Can You Guess What’s in This Glass? It Might Surprise You…

Last night I posted this picture on the Holistically Haute™ Facebook and Twitter pages and asked that very question.

I got some great guesses too…beets, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, lemons…and my favorite from Kelly: a dash of love. Those were all great, logical guesses (being that the smoothie is purple) and some were correct…there are blueberries, strawberries, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and of course a dash of love in that glass.

So what else is in there?

You all know how much I love my green smoothies…I have them for breakfast and as a snack and they are great for a quick pick-me-up on the go…so of course there are green ingredients in this smoothie, even though it’s purple. In fact, there are probably more green ingredients than you would think given the color! 

So I call it my Purple is the New Green Smoothie. 

Here’s the bowl of goodness that went into this smoothie:

Yes that is right, a whole head of romaine lettuce and a whole cucumber! There’s also a good amount of carrots in there which are not green but are definitely vegetables. The rest of the fruits are blueberries, strawberries, black/purple grapes, an Anjou pear, and a banana. This bowl of fruits and veggies made two 32 oz mason jars full of purple smoothie, with a little extra to freeze into popsicles for the kids. I would say the ratio of fruits to veggies here was about 60% fruit, 40% veggies.

Instructions:

I started this smoothie with a cup of filtered water (you can use coconut water, Greek yogurt, or kefir as a base if you prefer), and blended up my greens first. I filled the mason jars nearly half way with this mixture. Then I added another cup of filtered water to the blender pitcher and added the fruits and berries. I topped off my jars with this mixture, gave my jars a shake, and they were good to go. This will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days, and can also be frozen for later use.

What does it taste like?

I wish there was a way to be able to give you all virtual samples of this smoothie (come on Internet wizards out there...let's get on this!) because you probably won’t believe me when I tell you it tastes like a berry smoothie! Pears and bananas are great at taking the “greeniness” out of green smoothies; and the carrots and cucumber add a little more natural sweetness. Blueberries and grapes have those gorgeous purple/red/blue natural pigments—called anthocyanins—which also have excellent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits. These pigments are potent enough to overpower the green color you get from green vegetables if the ratio is correct (if you use a 50/50 ratio your smoothie will be more of a brownish color. This smoothie is ideal for kids because of the fun purple color, but also because of its sweet, tart taste and nutrient richness. 

It's not about hiding the greens...

I’m not one for hiding healthy foods in other foods to try to trick my kids into eating healthy. Personally, I think it is more effective to be honest and teach the kids that healthy foods look and taste great and are really fun to mix and match. This teaches healthy habits from a young age instead of placing a negative connotation on healthy foods that kids will take with them into adulthood. So while the purple color may be more visually appealing to kids and certain adults than green (or even brown) smoothies; the intention is not to hide the greens or try to pretend they are not in there…I just think it is cool how certain flavors and colors are stronger than others and work really well together. My kids helped me make these smoothies, knowing exactly what foods went into the mixture. Right after I took the picture of it in the fancy glass with the lemon slice, my 7 year old drank it up in about 30 seconds (the little one decided to wait for the popsicles to be ready ;).

So go get some veggies and some fresh seasonal berries and other fruits and blend away. If you don’t have popsicle molds you can use ice cube trays or little paper cups with toothpicks or popsicle sticks instead...or check out these BPA-free, super-fun options: