Have you ever tried an Apple & Kiwi Green Smoothie?
Normally, I have mixed feelings about green smoothies. I love the idea of all the nutrients and how refreshing the fruit can be, but I’m not a fan of mixing fruit with veggies, especially spinach!
Yes, I said spinach, we all know that if I had mentioned that in the title a lot of you wouldn’t be here right now! 😉
But, I’m not getting any younger and it’s high time I gave my kids a good example, so, on a much healthier note, we have decided to try more new things. We have managed to get into a few good habits this Ramadan, as well as get rid of some bad ones. Why not kick off our new found intentions with this green kiwi smoothie, using nothing but fruit, yoghurt, and yes, fresh spinach!
Can you even use raw spinach in a smoothie?
Yes, you most certainly can. Just make sure you thoroughly wash it first as raw spinach can be dirty and carry germs and soil!
Eating spinach raw is actually eating it in its healthiest form because cooking spinach actually breaks down the antioxidants and that causes it to lose some of its nutritious value.
How are Green Smoothies good for you?
Green smoothies are so good for you and are a great addition to your diet. Its a simple change you can make to your diet if you want to lose weight or just desire a healthier lifestyle. Spinach helps to provide you with fibre, calcium, and vitamins A, C, and K. A green smoothie also helps to act as a detoxifier and can be a nice energy booster.
Why I love this Apple & Kiwi Green Smoothie
I loved that this green smoothie is so easy to prepare and that none of us could even tell or taste the spinach. The combination of green apple & kiwi gives the perfect tangy-sweet flavour to the creamy avocado & smooth yoghurt texture, making it the perfect green smoothie recipe for beginners and is the tastiest low sugar smoothie I’ve come across. Although, saying that, the kids did prefer it better with some added erythritol. (which I didn’t mind adding as long as they drank it)
I am trying to follow a ketogenic diet with lots of ups and downs, if there’s anything I’ve learned through my experience, it’s that sticking to things like this has a much higher success rate when you do it together as a family. It’s a real struggle to sit there with a completely different meal while watching the rest of the family eating and drinking other things you long for. So I have come to the conclusion that the only solution for me was to incorporate my meals with theirs so that I’m no longer cooking 2 different meals for one dinner.
On this occasion, for example, my keto smoothie was a bit different because I didn’t add banana and kiwi to my one but it was still green and healthy and a smoothie to enjoy together with my family. Finding similar & healthy alternatives for them to enjoy with me has helped me feel less left out & more motivated to continue with my goals.
If you would like to learn more about the Keto diet, please visit our Keto page.
You can prep your smoothies in advance
Prepping a smoothie bag in advance is definitely a great way to cut down on the prep time in the morning or when you are on the go! Making bags of chopped ingredients ready to go and in the freezer means you just have to take them out toss them in the blender. This can also save you from using ice, if you are a slow drinker like me, your smoothie can start to taste watered down with extra ice. Kiwi freezes well, I worried that it wouldn’t because of its watery soft texture, however it didn’t take the effect that I first anticipated. Peeling and slicing kiwi & other fruits prior to freezing helps you grab the required amount at a time, saving time, energy & space in the freezer.
Apple & Kiwi Green Smoothie
Equipment
- Blender
- Chopping Board
- knife
Ingredients
- 1 Banana peeled & sliced
- 1 Green Apple Granny Smith
- 3 Kiwis peeled & sliced
- 2 cups Spinach washed & chopped
- 1 cup Natural Greek Yoghurt I used full fat
- 1 cup Water or Ice you can also use Milk
Optional Ingredients
- 1/2 Medium Avacado peeled & sliced
- 1 tsp Fresh Ginger peeled & grated
- 1/2 cup Fresh Mint washed & chopped
- 1/2 Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 tbsp Organic Honey
Instructions
- Prepare your fruit & spinach by washing and chopping accordingly. I left the apple skin on for extra fibre
- Measure 1 full cup of Greek yoghurt
- Blend the spinach first with 1 cup of water or milk if you are using preprepared frozen fruit. But if you are using fresh-cut fruit as I have on this occasion and want it nice and cold, you can blend the spinach first with 1 cup of ice. My kids chose milk this time.
- Then add all the remaining ingredients and finish blending until smooth.
- Serve straight away. 😉
- If one day you make too much than you can handle, why not freeze the leftovers? My kids love to freeze this smoothie in popsicle moulds. They make a tasty cooling snack in the hot summer days.
