Yummy Chai Green Smoothie

It's Thursday and the week is nearly over!  Kevin and I have plans to go visit my parents this weekend to go apple picking in the orchards just north of town, and I can't wait!  The apples from our last trip maybe lasted a little over a week, and I haven't been able to bring myself to get store-bought apples lately.  The store's apples are nearly the same price, but have been shipped from who knows where, and not nearly as fresh compared to Green Bluff apples straight from the tree.  The orchard staff told us last time to come back in a few weeks and the red delicious and golden delicious(my favorite) would be ready for picking.  I'm also looking forward to all the cooking that will be involved in our weekend activities.  When we arrive in town late tomorrow afternoon my mom and I will be making veggie pizzas (recipe after the weekend), then on Saturday night, I will be making dinner for my parents, as a belated birthday present to my mom who had her birthday yesterday.  I'll keep that recipe a mystery for now, as she reads the blog, and I wouldn't dare spoil the delicious surprise!  


The recipe for today's blog post is from Healthy Girl's Kitchen, which is by far my favorite blog to read and get inspiration from.  One of the best recipes I've found on this blog is for a Chai Green Smoothie.  She also has a blog post with a long list of green smoothies from her blog readers, I have tried a few of them and can't wait to try more!  Here is the recipe I use for a chai green smoothie (very slightly different from HGK).


Chai Green Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 c almond milk

1 T ground flaxseed

1 frozen banana

1 T raisins

big handful chopped celery

big handful fresh parsley

giant handful fresh spinach leaves

1 tsp chai spice blend (scroll down on link for recipe)

7 ice cubes

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a blender with the frozen ingredients at the top.  Blend till smooth. Enjoy!

Amy's notes: From the original recipe on HGK, I made a few very small changes.  I cut 1/4 c of the almond milk out because I thought the smoothie was wet enough without and saves me time in measuring.  I use raisins instead of dates because I have raisins I've been needing to use up, but I'm sure you could use any sort of dried fruit you would like.  Today I used the leftover tops of celery stalks, which worked out great and saved on trashing veggie scraps.

Have you ever tried a green smoothie?  Have you ever had greens in a breakfast before?