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Sunrise Green Smoothie – One Of My Favorite Smoothies Ever!

Something incredible happened when I was on vacation with friends recently.

SunriseSmoothie

A couple of weeks ago, I enjoyed a weekend getaway to the French West Indies with 3 other couples. We rented a villa, so it was like one big slumber party the whole time. We ate every meal together, it was so fun! The first morning I woke up expecting to have a croissant for breakfast (because that’s what is typical for that part of the world – and I love them!), but to my surprise, my friend was busy making a green smoothie in the kitchen. Frankly, I was shocked and so happy at the same time! My friend ended up making one of the best smoothies I have ever had – using the only produce he could find on the island. Vegetables like kale were not available at the store, so he used some spinach and some other basic ingredients he could find. I couldn’t believe how good it turned out. The next morning, I made sure to wake up early, so I could watch, help him make it and steal the recipe! Haha! Here it is: 

Food Babe's Sunrise Green Smoothie
 
Prep time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 4 cups dark leafy greens - spinach works well
  • 1 cucumber, diced
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 4 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 1 apple, cored and diced
  • 1 orange, peeled
  • 1 cup strawberries
  • 1 scoop Truvani Vanilla Protein Powder (optional)
  • 1 cup ice (optional)
Instructions
  1. Put dark leafy greens, cucumber, lime juice, water into a high speed blender and blend for a minute.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
Notes
Please choose all organic ingredients if possible

 

If you know someone who loves green smoothies, or wants to try something new, please share this recipe with them! It’s so easy and can be made anywhere if you have a blender. 

Xo,

Vani 

P.S. For the record, I still had my fair share of croissants (one of my favorite foods ever!). 

 GroupPhoto

 

 

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146 responses to “Sunrise Green Smoothie – One Of My Favorite Smoothies Ever!

  1. Hi Krista,
    I heard that vitamix is not good because uses a fast speed that spoils the good in the foods and that we are supposed use blenders like nutribullet because use slow speed and keeps all the nutrients.
    Do you know anything about it?
    Anybody else?
    Thank you!

    1. As a juice expert, (I own a juice bar) I can tell you that the speed of the blender is not as important as what temperature the contents reach while blending. At a slower speed, you have to blend longer. The type of blender is not relevant as they all provide heat from friction, and you want to use the shortest cycle possible so that you don’t have the contents reach 118 degrees. At that temp, 100% of all enzymes are destroyed in any produce. I emphasize destroyed vs killed because enzymes are not alive and can’t be killed, but heat above that temperature destroys them. If you use a Vitamix at a short interval, it would be fine. Toss in a couple of ice cubes if you think its a problem. I have several brands of juicers and blenders. I find that claims such as the one you mention are usually propagated by competitive brands and are not really relevant if you know more about how to operate these machines. For example, you often hear it said that when you juice, you have to drink it immediately or it is no longer good. That is crazy as well and originates from companies that want to sell expensive juicers. Think about it—the produce you buy at the grocery store is usually a couple of weeks old, yet you buy it anyway—it hasn’t just come off the farm. Likewise, at farmers markets, produce is often a few days to a few weeks old. Because what they don’t sell that has sat outside in the heat for several hours for the duration of the market, they haul back home and put in coolers or something, and then they take it to their next market some days later, and it sits out in the heat again. We’re a vendor at farmers markets and try to buy bulk wholesale from farmers all the time so we observe this.

      1. Our nutritionist advised to blend the ingredients in the vitamix by blending about 5-10 seconds on, 2-5 seconds off, repeating it few times, and by touching the blender cup, making sure it is not warm. Pay attention that there should be enough liquid to avoid overheating (or ice cubes can help). 🙂

      2. Sylvia, Thanks for your explanation on heat buildup with the Vita Mix. I had never thought about this but it makes sense.

      3. Sylvia, I agree with your comment, only few remarks : enzymes deteriorate around 40 Celsius, which is equal 103 F degree. All juices with longer storage can be oxydized by the air and light, left in translucent container and metal stirrer also not recommended.

        Vani, congratulation for your site, I’ll read it more…

        In my practice, I use medical hearbs like calendula, dandelion, nettle, thyme or oregano leaves in moderation.
        Greetings from Hungary

  2. I thought you weren’t suppose to mix fruits with vegetables because they inhibit the proper breaking down in the stomach.

    1. Hi Ginger, the key words in your question is “breaking down”. If you’re using a high speed blender like a vitamix, the fruit and veggies are being broken down for you. When you drink a well blended smoothie, your body does not have to break it down because it’s already done. That makes it easier for your body to absorb it. Your body still has to process the fiber in the smoothies though, and that’s what keeps you full longer. Hope that helps. 🙂

  3. There are as many good smoothie recipes as there are people who make/drink them. Common sense is all that’s needed – unprocessed, natural, nutrient-rich ingredients, to your own taste. But in response to one previous comment, I would avoid using raw eggs in anything, whether they’re organic or not.

  4. I made my first green juice using this recipe with my new ‘old’ Kitchen Aid Ultra Power blender this morning. I was seriously considering going for a nap after the kids left for school, I could hardly keep my eyes open! Not even 5 minutes after drinking my magic concoction, the tired feeling completely went away and I feel so refreshed. Better than coffee any day! You bet I will be doing this again… and that’s after following the Food Babe for over a year with the INTENTION of giving it a try! (Thank you to my friend K for gifting me with her ‘sitting in the cupboard doing nothing’ blender.)

      1. Whats wrong with frozen greens? Sometimes if im afraid my kale or spinach might go bad before i use it in smoothies, i’ll freeze it for later.

      2. Probably because store-bought frozen greens have been parboiled before freezing, so they taste different… And you also want them as fresh as possible for the most nutrients. Saving your own fresh ones by freezing is surely fine

  5. Has FoodBabe ever looked at and compared the ingredients In Vitamin Water Zero
    Or SoBe. 0 calorie?

  6. Tried this smoothie this morning. The only thing I would change is the amount of cucumber. It was a little over powering for me… however, my 2 year old is drinking it up and that was the whole point! I will tweak it just a tad next time.

  7. I halved this recipe and still ended up with almost 4 cups! and it didn’t look anything like the picture – mine was brown. i’m new to green smoothies, so not sure if it’s an acquired taste or not, but this was so awful i was gagging. i made myself drink it though because i refuse to be wasteful.

    1. Ya I did half and shared it with family. I think I’ll do less than half next time. Mine was green, though. Maybe your carrots were larger than hers? Also, I added a tbsp of pure, grade b maple syrup. It’s a good, detoxifying sugar substitute and will help with the taste. You can also try adding a bit more of the fruit until you become more familiar with the flavor of green drink. I struggled when I first started making these, as well, but now I love green drinks!

  8. I call BS on the picture of the smoothie here. Once you add in the carrots and strawberries there is no way it will keep that pretty green color.

  9. I made this today and it’s not very good – no sweetness whatsoever to cut the bitterness. What did I do wrong??

  10. The reason that you are told to drink your smoothie immediately is because all the cells of the plants have been broken open and exposed to air.
    Once air hits it..it oxidizes…just like rust. Just like when an apple sits in the fridge..it is fine in cool storage..but once you slice it open..it browns.
    This is why the sooner that you drink your smoothie..the more healthful it is for you.
    Now if you like to take yours to work..buy a second base unit(I know that you can buy the base only for nutribullet..but possibly other brands as well) and take all the ingredients in the blender cup with a lid. Keep it in the fridge until blending time. Add the liquid right before blending. Boom! Fresh smoothie at work.

  11. I have always been advised that fruits should not be combined with any other foods as the fruit will ferment the other foods in your stomach and should be eaten separately not closer than an hour apart??

    1. Look above. By blending the fruit & veggies you are ‘breaking down’ the enzymes, etc. – Therefore your Body has No Problem because they are Already Broken Down.
      Gingers question – Replied by Sandy – I believe Sept 14

      So Glad I read that above. Very helpful information.

      Hope it helps.

  12. I’m wondering about the natural sugar content. Seems like it would be high. Would you suggest maybe not having any other fruit for the day?

    1. Research seems to indicate all plastics are toxic when it comes to food prep, especially when adding in the heat generated with the hi-power blenders. I use a 600 watt blender the Oster Fusion (around $60 – Oster.com; Homedepot; Target) which has a glass jar. I don’t use ice cubes (which can dull the blades), but frozen fruit and vegetables are easily handled. It has a pre-programmed feature for smoothies that turns off when done. Since all high power blenders are noisy, it’s nice to be able to walk away until the blending is done in 40 seconds. I also like being able to take the jar completely apart for cleaning. I had a Vitamix and with a special tool was able to take the jar apart. The gunk in the blade assembly was very bad.

      1. Mmmmm … exactly what I was hoping not to hear – the Vitamix was jolly expensive!!!!

      2. I regret not having bought a Blendtec – it has a glass jar and doesn’t need a plunger.

      3. The Blendtec does not have a glass jar, nor does any other hi-power blender I’ve researched. They say that glass is too fragile to handle the stress of the hi-power blending.

    2. The Vitamix plastic jars are made with the same plastic as airplane windows. Very sturdy.
      And mine are very clean & easy to clean. (64-oz & 34-oz)

      I love mine and will not switch to any other kind.

      So it depends on what you prefer.

      1. My concern is the toxicity of plastic. Vitamix is not BPA free and even if it were, we don’t know what other toxic substances might be leaching into our food.

    3. Let’s do some food for thought, shall we?
      If you’re concerned about plastic/plastic by-products, then you will also need to make sure that all of your food is never packaged in plastic. This includes water, sauces, canned goods ( BPA liner), and practically all processed foods.

      If you’re still concerned, then you must also be super careful in your beauty products. If you can’t pronounce it or don’t know its lay-man term ( H20, di-hydrogen monoxide = water), then you shouldn’t be using it. Did you know that ~40-60% of what you put on your skin is absorbed into your bloodstream? That means that you’re poisoning yourself in the name of beauty. Organic products, unfortunately, are also culprits of this.

      What about clothes? Synthetic dyes, synthetic materials, horrible social responsibility for the most part.

      Do me a favor, and look underneath your sink. Is your water coming in from PVC pipes? Mine are, which is why I only drink filtered water.

      I love my vitamix. Yes, it’s made out of plastic, but it’s incredibly strong, sturdy, food grade plastic that can blend ice, no problem ( Can the Oster say that?). It can make soup in 5 minutes, and it’s probably one of the best investments that I’ve made in my kitchen. It also has a warranty of 15 + years, which, by then, the blender will have paid for itself many times over. I use mine so much that it has already paid for itself, and I’ve had it for little over a year. There’s a reason why it’s one of the most sought-after blenders by professionals.

      Because of the investments in my health, I make sure to use only beauty products that I can eat ( no shampoo whatsoever, use jojoba and rosehip oil for my skin), and I try to always get second-hand clothes, as the “nasties”, as I call all of the nasty chemicals that are in brand-new clothes, have, to some extent, broken down.

      Once again, food for thought.

      1. I do my best to avoid all things toxic AS FAR AS POSSIBLE because that is all I can do!

  13. The pictures of this drink are not pictures of this drink. Once you put in the carrots and the strawberries, the drink is no longer a pretty green. It is a muddy brown. However, it tastes wonderful.

  14. I thought the smoothie was fairly tasty, but do need to cut the recipe down quite a bit. I had so much left over. I followed the recipe exactly; however, mine was more of a brown color. I had to avoid looking at it while drinking it. Any suggestions to brighten it up?

  15. I love the nutra bullit but is the plastic container bad ? Is pba the only thing wrong with plastic ? I have shaker bottles that came with the metal ball for blending are they bad to?

  16. Could I use a food processor instead of a blender, I don’t have a blender but I would love to try this

  17. I also am allergic to oranges, limes, lemons, grapefruit, actually all citric fruit.
    What can you suggest as a substitute.

  18. I think it does sound good but and I too like to use apples and carrots but a little while an article was posted (I thought it was one of your postings) about common mistakes people make in their green smoothies and those particular items were on the list because of the sugar content and spiking your glucose levels. That of course made me paranoid about my usage. What is the general consensus on the matter? These of course are the ones that provide the most juice as I use a juicer on occasion versus a blender.

  19. I’m told that raw kale and spinach can release oxalates which can contribute to kidney stones. I’m thinking I’d steam for a couple of minutes before using in smoothies. I’ll do anything to avoid kidney stones! What do folks think about that?

    1. Yes, the dark leafy greens can build up and cause kidney stones. I had that happen to me. You have to limit your consumption but can have once in awhile. Substitute is the name of the game.

  20. This is a really good recipe! I used organic kale because it was on sale and I added blackberries too! Even my picky 7 year old loved it! I’m happy about that! Thanks for sharing!

  21. I’m concerned about the number of fruits and veg that she recently discussed as being part of then”dirty dozen” being included in this recipe. Seems odd to me…

  22. I’m new to juicing and want to try this recipe. However, I just read another article you wrote about “common mistakes people make with juicing” and you wrote that you do not add fruits to your green drinks. Based on this recipe, it calls for fruit and lots of it at that. Please clear up this confusion! I would like to start juicing, but the right way! Thank you!

  23. I was hoping someone could answer one of the questions above that got mixed. What is wrong with freezing Kale and Spinach for your smoothies?
    Thank You
    Debbie

  24. It looks like a delicious recipe but I know hard core juicers. One of them is the original manufacturer of the presses used for cancer patients. He lives on juice, fruit, veggies and goats milk. He looks good. I bought my juice press from him.

    He recommends romaine, carrots, and green apples. Those ingredients are gentle on your system and very effective. You can incorporate a little beet and green pepper from time to time as your system adjusts to the mineral bombardment you get from juice.

    He says spinach, kale and chard (dark bitter greens) are great cooked as a side dish or raw in a salad but not for juicing. I don’t remember why. The rest of the stuff in her recipe looks fine.

    I personally stick with the basics, 5 large leaves Romaine, about 5 or 6 good size carrots and 1 green apple yields about 2-3 cups fresh juice.

  25. My husband cannot digest cucumbers well. What would suggest as an alternative, or would blending it make it more digestible?

  26. I make this smoothie almost everyday for breakfast. Is it ok to use the same recipe everyday or should you mix it up?

  27. Can I freeze left over smoothie in silicone ice cube trays for a treat later or would that destroy the nutritional valve? My friend is going through throat cancer and I thought this might be a way i could get him some nutritions. Food Babe, Vani, do you know the answer to this?

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