vegan >> green smoothie

husband and i have been on smoothie kick since our august of 2012 return from our gluttonous honeymoon in turkey. we needed to detox and reboot our systems-- spinach smoothies were our answer. after numerous changes to ingredients, i finally settled on my go to recipe which i have outlined below. not only is this smoothie packed full of nutrients, it has enough protein to keep me going until lunch. i can't tell you enough how tasty this is....don't let the spinach or vegan aspect deter you. it is delish and so, so healthy. 

>> green smoothie <<

ingredients

• 1 ¼ cup frozen peaches
• 1 banana
• 1 tbsp natural, low-sodium peanut butter
• 3-4 large handfuls of washed, fresh spinach
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 1/4-1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk

instructions

layer the first four ingredients into the blender or smoothie maker as shown in the second picture below >> frozen peaches, banana, peanut butter and topped with as much spinach as you can jam in there. next, pour the orange juice and almond milk over these ingredients.  cover and blend until smooth.

we currently use a blender that is about 100 years old after our smoothie maker went kaput a few months ago. the white contraption you see alongside the blender in the second picture below is part of the smoothie maker.  we use it in our blender to stir the ingredients as we are blending...it fits perfectly in the top hole of our blender cover.  you could also use a spatula or wooden spoon of sorts to push the spinach down to make sure all your ingredients are blended.  just make sure the blender is off when you do this! someone in this house may or may not have ended up with extra plastic in his smoothie at one point.

husband uses this recipe but adds 2 large spoonfuls plain greek yogurt and 1 tbsp. low sugar chocolate protein powder to the mix. he likes his protein.

enjoy and please feel free to pin away and share with your friends and family. popeye would be proud!