Strawberry Cheesecake Green Smoothie + Green Smoothie tips

Tired of hearing about green smoothies? Yeah, so am I. BUT WAIT! They are the easiest way for me to get a ton of greens down in one sitting. I've been making them for many years. I started making them in my food processor because my blender just couldn't handle it. Now we use a Cuisinart blender and it has changed my life. I don't see the day coming anytime soon when we can afford a Vitamix, so if you're like me, you need to figure out how to make them in your blender.

Tips about greens:

1. Use spinach if you are a beginner. Spinach is cheap and doesn't disturb the taste of the fruit in your smoothie very much. When you're ready to branch out, start adding a little variety of greens like kale or chard.
2. If you use lettuce, you will probably be able to taste it.
3. Kale works best if you stuff your blender full of kale, add enough water to cover the kale, and then blend just the kale and water up first before adding anything else. Same tip applies for swiss chard.
4. If you like the green ice cube method- (which I don't because I don't know exactly how much spinach I'm consuming and something about breaking down the spinach and freezing it makes me think I've destroyed the goodness) Try to use about a 6:1 ration. 6 cups of spinach, 1 cup of water.

Tips for a delicious green smoothie:
1. Don't be afraid to add a lot of fruit at first. As you get used to the taste, start adding less and less fruit until you are accustomed to a greener taste.
2. Frozen bananas help give the smoothie a nice, creamy consistency.
3. Frozen fruit works great because it keeps the smoothie cold and creamy. If you use fresh fruit, don't worry about cutting off the leaves, peeling, or removing the core.
4.  Make it big enough to fill you up! My green smoothies are usually between 26-32 ounces.
5. Nut butters and Greek yogurt are a great way to beef them up with some protein.
6. If your blender is having a hard time blending, just continue adding a little liquid at a time until it stops getting stuck at the bottom.
7. Be patient! Making a green smoothie in a blender takes some time. Let it run and run and run until it has reached a smooth consistency.
8. If you have a food processor, try using that if your blender tends to get clogged with fruit at the bottom.
9. Get creative!
10. Don't be shy with the greens- add 3 huge handfuls to each smoothie.

My favorite combos:
1. Banana + 2 pears + 1 C strawberries
2. Blueberries + almond butter + banana
3. Peaches + orange juice + strawberries
4. Banana + strawberries + Greek yogurt
5. Banana + peanut butter + cocoa
6. Strawberries + frozen cranberries + frozen raspberries

Strawberry Cheesecake Green Smoothie 

• 3-4 handfuls of spinach or 3-4 cups of kale
• 1 frozen banana
• 2 cups frozen strawberries or fresh strawberries with stems intact
• 1/3 C Greek Yogurt (I recommend Fage for it's superior taste and protein content)
• dash of pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. In your blender, combine spinach/kale with enough water to blend it up. After greens are sufficiently blended with water, add fruit, yogurt, and vanilla. Blend. Blend. Blend.