My sister-in-law, Jeanne, will be visiting in a couple of weeks. This will be her first time in California, and I’m looking forward to being her tour guide.
I’m also excited about initiating her to a plant-based diet. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not shoving my way of eating down her throat. She wants to transition her diet. She’s watched the pounds melt away on my husband and me since we started eating this way, so she’s going plant-strong to lose weight.
She’s been struggling with the transition, however; so while she’s here I hope to show her how easy and tasty a plant-based diet can be. One way I’ll do this is by getting her hooked on green smoothies, smoothies made with fruit and dark leafy greens.
Since Jeanne recently tasted her first green smoothie and wasn’t a fan, I’ll have to entice her with ‘starter’ green smoothies like this mouth-watering Green Orange Julius.
Green Orange Julius
Ingredients
1 cup almond milk
1 orange
1 handful spinach (gradually increase to 2 handfuls)
Frozen banana
1 tsp vanilla
Directions
Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend for 45 seconds or until desired consistency is reached.
Note: This recipe works best in a high-speed blender like a Vitamix.
This recipe was inspired by Foodie with Family.
For more starter green smoothie recipes, see Help! My Green Smoothie Tastes Like Crap!
I appreciate anyone who takes the time to say hello! I love receiving your comments and questions, so please contact me. Email: celestedimilla(at)yahoo(dot)com (pardon this funky spelling…it helps prevent spam).
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Honk If You're Vegan 
I think that orange might be a good smoothie to start because orange is a strong flavor and might over power the spinach.
Thanks so much for your comment! I completely agree with you. This smoothie also has vanilla extract, which helps to mask the ‘green’ too. It additionally helps if you use an over-ripe banana because they are sweeter. Hope you try the smoothie and if you do, let me know what you think.
This really sounds so delicious. Another amazing smoothie (can definitely be a full meal):
1 cup almond milk
1 tbsp almond butter
1/2 avocado
kale (as much as you want, really)
1 banana
It sounds so weird, but it has this yummy nutty and sweet flavor. So good!
That does sound delicious! I’ve never made a smoothie with almond butter or peanut butter, but I’ve been thinking about it lately. I’ve also never used avocado in a smoothie, but I’ve heard that it makes them really creamy. Thanks so much for sharing!
I have a green smoothie every morning but I still haven’t made one with almond (or soy, etc) milk. I agree about the ripeness of the banana having an impact- the riper the better. I also like using frozen bananas. The texture is so creamy then.
Have a lovely time with your sister-in-law.
🙂
Hey there Ally! I can’t tell much difference in taste when I use almond milk instead of water in my smoothies. I think they are a little creamier with the almond milk, but not much. Still, for my sister-in-law I want to use every possible trick up my sleeve to make the smoothies as tasty as can be. Thanks so much for your comment!
These Orange Juliuses (Juliusi?) are much tastier than the kind we used to get at the mall, in my opinion.
Hey sweetie, thanks for your comment. They’re a lot healthier than the ones you get at the mall too. XXOO
do you have a suggestion to use kiwi…
thank you for your interesting sharing.
Hey Anna! Thanks so much for reading my blog and for your comment – I really appreciate it! I’ve never made a green smoothie with kiwi, but it sounds good. I guess I’ll have to come up with a recipe. I’ll let you know when I do.
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