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Tag Archives: smoothie

The Very Best Green Smoothie

9 / 14 / 199 / 15 / 19

The Green Smoothie Everyone Loves | Mama Papa Bubba

With Grae back to school, I feel like I basically have two main goals at the moment…  1) Getting us all ready, out the door, and to school on time, and 2) keeping everyone {especially my preemie babe Sam} healthy with all of the gross school germs currently being reintroduced into our lives.  So far so good, but we’re only two weeks in, so fingers crossed for a fairly healthy winter. Being a NICU mama I feel like I have lots of little tricks for avoiding sicknesses as much as we can, and one of those things is definitely daily green smoothies.  This particular one is the very best green smoothie I’ve ever had (truly!) and everyone seems to like it – even the green smoothie critics I’ve encountered.  While it’s got lots of great greens and nutrition in it, I think the key is that it’s nice and sweet and has a little punch of tartness from the pineapple and orange…  Basically it tastes good vs. TOO healthy like some green smoothies do. That being said, it is healthy…  It includes lots of leafy greens and fruits, plus it’s got vitamins, healthy fats, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, iron, fibre, and more.  A definite win-win in my books.

The Very Best Green Smoothie | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Here’s the full list of required ingredients: kale, spinach, banana, frozen pineapple, frozen mango, avocado, oranges, hemp hearts, chia seeds, and pure apple juice (which is optional but does make a difference in the finished flavour of the smoothie).  We use the stuff from our local apple orchard that is absolutely to die for and freeze it into easy to use ice cubes since juice is not something we keep on hand usually.

Smoothie Bags | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Now you can just use this recipe to make your smoothie each morning as usual, but what I like to do is prepare smoothie bags in advance.  Basically that means I haul all of the ingredients out, fill multiple bags / jars / containers with all of the ingredients save the liquid, and I have pre-made smoothies ready to go for the week {or more}.

Smoothie Jars | Mama.Papa.Bubba.{this post contains affiliate links}

Now I will say that last winter I made up a ton of smoothie jars, strategically placing everything {well except that coconut yogurt that was a mistake – hah!} in order to ensure I’d be able to get everything out come smoothie making time, and let me tell you, it was an epic fail.  Even the jars that you’d think would be easy to dump out were a huge pain in the butt and I think I wasted more time scraping ingredients out of jars than it would have just taken me to make the smoothies from scratch in the mornings.  Lesson learned.  I would maybe try the jar method again in the future, but certainly not with these jars…  They’d have to be something with a wide enough mouth that I could stick my whole hand in them to retrieve ingredients if needed.

While I’m not happy about it, I’ve resorted to using 6 of my very precious use-only-for-gifting-play-dough-kits-zip-close-bags this time around as they were my only option (I haven’t bought plastic bags for regular use in several years now and I don’t have enough glass containers to spare), but I’d really like to invest in a set of large Stasher bags or something similar to use as dedicated smoothie bags. (I just found these on amazon and they seem to have good reviews and are super affordable.)  Anyways, until then, rest assured that these 6 bags will be used again and again until they can’t be used anymore….  (We’re the people who wash out  bags from bread and tortillas to reuse multiple times before sending them off for recycling.)

The Very Best Green Smoothie | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Alright, now onto the very best green smoothie smoothie bags!

First up, a big kale leaf.  We often use lacinato kale {because it makes amazing kale chips and is what we have on hand}, but you can use any type you like.  One leaf per smoothie bag.  We have a Vitamix so I don’t even bother removing them stem bit, but if you don’t have a high-powered blender, you may want to.

The Very Best Green Smoothie | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Next up, a handful of spinach per bag…  Literally just however much you naturally grab.  Smoothie recipes are just one of those things that always turns out, so no need to be finicky or exact.

The Very Best Green Smoothie | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Add a ripe banana to each…  The key here is ripe.  A green banana won’t do you much good as you’re really counting on the banana for some sweetness here.

The Very Best Green Smoothie | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Now, 1 cup of frozen pineapple.  Pineapple is what makes this smoothie in my opinion, so if you have to choose, be more generous with it than less generous.

The Very Best Green Smoothie | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Next up, frozen mango…  I cup of that per bag too.

The Very Best Green Smoothie | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Add half an orange…

The Very Best Green Smoothie | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

And half an avocado… (You can skip this if needed, but healthy fats are important – especially for kids and avocado does add a creaminess to smoothies too.)

The Very Best Green Smoothie | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Okay, almost there… Next up, about a teaspoon and a half of chia seeds and a teaspoon and a half of hemp hearts.  You can add any other nutritional add-ins you love here too.

The Very Best Green Smoothie | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Lastly, two ice cubes worth of frozen apple juice.  We don’t keep juice in the house usually, so this ice cube method works really well for us, but you can also just add in a splash before blending.

And that’s it!  Seal these up and store them in your freezer for super quick and easy smoothies on busy mornings {or afternoons, or whenever!}

The Very Best Green Smoothie | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

When you’re ready, simply dump the contents of your smoothie bag into your blender, add about 2 cups of water {or a little more or less depending on your blender’s abilities and the consistency you’re going for}, and blend!  I use the smoothie setting on our Vitamix A2500 Ascent Series, which is 50 seconds long.

This recipe makes a good amount of smoothie…  We get four smoothies from each smoothie bag…  A small / medium one for Sam, Grae, and I and a big one for Brad.   That being said, if you’re an adult who enjoys smoothies as breakfast, I’d say this makes two BIG adult size smoothies that would fill you up.

The Very Best Green Smoothie Smoothie Bags | Mama Papa Bubba

The Very Best Green Smoothie Smoothie Bags

  • 1 leaf of lacinato kale
  • 1 handful of spinach
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1 cup of frozen pineapple
  • 1 cup of frozen mango
  • 1/2 of an orange
  • 1/2 of an avocado
  • 1.5 teaspoons of chia seeds
  • 1.5 teaspoons of hemp hearts
  • 2 ice cubes of frozen pure apple juice
  • 2 cups of cold water

Fill bags or containers with the ingredients above, seal well, and freeze.  When ready, dump the contents of one smoothie bag into the blender, add approximately 2 cups of cold water (or a little more or less depending on your desired consistency and your blender’s abilities), and blend until smooth.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Serves 4.

The Very Best Green Smoothie | Mama Papa Bubba

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Nutritious Unicorn Smoothie

4 / 23 / 174 / 24 / 17

Nutritious Unicorn Smoothie | Mama Papa Bubba

A couple of nights ago I went to my usual nearby Starbucks to plow through a bunch of emails and get some work done, and oh my goodness…  It was total unicorn frappuccino madness!  I was sitting at the back right next to the the drink bar and I’m fairly certain that 75% of the orders made during my 3 and a half hour stay were fluorescent blue and pink fraps.  Even when they ran out of the blue drizzle, whipped cream, and both blue and pink sprinkles, people still ordered them!  Prior to actually seeing them first hand, I think I’d maybe heard mention of unicorn fraps once or twice on social media, but I truly had no idea what a craze they were causing – the entire store was buzzing with unicorn frap excitement.  {Kudos to you for a pretty brilliant marketing campaign, Starbucks!}

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Strawberry Banana Oat Smoothie

5 / 27 / 158 / 30 / 15

Strawberry Banana Oat Smoothie | Mama Papa Bubba

With just over two weeks left in the desert, we’ve been doing our very best to work with what we have in the kitchen instead of doing our usual {ridiculously expensive} weekly grocery shop.  So far so good, though the shelves are definitely looking quite bare.  Luckily, we always seem to have something that can be thrown into the blender to create a yummy breakfast smoothie, or in today’s case according to Miss G, a ‘milkshake’. ☺

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Orange Creamsicle GREEN Smoothie

5 / 21 / 145 / 22 / 14

Orange Creamsicle GREEN Smoothie | Mama Papa Bubba

Mmmm…  Orange creamsicle green smoothie.  My absolute favourite at the moment.  So good I could drink one every morning and then again every afternoon as a little pick-me-up.  And even though Grae seems to be not be all that into smoothies at the moment, she almost always slurps this one up until there’s nothing left.

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A Favourite: Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

9 / 9 / 139 / 9 / 13

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie | Mama Papa Bubba

Grae and I have been making versions of this delicious smoothie since she was a wee little thing, and it remains a favourite.  It’s nutritious, filling, and tastes more like a thick and creamy milkshake than a good-for-you smoothie.  {Milkshakes for breakfast? Yes please.}

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Chocolate Pudding [Green} Smoothie

3 / 4 / 133 / 6 / 13

Chocolate Pudding  Geen SmoothieOkay, okay, okay….  So I know I first declared this our favourite green smoothie.  Then I  declared this lime version our new favourite.  And not long after that, I declared this one a spin-off on our all-time favourite.  Buuuuuuut, after reading the lovely Erin At Large‘s post about her properly yummy chocolate green smoothie, I decided it was time we tried a chocolate version of our own.  And oh my goodness… Am I ever glad we did.  We’ve now made this smoothie every morning for the last 4 days, and I just can’t get enough.  It’s like frosty chocolate pudding in a cup.  Yum.

IMG 6215Erin hit the nail on the head when she explained that adding blueberries into the mix to prevents the green veggies from mixing with the brown cocoa and turning into a grey sludge.  Brilliant, really.

We haven’t tried Erin’s exact version yet (must do that soon) but here’s how we make our spin-off… Bananas (we prefer frozen), blueberries, kale, coconut or almond milk, cocoa, and pure maple syrup.  Plus toppings that aren’t pictured here… we normally do hemp hearts, chia seeds, ground flax, or a combination of the three.

IMG 6220Each morning I give this to Grae she has the exact same response.  “It’s a CHOCOLATEY smoozie!!  But not yucky sugary chocolate, right Mama?  Just Gracen chocolate.”  As soon as I give her the confirmation that it’s chocolately because we’ve added cocoa to it, but it’s still filled with all kinds of healthy ingredients, she chugs it back.  Silly little munchkin.

Chocolate Pudding Green Smoothie

  • 2 ripe bananas, preferably frozen
  • 3 big stalks of kale, stems removed
  • 1/3 cup of frozen no-sugar-added blueberries
  • 2 cups of your choice of milk (we do unsweetened coconut or almond)
  • 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
  • hemp hearts, chia seeds, or ground flax, if desired

Blend on low until everything is combined, then blend on high for an additional 45 seconds.  Top with hemp hearts, chia seeds, ground flax, or a combination of the three.

Serves 2 adults and a little one.

Enjoy!

♥ 

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{Green} Banana Nut Milkshake Smoothie

2 / 28 / 133 / 2 / 13

Green Banana Nut Milkshake SmoothieMiss G and I have been loving this simple twist on the first ever smoothie we really made together.  Unlike many of our other green smoothies, this one is creamy and milk-based {and tastes more like a milkshake than a green smoothie}. 

Photo copyFor extra flavour and an extra burst of nutrients, my little smoothie lover and I top our drinks with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.  Of course she just slurps it all up. 

Photo

{Green} Banana Nut Milkshake Smoothie

  • 2 frozen bananas
  • 3 large kale stalks, stems removed (or a couple of giant handfuls of spinach)
  • 1/4 cup of old-fashioned oats
  • 2 tablespoons of all-natural nut butter (we usually use peanut)
  • 1 tablespoon of hemp hearts
  • 1 tablespoon of ground flax
  • 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla
  • 1/2 a cup of plain yogurt
  • 1 1/2 cups of the milk of your choice (we often use an unsweetened vanilla almond)

Blend on low until everything is combined, then blend on high for an additional 45 seconds.  Serves two.

Enjoy!

♥ 

For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here. 

 

5 Comments

Lime Refresher Green Smoothie

2 / 20 / 133 / 1 / 13

Lime Refresher Green SmoothieMiss G and I continue to start most of our days with a big green smoothie each, and I must say, we’re loving it.  It’s become a morning routine for us… Grae retrieves the blender and fresh produce, I grab the freezer ingredients and chop things up, she puts everything into the blender, and together we enjoy our mason jars of green goodness.  

I really shouldn’t even say this, but we’ve managed to make it through the season of sickness, with friends and playmates all around us dealing with endless bouts of flu and colds, without getting sick once (*knock on wood*).  And I have to say, I think these vitamin/nutrient-packed immune boosters may just have had something to do with it. 

Here’s our newest favourite…

Photo copy 3

Lime Refresher Green Smoothie

  • 1 banana, fresh or frozen
  • 1/2 an apple
  • 1/2 a pear
  • 1/2 cup of frozen mango
  • 1 large lime, peeled
  • 3 stalks of kale, stems removed
  • 1 tablespoon of chia seeds
  • 1 – 1.5 cups of cold water, depending on desired consistency

Blend on low until everything is combined, then blend on high for an additional 45 seconds.  Serves two (plus a wee one if you’re willing to share a little).

Enjoy!

♥ 

For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here. 

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Grae’s Favourite GREEN Smoothie

1 / 17 / 131 / 17 / 13

Grae s Favourite Green SmoothieI know that green smoothies may seem a little trendy with all of the New Year’s resolutions happening right now, but the truth is that they’re really easy, really healthy, and pretty much a fool-proof way to start your day.  

Grae and I have been making green smoothies for a long while now (and even made one with all green ingredients for last year’s St. Patrick’s Day), but I decided I’d make a habit of making one each morning after slipping into a routine of skipping breakfast for the last couple of months of 2012.  So far, we’ve pretty much started each day of the New Year with a green smoothie of some sort (we often just add a couple of giant handfuls of kale or spinach to this trusty standby), but this particular one has quickly become our very favourite.  

Green Smoothie IngredientsHere’s the lineup of ingredients… Some cold water, several ice cubes, pure orange juice (or better yet – a fresh squeezed orange), half an apple, a pear, a banana, and a few kale leaves.

IMG 4405To get started, peel the banana, chop up the pear, and peel and chop the apple (as long as you don’t mind some added texture, feel free to leave the apple peel on).

IMG 4407Now pop those things into the blender {while sneaking a few bites of course}.

IMG 4410Next, remove the stems from the kale.

IMG 4413And add it to the blender along with the orange juice, water, and ice cubes.

IMG 4415This part isn’t necessary and certainly doesn’t change the flavour, but we always add a big scoop of chia seeds to our smoothies.  The nutritional benefits of chia are amazing and it keeps your smoothie from separating if you store extras in the fridge overnight.  Bonus!

Green Smoothie in ProgressNext, blend everything up.  We normally start on a low setting until the ingredients are combined, then crank it up and let it blend a while longer so that it doesn’t feel as though you’re drinking a salad. ☺

(If you really don’t like the idea of drinking leaves and want your smoothie to be as smooth as possible, blend just your liquids and leafy greens first, then add in the other ingredients afterwards.)

IMG 4424Now pour into cups and enjoy!

 

Gracen’s Favourite Green Smoothie

  • 1 banana, peeled
  • 1 ripe pear, chopped
  • 1/2 an apple (we usually use Galas, Ambrosias, or Fujis), peeled and chopped
  • 3 big leaves of kale, stems removed
  • 1 tablespoon of chia seeds
  • 1 cup of cold water
  • 1/2 cup of pure orange juice (or the juice from 1 large orange)
  • 4 ice cubes

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend for approximately 45 seconds.

 

Enjoy!

♥ 

Keep up with all the Mama.Papa.Bubba. fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here. 

 
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Nutrient-Rich Beet Berry Smoothie

8 / 15 / 128 / 15 / 12

Miss G and I got to experimenting in the kitchen this afternoon…  We had been out in the garden collecting some goodies earlier in the day, and although we’d eaten most of our finds with lunch, we had a few measly beets left over.   We’d decided we’d make a smoothie, and since we regularly add spinach and kale to our blends, I figured, why not beets?  The result was a BRIGHT magenta smoothie that was yummy enough for Grae to label it “pink ice cleam” and have two cups full instead of just one.

IMG 8462Here’s our list of ingredients:  Plain organic whole milk yogurt, frozen no-sugar-added strawberries and raspberries, a ripe frozen banana, a handful of baby beets, a few teaspoons of chia seeds, and some whole organic milk.

IMG 8463Another must for this recipe? Supergirl and her super girl baby.

IMG 8465Get started by dumping your frozen berries into your blender.  Closing your eyes makes for a better challenge.  Nothing Supergirl can’t handle though.

IMG 8466Chuck in your frozen banana.  Again, amp up this step by trying it with your eyes closed.

IMG 8467Next, add your beets in one. by. one.

IMG 8469And then dump your chia seeds in too.

IMG 8471Next, carefully add your milk.  The more you can get into the blender, the better.

IMG 8473Lastly, add a generous scoop of yogurt.

IMG 8479Blend everything up until thick and bright.

IMG 8480Serve with a straw or a spoon.  Or both.

IMG 8493Watch your little superhero gobble it up.

Nutrient-Rich Beet Berry Smoothie

  • 1/4 cup of plain organic whole milk yogurt
  • 2/3 cup of frozen raspberries and strawberries
  • 1 ripe frozen banana
  • 5-6 baby beets (or one regular sized one), steamed and peeled
  • 3 tablespoons of chia seeds
  • 1/2 cup of organic whole milk

Put everything into a blender and mix until smooth.  

Enjoy!

Another perk, besides the added nutrients, to adding chia to your smoothies?  They keep overnight without becoming separating and getting watery.  Try it!


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Smoothie Chef

3 / 7 / 129 / 9 / 13

IMG 7347

This morning Grae and I whipped up one of her all-time favourite snacks, a banana almond oatmeal smoothie.  These are seriously delicious, take all of 2 minutes to make (maybe 5 if working with a mini sous chef), and require ingredients we always have in the house.  Here’s what you need:  A frozen ripe banana, milk, yogurt, old-fashioned oats, almond butter (or any nut butter for that matter), and pure vanilla.

(Side note: Please try to ignore our hideous kitchen tiles!  We are currently renting and somehow the 6 months we’ve spent here has allowed me to enter the kitchen without shuddering in disgust, but seeing these photos makes me wonder how that’s possible…  Yeesh!  I’m sure they were fashionable at one point in time.)

IMG 7348

Break your frozen banana in half and pop it in the blender.

IMG 7351

Add your old-fashioned oats.

IMG 7353

And some yogurt.  (Make sure it’s GOOD yogurt.  Good yogurt makes all the difference.  We’re all about the Greek yogurt right now.)

IMG 7356

Pour in some milk.

IMG 7358

And some all-natural almond butter.

IMG 7359

Add a couple of drops of pure vanilla if you wish.

IMG 7361

Blend until smooth.

IMG 7365

Voila!  Done.

IMG 7372

Shove your entire mouth into your glass and slurp as quickly as possible to achieve this awesome smoothie moustache.

You really can’t go wrong with this smoothie.  If you like to experiment, just chuck the ingredients into the blender and play with the ratios to reach your desired flavour and consistency.  If you prefer to follow a recipe of sorts, here’s what we normally do:

Banana Almond Oatmeal Smoothie

  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 cup of milk
  • 1/2 cup of yogurt
  • 3 TBSP of old-fashioned oats
  • 2 TBSP of all-natural almond butter
  • 1 tsp of pure vanilla

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour into two cups and enjoy!

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