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It is no secret that I love green smoothies. I drink one every day and can feel a difference right away if I don’t. My body has become dependent on them and – personally – I think that’s a good thing. It beats being dependent on chocolate. Not that I don’t want chocolate but I certainly don’t crave it like I used too. Well sometimes..but you get my point.
Smoothies are great because you can increase your vegetables or consumption of other super foods without even noticing. All you have to do is throw them into a blender, blend for a couple minutes and – poof – you have a nutrient dense powerhouse of a drink.
This week I decided to work on a new detox smoothie recipe. Most smoothies will have a cleansing and detoxifying effect because they are filled with fiber rich fruits and vegetables. However, there are so many super foods and herbs you can add to give it even more of a cleansing boost.
For my detox smoothie recipe I decided to add parsley in with my greens. Parsley is packed with nutrition, can potentially help with weight loss by reducing water weight, and has a wonderful detoxifying effect on our bodies. Personally, I had no idea about the benefits of parsley – I just thought it was a garnish. Nope, it is so much more than that.
I also wanted to add lemon. Who knew drinking raw lemon juice could have so many health benefits – but it does. I only had to do a little research to find that lemons can potentially help with everything from indigestion and constipation to kidney stones and glowing skin. It is like a citrus powerhouse.
For the rest of the green smoothie I wanted to be very intentional with the ingredients, making sure they were high in fiber and water to help flush toxins out of my body. I decided to use frozen mixed berries (blueberries, rasberries, and blackberries), an apple, banana, chia seeds, cucumber and kale. All of these ingredients have tons of fiber and nutrition.
Typically, I use coconut milk in my green smoothie recipes but for this detox recipe I decided to use 1 cup of almond milk and water. Almond milk is low in calories and fat but still provides a delicious creaminess that I love with my smoothies.
I know a lot of people like to use yogurt in their smoothies. Personally, I do not like to use dairy in my green smoothies, especially detox recipes. Dairy can hinder digestion, potentially cause inflammation, and has been know to cause a break out or too. So basically everything I am trying to get out of my body I would only be putting back in by using dairy in my detox smoothie.
Okay, back to my detox smoothie. Let’s be honest if you were going to try to eat all these ingredients – without blending them into a smoothie – it would be impossible. Smoothies – in my opinion – are the only way to get all this goodness in without needing to find 5 or more different recipes.
For me, I like easy so I just throw everything into my Vitamix blender.
This dark pink kind of purple “green” smoothie concoction is the result of all the ingredients becoming one. I think it’s puurrrty.
Okay it looks pretty but…how does it taste? Because let’s be honest if it taste horrible then what’s the point. The last thing I want to do every morning is force down a drink I hate.
Well…this detox green smoothie is delicious! I could slightly taste the parsley but the flavors of the berries, apple, banana, and lemon more than made up for it. I didn’t even taste the cucumber and I used a big chunk with the skin on. I am actually shocked with how tasty this detox smoothie is. I mean you never know what your gonna get when mixing parsley, cucumber, kale, and a bunch of fruit. But it was super good.
Truly, this might be my favorite green smoothie recipe. If you are new to green smoothies then start small with the kale and parsley. Lets say ¼ cup each. But if you drink a lot of green smoothies then 1 cup kale and ½ cup parsley will be fine for you.
This detox smoothie recipe makes about 2 (3-cup servings). Each serving is 222 calories, 3 grams of fat, 13 grams of fiber, and 5 grams of protein. I felt very full after drinking this and stayed full for quite a while.
Here’s a quick video I put together to show you how I make these ahead of time into green smoothie freezer kits.
I drank this smoothie all week and felt amazing! I had a ton of energy, so much clarity, and just felt refreshed. I am going to continue drinking this detox smoothie for the next month so I can continue to reap the benefits of all these nutrient dense and cleansing foods. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
I’m often asked about the type of blender I use for my green smoothies. I have the Classic Vitamix blender 5200 Getting Started Blender– that’s what you see in all my green smoothie recipes. This specific blender costs $450. In general a Vitamix blender in the Classic series range from $350 – $720. I know this is a lot of money to spend on a blender. But let me just say this. I’ve had this blender for over 4 years, use it 4-7 times a week, and NEVER had one malfunction with it. I can honestly say that my Vitamix blender creates a perfectly smooth green smoothie every time. I’ve also used it for other recipes beside smoothies.
Prior to getting a Vitamix I went through about 3 cheap blenders. Not only did they last a measly 3 months but didn’t even come close to creating a perfectly blended smoothie – I was always left with chunks of fruits and leftover spinach. If you plan to make green smoothies a part of your daily diet then I strongly suggest you invest in a Vitamix.
Vitamix also come with a up to a 10-year warranty. So if it breaks they will fix it or send you a new one. Personally, I think it’s totally worth the extra investment. Learn more about Vitamix blenders by checking out their website.
- 2 cups frozen mixed berries
- 1 medium banana
- 1 large apple, cored
- juice of 1 lemon
- 3-4 inch chunk cucumber
- ½ cup italian flat leaf parsley
- 1 cup kale
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 cup Silk Unsweetened Almondmilk
- 1 cup water, more if needed
- Place all the ingredients into a blender. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until all the ingredients are smooth and blended. Add more water till you get the desired consistency.
This smoothie can be made 1-2 days ahead of time and store in the refrigerator or you can freeze for up to 3 months.
This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.
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This is a great recipe. I love all the flavors that you posted and the smoothie was yummy, i substituted the kale with spinach on my second day due to the kale having such a strong flavor with the parsley combined. Over all, it worked well for me!!! 🙂
If diabetic, eliminate the banana and use either the apple or berries. The result is just as good. Good thinking on the parsley though, we don’t use it enough.
thank you, I can’t eat banana’s as I am allergic to them and everyone includes them in their smoothies. I can eat banana’s in bread though..LOL
Try mango in smoothies.
I just made this. I accidentally left out the apple..oops! My first ever “green smoothie” and it tastes really good! Thank you for sharing.
I really need to try this but have to ask how much can you taste the parsley?? I often put spinach in my smoothies and really enjoy it. Guess I never considered adding parsley too. Thanks in advance!
Just wanted to let you know that this entire smoothie batch is a total of no more than 3 weight watchers points. Fruits and veggies are 0 almond milk is 1pt for a cup and chia seeds are 3pts for 2 tbsp. very yummy smoothie, but I soon realized I had to add more to my breakfast. Love reading all your posts.
That’s how it was with the older WW plan. The current plan has different points if the fruit is added to a smoothie. It made no sense to me because if fruit is zero points it should be in a smoothie too. But they said it has something the do with not actually chewing the fruit if it’s belended makes it have points. Crazy I know.
Can you tell me how often you drink this and for how long is it safe? Does it make you have diarrhea?
Question – are you assembling the smoothie and then freezing it? If yes, is the consistency altered by the freezing/thawing process?
Thanks!
I’m wondering this too? Have you figured this out?
You make it right before consuming it. The use of frozen fruit and freezing the banana gives it the nice, thick texture. Using frozen fruit eliminates the need for ice.
Can green smoothies be made in a “regular” blender (I don’t have a Vitamix or other expensive blender)? Or would it not turn out the same?
Just made for the morning, I added some micro greens to the kale, didn’t have any parsley. It’s tasty AND looks good, not day glow green. Can’t wait to get into it in the morning, almost drank it this evening. Thanks!
This one is a winner! I’m not a banana fan, but it gives the smoothy a little sweetness that I like!
This is my favorite smoothie!
I’m not a fan of any kind of milk. Substitute?
You can use coconut water or plain water.
You can use water or coconut water.
“This detox smoothie recipe makes about 2 (3-cup servings). Each serving is 222 calories, 3 grams of fat, 13 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein, and only 5 weight watchers points plus.”
Thought that the frezzer bag was getting full.
So if I understand this right, this receipe is for 6 cup servings and we drink it all at in the morning? So that is double calories, fat, fiber and protien?
I drink 3 cups at a time. I save the other 3 cups for breakfast the next day. I store it in a mason jar. You could half the recipe and make it fresh every day. I made it like this so I could just use a whole apple, banana, lemon, etc. It was just easier for me that way.
Hello, I’m wondering if you have the smoothie for breakfast or just any time of the day as a snack?
Mostly I have a smoothie for breakfast.
This was good. It is my understanding that if you want to detox you must use organic ingredients only… not sure if that is true but some of these produce items hold a lot of pesticide and chemicals in their cells and on their skin. I added crystallized ginger and the almond milk last. I liked it better before the almond milk which I thought muddied the flavours a bit. The lemon adds a nice brightness!
I include sliced beets, a tablespoon of ground flax seed and a tablespoon of almond meal, chia, along with baby spinach and kale, sliced apple, blueberries, strawberries and mango. Keeps me going all day….
Who knows what the actual WW points are on this smoothie, when you account for the fruits as part of a smoothie? Thanks in advance
So l usually make a smoothie every morning. I don’t understand making this large amount. If it makes 6 cups and you drink it for two days then you have to make it again the third day. Is that right. I’m brand new to you 6 day prep but so excited. This is my day 2 email. Can’t wait for tomorrow! Ann
Unique ingredient combo. Just pinned it. I never use parsley in my smoothies so I am going to give this a try. thanks,Anna
I love, love, love this smoothie!! I started out halving the ingredients, but then noticed that I could store a serving in the fridge for my breakfast tomorrow, so I went with the full amounts. I’m glad I did! This is such a yummy, healthy treat! I had all the ingredients on hand except for the kale, for which I subbed spinach. The lemon and parsley really give this smoothie a bright refreshing taste. I’m already looking forward to my breakfast tomorrow. Thank you!
I will be making this smoothie often using different frozen fruits and spinach instead of kale. Used frozen blueberries and an English cucumber since it is sweeter and has a lot less seeds then a regular cucumber. Did halve the kale but still had a distinct flavor that wasnt my favorite. Will make this smoothie often with different fruits and spinach instead of kale. Made and reviewed for the What’s On The Menu recipe tag game. Thanks Kathy for your help!