I drink this every. single. morning.

It is officially a habit I refuse to break. More addicting than coffee.

Okay, now I’m just sounding crazy… but I swear I’m not.

Green smoothies are where it’s at, I’m tellin’ ya. I fully believe that my new morning ritual is 99% responsible for the success of my diet.

I’m talking about my increased energy, the clearer skin, an improved mood, and a metabolism that just won’t quit.

Did I mention that I had a baby 7 months ago and this smoothie has helped me get in better shape than BEFORE I got pregnant?

That is why I find my green smoothies more addictive than coffee- because the results are so phenomenal that you don’t want to give them up.

This is now my morning ritual: 2 cups water with the juice of 1/2 lemon ASAP. Settle the kids. Smoothie time!

And the success I have had doing this is beyond what I could have imagined. Why would I ever go back to coffee when I feel and look so great from my green smoothie?

The coolest thing about green smoothies is that you can pretty much pick whatever combination of fruit and greens that works for you and it will always be nutritious and effective.

It took me a long time though to find a combination that made me happy enough to sip on everyday. Mostly because I was hell bent on having 2 servings of greens stuffed in there. Not just spinach.

I started experimenting with celery. I was aiming to create a combination similar to the Glowing Green Smoothie, but one that I could actually stomach.

Turns out I don’t like celery in smoothies.

Once I traded that in for some cucumber, everything changed. My green smoothie found its bliss : )

The winning combination? You’re looking at it!

Cucumber. Apple. Strawberries. Banana. Spinach. Lemon.

And you know what else? You don’t even need the banana. So if you are really looking to lose weight, just cut that out. I put it in because I enjoy the taste, and it makes the texture less apple-saucy. But you definitely don’t need it. I often make it with just berries and an apple for fruit. My daughter actually prefers it that way. Oh yeah, did I not mention that yet?

My daughter LOVES this green smoothie! More so than the chocolate ones I make her. That is saying something since she is head over heels for anything chocolate.

You know who else likes this? Dave! He used to look like he was going to be sick when I would put vegetables in my smoothies. Now he looks forward to making himself one every morning too.

I should warn you. Your smoothie won’t be this green. That is mostly photoshop just to make the picture pop. Plus, the red in the strawberries can give the greena browner quality sometimes.

*UPDATE- I have a NEW morning smoothie! More hardcore than this one and even more effective. I’d call this one a good beginners Green Smoothie.*

FOR PREGNANT OR BREASTFEEDING MOMS: You will want to add some protein and/or fat. Now is not the time to starve yourself. Add one or more tablespoon of the following- almond butter, coconut butter, hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, plant-based protein powder.

By the way, this smoothie is high in vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber, iron, manganese, magnesium, and potassium.

Smart Substitutions: If you want to go real low-cal, low-sugar with this smoothie, you can easily forget the banana. I’ve been doing that lately and then just adding some stevia in its place. That way if the lunch smoothie I am making later in the day has a banana in it, I don’t double up on my banana consumption for the day ; )

NUTRITION INFORMATION with BANANA

NUTRITION INFORMATION without BANANA