Kimberly Snyder's Glowing Green Smoothie

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Green Smoothie

The keystone of my diet is Kimberly Snyder's Glowing Green Smoothie.  A big part of what I eat is leafy green vegetables.  I find leafy greens to regulate my digestion, provide energy, and make me feel bright and clean.  The Glowing Green Smoothie includes a whole romaine heart and handfuls of spinach in one delicious drink, which really helps me to kick start my daily green goals.  

There are many types of green drinks out there, try Janny's Morning Smoothie, or any fresh, unpasteurized/unprocessed fruit and veggie smoothie that is heavy on the greens.  But of all the smoothies I have tried, Kimberly's recipe is the one that my body and soul craves.  It is the perfect way to start the day, and discovering and making the Glowing Green Smoothie is what introduced me to the many benefits of a plant-based diet.  I have a lot of pride for this daily ritual and this drink really changed everything for me.

I consume the smoothie just about each day, 30 minutes after I drink a cup of hot water with lemon, which I also learned from Kimberly.

Here I will post Kimberly's recipe and video that demonstrates how to make the Glowing Green Smoothie, but soon, I will also post a video of myself.  I love making the smoothie and making it yourself is part of the joy.  When I first read about this drink, I felt as it would be impossible for me to make because it was so different from what I was used to doing for breakfast, but once I tried it and developed a routine, it became as natural and simple as pouring out a bowl of cereal.  I have been drinking the glowing green smoothie just about every morning for almost 3 years.

I will write more about my secrets for preparation in a future post (I usually prepare in the evenings, making three batches at a time), but for now here is the recipe and Kim demonstrating her amazing creation!

  • 1½-2 cups water (I just eyeball this using filtered, cold water.)
  • ¾ pound (340 g) organic romaine lettuce (I buy a bag of 3 romaine hearts and just use 1 heart per batch.  I rinse the lettuce and chop leaves in half as my blender is really strong.)
  • ½ head large bunch or ¾ small bunch organic spinach (I toss in about a half bag of pre-washed spinach or more if I really need extra energy.)
  • 3-4 organic celery stalks, halved 
  • 1 organic apple, cored, seeded, quartered
  • 1 organic pear, cored, seeded, quartered (It can be hard to find a perfectly ripe pear.  Sometimes I substitute by using 2 apples, or an orange, a peach or a plum.)
  • 1 organic banana, peeled (I will sometimes use 2 bananas.)
  • ½ fresh organic lemon, peeled, seeded (I usually do the juice of one whole lemon and use a hand squeezer so I don't have to peel or remove seeds.)
  • bunch organic cilantro with stems (optional)
  • bunch organic parsley with stems (optional)

Kim likes the Vitamix, which I hear great things about, but it's pricey.  Scott bought us the Oster Versa Performance Blender last fall and I just love it.  In the past I've used the Ninja Master Prep and a Cusinart immersion blender.  I made my first Glowing Green Smoothie in Park Slope in the smallest kitchen ever with just the immersion blender and a plastic iced tea pitcher.  You can do this at any price point.  I pour out three 16 oz mason jars and seal tightly and drink no more than 3 days after preparing. 

Watch the video above, www.kimberlysnyder.com