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The Green Smoothie That Made the News

The Democratic National Convention is over and my mind is really spinning. The amount of information I’ve learned and discovered about our leaders in Washington and what they think regarding our food policy here in America is mind blowing.

Until I get all my thoughts, notes, etc. organized, I want to share the special shake recipe I made for WCNC – NBC News Channel 6 last week when they came to my home for breakfast to interview me about being an elected North Carolina delegate to the DNC.

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It’s a new version of the infamous Hari Shake (Hari, my last name, means green in Hindi) and it’s by far my favorite these days. This recipe tastes like a sweet tart (you know, the candy from Willy Wonka) that I haven’t had in years.

To my surprise both the camera man and reporter Ann Sheridan drank their entire shake. They didn’t leave a single drop, which of course left a huge smile on my face and a lasting impression about the impact one can have on changing people’s impression about eating healthy food.

Come inside my kitchen, watch the video and read the whole story here:

WCNC NBC News Channel 6: Food Blogger and DNC Delegate Hopes to Get Obama’s Attention (August 29, 2012)

wcnc_dnc_interview

Food Babe’s Pineapple Grapefruit Hari Shake
 
Prep time
Total time
 
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 2 cups kale removed from stem
  • 2 large stalks of celery chopped
  • ½ cucumber chopped
  • ⅓ grapefruit
  • 1 cup frozen pineapple
  • 6 ounces of water
Instructions
  1. Wash all vegetables thoroughly and place into a large bowl
  2. Add 6 ounces of water into a blender with celery, cucumber, and grapefruit
  3. Blend for 30 secs until just incorporated
  4. Add all other ingredients and keep blending for another 30 secs – 1min
Notes
Makes 1 serving – Sip slowly and drink with intention immediately after or store up to two days. Tip: I like to add protein powder and 1 tbsp of Chia Seeds for a meal replacement shake or after a workout. ***Please buy all organic ingredients if possible***

I have a feeling you will really love this combination as much as I do – please let me know if you try it.

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It’s been a wild week – Thank you for all your support and love. I totally feel it.

Food Babe

P.S. Check out more recent press below –

The Washington Times: Delegate’s front-row seat a bully pulpit on what we eat (September 5, 2012)

WLOS News 13 – ABC: The Politics Of Food (September 4, 2012)

Lawyers Weekly: The lonely protester: While everyone else is talking about Wall Street, one NC delegate is focused on food (September 3, 2012)

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145 responses to “The Green Smoothie That Made the News

  1. I apologize if this has already been asked, but I couldn’t keep reading through all of those comments- especially the irrelevant ones! I am allergic to grapefruit… would an orange be a suitable replacement?

      1. Hello 🙂 is there any alternative for kale since I can’t comsume it do to my hypothyroidism???

      2. I read in a book of Hippocrates healing medicine that we do not have to mix fruits with vegetables with the exception of green apples, green grapes and pineapple for a better digestion and healing of the intestinal flora! Also do not mix sweet fruis with acidic fruits.

  2. Holy politics! I just wanted to get your recipe! Made it this afternoon – delicious!! 🙂

  3. A similar question: I’m allergic to raw celery…what would you recommend to get around this? (Same thing with the original, I can’t have raw celery, pear, or apple. 🙁 ). Thanks!

    1. Smoothies are so flexible – just leave out the celery – it is not a big deal. You could add a little more cucumber if you want. Just make substitutions or leave stuff out and experiment a little. So much of it is personal taste. Good luck!

  4. Can you use spinach leaves instead of kale? Or does it not have the same nutritional value? Also, are you only having a green smoothie for breakfast? I find that I get rather shaky mid morning when I have a green smoothie for breakfast.

  5. In the blending process, I was wondering if the recipe calls for the 1/3 of Grapefruit to include the rind? Or is it just the plugs or the plugs with skin removed???? Details would really help!

    -Thanks so much!! : )

  6. So I used, Two long stems of kale (probably as long as the cup I used), 4 strawberrys, half of a machintosh apple, 3 tsp whole milk greek yogurt, 1 cup of simply orange/pineapple juice(I couldn’t find frozen pineapple to save my life.) and a squeeze of lime juice. Ugh… And some celery peices… I shouldn’t have. And I almost forgot… a whole bunch of ice because I like icee type smoothies.

    I actually made this smoothie the other day before you posted your recipe and it came out pretty good. I should definitely cut the stem off of the kale though. The smoothie was a little thick for my taste.

    facebook.com/pookybearalayah

  7. I love this smoothie recipe but not your politics. PLEASE don’t get political, I can get all I want from TV.

    1. Last I checked this wasn’t “susan’s” blog…how can anyone take this gift of a blog and tell the blogger what she shouldn’t post?

      1. That’s a pretty ignorant thing to say. Her political views have nothing to do with her ability to know what is and isn’t healthy for you.

      2. the recipe is fabulous no matter what political party you are affiliated with! if you let your politics get in the way of being healthful, you are sure to not remain long in this world.

  8. What would you suggest instead of pineapple? The last time i used some in a juice i had a very strong reaction- severely bloated and stomach pains. Ouch!!

  9. I swapped out the grapefruit for lemon and the pineapple (cannot eat it!) for frozen mango. Delish!

  10. Just made the smoothie for the first time. I followed instructions, but have yet to get that “sweet tart” taste. Also any advice on blending the kale up to where I don’t drink small pieces of it everytime. I’m new to this all and am definitely wanting to incorporate a green smoothie into my daily routine. Just need some assistance and advice. Thanks!

    1. We whip up our kale/spinach w/ our cucumber – skin on – first so it’s pureed and then add in the other ingredients. When pureed w/ the other stuff it’s unrecognizable and so small. Experimenting is the best way to find what works for you. Good luck.

  11. We make a similar one using spinach or kale, cucumber, frozen mixed fruit (my husband) frozen strawberries (me), 1/2 orange or whole clementine (me) and a shot of rice milk (husband), almond milk (me). I also throw in some powder protein, a dash of cinnamon and about 2tbls of chia seeds. Delicious. Wondering if the powder protein/whey is okay?

  12. I have a Ninja 1000watts, made the green Juice, but it came out
    very thick, what did I do wrong, or is this normal. do I have to add
    something to make this like thinner. Thank you

  13. I made it and at first sip it was a strong kale taste. Maybe i used too much? I added a little more pineapple trying to get it a little sweeter but not much luck. I will have to play around with it. i deank almost all of it but it took aome time. I was hoping to love it. I’m glad i got a healthy drink in me though. Very filling.

  14. Have been trying so hard to find a healthy green smoothie that my 16 month old and I can both start our morning out with. Made your smoothie this morning and she finished it before I did…score. Thank you so much

  15. Is this just a morning smoothie or can it be drank any time of the day? I have had the stomach flu for the past 4 days and nothing tastes or sounds good but I need to get some good healthy organic nutrients in my body to help fight. Any suggestions?

    Thanks!

    ps just stumbled upon your website when I was looking for natural ingredients for electrolyte replacement. I have now bookmarked your website and already shared with another friend. Happy surfer with success!

  16. Im just getting on the healthy train…love your site..tried the shake this morning…I need to add more pineapple, fresh pineapple next time, but it was good anyway. I cant wait to try your other recipes…thanks for the great info!

  17. This is my favorite smoothie!! I do vary it a bit from time to time (love adding a piece of ginger, swapping the grapefruit with an orange or using coconut water instead of regular water). Just wondering if you know the caloric intake of the recipe you posted? Seems low, but it’d still be handy to have. Thank you!

  18. Hello, i believe that my spouse and i observed you actually seen this site as a result i came to return the benefit? . I’m wanting to to find concerns to enhance this site! I reckon that it is good enough to start using a few of your current concepts!

  19. I have been making this recently but I still have kale that’s not getting entirely processed, leaving a lot of small pieces. Do I need to blend longer or differently? Also, should this be consumed alone? I have been drinking along with breakfast as it doesn’t keep me full alone until lunch.

  20. Sorry but the first time I made this it was horrible 🙁 I Blended, pureed, and whipped and still could not get this smoothie smooth enough. It was gritty and a bit chalkie. So I tried again and followed the directions to a “T”. It came out a little better but I still ended up adding some honey, some strawberries, and some more pineapple with its juice from the can. Stumped, I decided to get the juicer out. I dumped both batches into the juicer and it came out beautiful! Smooth and so delicious. I really think the key is getting this really smooth and tweaking it to your personal liking. The concept is wonderful! Thank you

  21. Great combo but mine didn’t taste even a bit sweet. Did anyone else have this problem? I even added mango, coconut water and papaya to try and sweeten up the recipe but the cucumber/grapefruit/kale combo is so bitter. Definitely took about 60 minutes to drink all up.

  22. Hi,

    Tried this smoothie. First time putting celery and cucumber. Have to say it’s TERRIBLE. I did add mango,carrot juice but nothing made it better. I’m ok with slight bitter taste of grapefruit but nothing prepared me for the overpowering taste of celery. And I added just one stalk. Safe to say won’t be trying again. I usually make a lot of smoothies with fruits with recipes from Martha Stewart living well website and LOVE them.

    Are all green smoothies this bad?

    1. Hi Siri. I never had a green smoothie until I tried this recipe. I’m not a big fan of celery so I omitted it and used 1/2 a pink grape fruit and also added 6 oz of pineapple water and it came out amazing.

  23. absolutely loved this recipe as written. but as someone who has taken accredited college level nutrition courses (not seminars run by anyone), all i can say is that protein powder is useless and possibly harmful. if you need protein that much, and most Americans eat way too much, then add milk, yogurt or soy to the smoothie. or eat a small serving of protein like a few almonds!

  24. You must be so healthy you haven’t had a sweet tart in a while. Whole family agrees, disgusting. All I could taste is the celery and bitter grapefruit.

  25. This is the second green smoothie recipe I’ve tried from food babe that didn’t turn out. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I ended up with 4 cups, which in my mind is not 1 serving. This smoothie is so bitter and frothy that I can hardly drink it without gagging. Maybe the recipe should be more clear on the size of fruits or veggies. For instance, the cucumber – what length?

  26. I just finished making the smoothie. I used 2 large flat leaves of Kale, peeled the cucumber and grapefruit. I used fresh pineapple as I had it on hand. I did not have celery. It made about 24 ounces and was good. I also used coconut water as I had used that in another green smoothie. People, please try this. It is good.

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