Summer Smoothie

I don’t generally like smoothies.  They are tasty, but leave me sugar-crashing 45 minutes later.  When my mom asked me for a smoothie recipe last week, I had no tips.  “Try a bunch of stuff.  See what you like best,” was my helpful suggestion.

Then a few days ago, on another hot, hot day here in Denver, I was looking for a quick snack.  (I needed energy for my shopping trip to the outlets.  Buying shorts is exhausting.)   I couldn’t handle the thought of anything hot — plus I wanted to get a dose of vegetables.

So I put together a quick smoothie.  I made it again that night with a few revisions for Matt.  Now, I have a smoothie recipe that is damn good, I must say!

Here are my two smoothie-related tips.

1: Buy an immersion hand blender.   I used a traditional blender for many years and always envied those with hand blenders.  It seemed easier — meaning less messy.  But I  am sort of anti-kitchen devices, mostly because I have a small kitchen and nowhere to store things.  Anyhow, last time my kind mom was out here, she bought me one as a gift.  I don’t know how/why I lived without it for so long.  It is SO much less messy and is useful for all sorts of blending.  And I tend to blend a lot.

Tip 2: Have protein with this.  Although there is a nice dose of greens in this recipe, you will still get a rush of sugar from the fruit.  I had it along with a leftover sausage that we had grilled last night.  That combo held me though two hours of trying to find shorts that fit and are flattering, which I finally did.

 Summer Smoothie

Baby spinach leaves, 1 cup packed tightly

Fresh ginger, 1/2 teaspoon chopped

Peach, 1/2

Blueberries, 1/3 cup

Frozen strawberries, 12

Water, 3/4 cup

  1. Blend together spinach, ginger and water.
  2. Add peach, blueberries and frozen strawberries and  blend until smooth.
  3. Pour into a chilled glass and garnish with a few blueberries if you want to make it look prettier for company.
  4. Enjoy immediately!