I can’t even tell you how many times I get asked about healthy snacks and what to eat for breakfast.

Let’s face it, snoozing is amazing, we never leave as much time as it takes to get ready in the morning, and, for most of us, we’re lucky if we get out the door looking half decent and have something edible in hand as we get in the car or onto the subway.

But if you’re like me (and most of my clients) you know you’d rather start your day off right, feeling fresh and energized rather than scarfing down a bagel behind the wheel or eating a breakfast sandwich in front of the computer as you work. Am I right? The trick is how to actually make that happen.

I’ve found that there are pretty much two major obstacles that get in the way: 1. time and 2. readily available options.

Lucky for us, my friends over at Simple Green Smoothies have it covered. They’ve perfected the art of quick and easy green smoothies: a perfect go-to option for a rawkstar breakfast that tastes amazing and helps you feel great too. Most only take 5 minutes to prepare including cleanup (1. time – check!) and the best part is that you only need a handful of ingredients that you can easily keep stocked in your fridge or freezer (2. available options – double check!).

After obsessing my way around their awesome website and finding a bunch of new personal favorites, I reached out to the green smoothie goddesses themselves: Jadah and Jen (check out their cute photo below) to give us the lowdown on how to perfect the art of the green smoothie so you, too, can start rawking out with your Ball jar out 😉

So let’s start with the basics…

SO, WHAT THE HECK IS IN THERE?!

That’s always one of the first questions we get— and its a good one! Well, it’s a pretty simple (and tasty) combo: leafy greens + fruit + liquid-base … and maybe some fancy superfood toppings. It may seem like a crazy diet fad, but honestly once you try a green smoothie, you’ll most likely become insanely addicted (like us)! And there is nothing better than downing 2 cups of spinach a day in a delightful fashion.

And if you want to get all scientific, dark leafy greens contain: high-quality amino acids, important minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and beneficial phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are plant-based chemicals that support your immune system, improve health and longevity, and may reduce life- threatening diseases. I know that’s a mouthful, so that’s why when you hang out with us, we try to keep the green smoothie lifestyle simple and fun. I think we can both agree fruits and vegetables are good for you.

5 REASONS WE LOVE GREEN SMOOTHIES

1. Natural energy booster to keep a little pep in your step in the morning (and during those afternoon slumps).

2. Natural weight loss can he a happy side effect of gulping these in place of a typical breakfast (just make sure to include healthy fats and protein to make it a more complete meal).

3. Stay healthy all-year-long. Simple way to boost your immune system when you’re feeling under the weather.

4. Packed with disease-fighting antioxidants. The phytonutrients in leafy greens boost your body’s immune system and keep it functioning properly.

5. Hands down— The best fast food. It takes less than 5 minutes to make a green smoothie (and clean up!) and they’re super easy to take on the go– especially when you prep ahead.

WANT TO GET ADVENTUROUS?!

MAKE YOUR OWN GREEN SMOOTHIE!

The beginner-friendly formula below is how we make most of our delicious green smoothie recipes. Now all you need is a blender, an open mind, and a willingness to drink your veggies! Make sure to check out our Beginner’s Luck and other recipes for inspiration.

GREEN SMOOTHIE BLENDING TIPS:

1. Tightly pack 2 cups of leafy greens in a measuring cup and then toss into blender.

2. Add 2 cups of water and blend together until all leafy chunks are gone.

3. Add 3 cups of fruit and blend again until smooth.

4. Pour into a mason jar (or cute cup of your choice).

5. Gulp or sip like a rawkstar!

PSSST! Got an allergy to mango or pineapple, or not a big fan of bananas? You can substitute any fruit with another fruit with a one to one ratio.

JUMP ON THE GREEN SMOOTHIE BANDWAGON!

Join Jadah and Jen for their free 30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge starting TODAY! Get access to new green smoothie recipes, weekly shopping lists, and a rawkin’ community of over 500,000 people cheering you on for 30 days. I’ve personally done this challenge, and it is a total blast. Sign up here to get the goods.

Jadah and Jen Co-Founders of www.simplegreensmoothies.com

P.S. Here’s a little shout out to Sarah who emailed me looking for a smoothie fix that also involved chocolate (brilliant) here’s a link to an ah-mazing one from our favorite green goddesses.

Now it’s your turn

In the comments below, I want to know…

Have you given green smoothies a try? How’d it go? Have you found any combinations you adore and that you would be willing to share with us?

If this is your first time embarking into the world of the green smoothie, tell us what most excites you about getting going! Are you up for the challenge?

Looking forward to hearing from you! xo