I add almost a 2 inch chunk of ginger every time. Also I’m laughing because I always add frozen blueberries and it’s never pretty as a result. ;-)
This has become one of my favorites! I make it at least twice a week.
Hooray! :) So happy to hear!
I was a little surprised you (and others) would forgo some of the wonderful nutrition to be found in berries or whatnot, just ’cause they’d throw off the color. While a bright green smoothie is often nice, I’m willing to go for sludge-y-colored ones, too, as long as they’re tasty and full of fresh goodness. In our diets that are so often lacking in variety, I find smoothies a great way to really mix it up. (Sorry for the awful pun … .) Not trying to be judge-y, ma’am; just sayin’. Good recipe, and thanks for sharing.
I just wanted to say thank you for this. I treated myself to a Vitamix, and have been looking for great recipes to make in it that would be nutritious and help us get more greens in our diet, and this did just that. So fabulous!
Great simple recipe and delicious!
I don”t like green smoothies, but this sounds good and I’m going to get more healthy in 2014, so I will try this one. thank you!
This was my very first green smoothie ever and I loved it! Didn’t have o.j. So used pineapple flavored coconut water and no mangos so used fresh pineapple and thru in half a banana. I’m gonna have another one for lunch! Thanks for the inspiration
i changed the recipe a little. i go for a big handful of spinach, juice of half a lime, a good thumb of ginger, ice, a little plain yoghurt and a quarter cup of green tea. tastes great and must be good for you. i occasionally add some fresh parsley or fresh mint if i have some
I definitly tried it and it’s so delicious.Added frozen peaches,it was refreshing,i have enough for one more tomorrow!!
I love ginger in my smoothies, it is so refreshing :) this looks wonderful!
Sounds pretty delicious to me! I’ve had some green smoothies (well, really just wheat grass) mistakes in the past, that were plain revolting–but I love adding spinach and mild greens to smoothies as well (and carrots!). This drink looks so refreshing and healthy! Perfect for the summer months.
I made my first green smoothie over the weekend and loved it! Didn’t have any plain yogurt at the time, so used almond milk, spinach, ginger, fresh mint, half an avocado for creaminess, a scoop of protein powder, and a few ice cubes. I was astonished at the fresh taste from the ginger and the mint. Can’t wait to try your version with the cuke and mango. I’m a convert!
looks awesome! i love the idea of ginger in the green smoothie…. :)
This looks delicious and very refreshing!
I love it … and you right the green is perfect combo to the blog design.
This looks so refreshing, Linds! I have been on a huge green juice kick lately … especially after gaining 49.8 pounds in Austin. Pinning!
I make almost this exact smoothie nearly every day for breakfast, only I add lemon (cuts the bitterness of the greens and compliments the ginger very well), and berries because they are good for you blah blah blah (cue sludge color). I’m going to try swapping out the fruit for a better and more appetizing color. Thanks for the tip!
This looks so beautiful, Lindsay! Ginger is pretty much a non-negotiable for me with smoothies. ;)
Gorgeous smoothie, Lindsay!
Oh I need this after my time in Austin….it was like a week of doughnuts…!
Looks delicious! Definitely my kind of smoothie :)
Sometimes a little green juice is exactly what you need… after a week of donuts and fried food… it really does the trick! It’s ok, I won’t judge!
sounds perfect and so pretty!
I think anything eaten with a cute spoon tastes great. So yeah this must be good ;)
So healthy! This looks awesome!
I love adding ginger to my smoothies. And spinach too! This is gorgeous Lindsay! I had a green smoothie earlier this morning :)
Yum! I will add this to my to-try list when I start having an abundance of veggies from my CSA, hehe.
Lovely! And I love the addition of ginger – mmmm!
I love green smoothies, in fact I had one for breakfast this morning. I love the sound of yours with ginger and cucumber. I will be sure to try this.
Sounds so refreshing!
Now, don’t we all need this once in a while. Adding ginger at the end, perfect!
Sounds like a luscious drink with all my favorite flavors wrapped into one! Thanks for sharing.
The color is so fresh; I can hardly wait to go home and make it!
Thank you so much!
Have a good weekend.
I love the color and didn’t think ginger would add the extra zing! Need to try it now.
Yummy! Ginger is my favorite thing ever! I’ve been hoarding a container of candied ginger in my fridge for like a year now, probably because I needed 1/2 ounce for a recipe and JUST REALIZED I could just, you know, eat it. OMG – I about died!
I LOVE GINGER so I want to try this. You’re the smoothie expert here so: Can I sub in pineapple (or banana – or is that weird) for mango? I’m allergic to mango.
Sure, I think another yellow/orange fruit would work fine. It basically just adds sweetness and substance to the smoothie, you don’t really get much of the fruit flavor from just a cup of it. :)
we all need a healthy kick once an awhile!
I’m thrilled that i have all of these ingredients on hand. Love the colour and can’t wait to try it!
I make green smoothies all the time with spinach and mango but never thought to add ginger. Definitely need to try that next time.
This. looks. amazing! I love ginger! And I also love that you only use natural sugars in your recipe. Nice!
I love a good green smoothie, I am definitely adding ginger next time. Also – stay away from blueberries – thats a color combo no one wants to drink.
Gorgeous! Ginger is a must for me, too. And mango with greens is always a great balancer. And cucumber, too. Wow, I want this right now! Stunning images, too!
I absolutely love my green smooties with mango that’s all I drink in the mornings.