10+Spinach Recipes for Smoothies: How To Make Yummy Spinach Smoothies Your Family (& Kids) will Devour!

Posted by Joanna on Jul 18, 2011 in Kids, Smoothie Recipes | 13 comments

Let’s face it – with our busy schedules, we don’t always have time to sit down and eat a healthy salad or prepare proper healthy dishes that the whole family would enjoy.

But, do not despair! The quick and easy solution is pick up a quick smoothie recipe and to whip up a quick green smoothie for yourself (and your family) that will give you energy, fill your belly, and fuel your tank with all the right foods.

The spinach in a smoothie may sound strange, but – even if you don’t enjoy its delicate taste – the other ingredients mask the flavor. Spinach is typically thought of as a lunch or dinner ingredient in a savory recipe.

If you’ve been thinking about eating more greens throughout the day, jump-start your day with a green smoothie, so that before you get into the carpool line, you’ve already sucked down fresh veggies, greens, and fruit to boot. And better yet? So have your kids and other family members.

Benefits of Spinach

Spinach has been cultivated in many parts of the world for hundreds of years, not just as a food source, but also as an important medicinal plant in many traditional systems of medicine.

Spinach benefits cannot be overstated. In the past it has often been regarded as a plant that helps restore energy, increase vitality, and improve the quality of the blood. The main reason for this is that spinach nutrition provides twice as much iron as most other greens.

Other nutrients it contains include calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, and the B-complex vitamins. It is also a good source of Niacin and Zinc, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

Spinach, just like other greens that contain chlorophyll and carotene, is a remarkable protector against various diseases, including cancer, anemia, digestive problems, skin problems, as well as acting as a mild laxative. Women who are worried about osteoporosis should consume spinach because it is a rich source of calcium and vitamin K.

In fact, when compared calorie for calorie to other vegetables, some say that nothing is as nutrient dense as spinach, while also being very low in calories.

The great thing is that once you try a spinach smoothie recipe, you’ll be consuming lots of it and it won’t matter anymore if you or your picky-eaters at home don’t enjoy munching on spinach salad!

Just adding a few spinach leaves to a your smoothie recipe, is so easy, tastes delicious, and it’s also incredibly good for you!

Spinach photo by marymactavish

So, how do you prepare a spinach smoothie?

When preparing spinach smoothie recipes, as in the case in most other greens, feel free to experiment and include a wide variety of other fruits and veggies.

By experimenting with different combinations, you will be able to come up with something that you and the whole family will love. You’ll even have an easier time getting your children on board to adopting a healthier diet.

The great thing about spinach is that it’s mild tasting, so it’s a perfect starter green for green smoothies. Even the most picky eaters won’t mind a few leaves of spinach in their fruit smoothie (use some deep colored fruits, such as berries, or colored glass containers to mask the green color for those most green-resistant eaters).

Generally speaking, Vitamix or Blendtec blenders will do a great job with any type of greens. These smoothie makers will give you smoother liquid, compared with other blenders.

However, even if you have an inexpensive blender you can make spinach smoothies without worrying about rough texture – spinach is soft enough, so most blenders will handle spinach well.

First, when buying fresh spinach it should be dark green and free from any evidence of decay. Choose spinach that has vibrant deep green leaves and stems with no signs of yellowing. The leaves should look fresh and tender, and not be wilted or bruised. Avoid those that have a slimy coating as this is a sign of decay. Slightly wilted spinach can be revived to freshness by dipping it in cold water.

Do not wash spinach before storing as the exposure to water encourages spoilage. Place spinach in a plastic storage bag and wrap the bag tightly around the spinach, squeezing out as much of the air as possible. Place in refrigerator where it will keep fresh for up to 5 days.

Prior to preparing a smoothie, wash spinach under running water. If using non organic spinach, you may want to soak or spray it with a biodegradable wash, then rinse. Use a salad spinner to dry.

The leaves can be used as is. You don’t need to remove the stalks, as you would for a salad.

Put the leaves into your smoothie blender together with your fruits and veggies – bananas, strawberries, apples, celery, etc.

That’s basically all there is to it!

Spinach Recipes

Here are a few green smoothie recipes with spinach for you to try!

I encourage you to experiment mixing spinach with other fruits, greens and vegetables. Also, I’m really not good with exact proportions, so you will need to experiment with quantities, to get that perfect green smoothie for your taste.

Photo by João M. Fernandes Flickr.com

Spinach-Mixed-Berries

Handful of fresh spinach

5 strawberries (fresh or frozen)

20 blueberries (fresh or frozen)

10 blackberries (fresh or frozen)

10 raspberries (fresh or frozen)

(OR 1 cup of mixed berries from BJ’s)

2 bananas (fresh or frozen)

1 1/2 cup water

For the Mixed Berries Smoothie I usually use frozen organic mixed berries I buy at BJs – a big 3 lbs bag for $9.99 – they are amazing in smoothies – and this is simply my favorite smoothie!

Spinach-Blueberry

1 large banana, ripe

1 cup blueberries, frozen (or Wild Blueberries from BJ’s)

1 cup oz spinach, fresh

1 1/2 cups pure water

This is my son’s favorite. For this smoothie, I’m using frozen Wild Blueberries from BJ’s – a big 3 lbs bag for $7.99 – they are amazing in smoothies – and this is simply my favorite smoothie!

Spinach-Mixed Tropical Fruit

1 large banana, ripe and peeled

1/4 avocado flesh

6 oz spinach, fresh

1/2 cup pineapple, frozen

1/2 cup mango, frozen

1/2 cup grapes, frozen

1/2 cup strawberries, frozen

1 1/2 cup water

For this smoothie, I’m using frozen mixed fruits from BJ’s – a big 5 lbs bag for $9.99 – great value and taste!

Spinach-Pear-Celery

2 pears

1 stalk of celery

1 cup spinach

1 cup water

Spinach-Peach

6 peaches

2 handfuls of spinach leaves

2 cups water

Spinach-Kiwi

1 banana

2 peaches

2 handfuls of spinach leaves

1 cup water

Spinach-Watermelon-Strawberries

One half small seeded watermelon, peel and all

10 strawberries

1 bunch spinach

1 cup water

Spinach-Mango Green Smoothie

1 large banana, ripe

1 cup mangoes

1/2 cup strawberries

5 oz spinach

1 1/2 cups water

Spinach-Banana-Orange Smoothie Recipe

2 large ripe bananas

2 oranges

2 large handfuls of baby spinach

Spinach and Cantaloupe Melon Smoothie Recipe

1/2 cantaloupe melon

1 cup of spinach

Spinach-Tomato

Here is a savory recipe for a spinach-tomato smoothie:

4 ripe plum tomatoes

1 handful of spinach leaves

4 leaves of basil leaves

One note here on using frozen fruits in your smoothies. Personally, I don’t like smoothies that are really cold, so if I’m using a lot of frozen ingredients, I add some hot water to the mix to make them room (or rather – my stomach) temperature. I know that many people like frozen drinks, but drinking a lot of frozen smoothies is not really that healthy, in my opinion.

I admit – I am totally hooked on green smoothies!

I never use exact recipes – I constantly experiment by adding different ingredients, depending on what sounds good to my body each day.

Although some smoothies taste more delicious than others, I haven’t been disappointed yet!

One caveat: Because of the high oxalic acid content of spinach, some experts recommend to keep your spinach intake down to once or twice a week. Also, if you have any health issues such as kidney stones, it’s best to avoid spinach altogether. If you have any questions or concerns, speak to your doctor or nutritionist before introducing any changes to your diet.

Now that you know how to make some basic spinach recipes, you can experiment with other variations on this theme. When you are ready, start incorporate other, stronger tasting greens into your smoothies.

Submit Your Smoothie Recipe!

When you find a taste you love, why not submit your favorite smoothie recipe in the comment section below!

Find more smoothie recipes and tips on my blog.