Yesterday was just too hot to cook! So I thought I’d make a smoothie. I’ve seen lots of healthy green smoothie recipes on the web and decided to try making my own. I was particularly inspired by some of the recipes I found at Green Smoothies Rule. The recipes I looked at had spinach in them—I’ve never made one with spinach, so I was curious to see how it would taste.

I really did like it, and all the ingredients are so healthy and good for you! I read that spinach is a good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, B-complex vitamins, calcium, iron, magnesium and other good things. So if you want to make something cool, yummy, and healthy, you’ll want to try this out! There is a very slight spinach taste to this, so if you want less of that, use two bananas in this recipe instead of one (I’m noting that in the recipe, too).

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PINEAPPLE MANGO GREEN SMOOTHIE by NancyC

Makes about 28 ounces, or 2 to 3 servings

• 3/4 to 1 cup well-packed baby spinach leaves
• 1 cup small chunks of fresh pineapple
• 1 cup small chunks of fresh mango
• 1 banana (use 2 bananas if you want to mask the slight spinach flavor more)
• 1 cup vanilla yogurt or soy yogurt
• 1/2 cup low-fat milk or soy milk (if you want a thinner smoothie, use 3/4 cup)
• 2 Tablespoons honey

Put all ingredients in a blender and mix until well-blended (you may have to help stir the mixture along with a spoon at first). Serve immediately. Makes 2 to 3 servings.

VARIATIONS: You can substitute other fruits for the pineapple and mango: green grapes, apples, pears, peaches, and/or cantaloupe. You could also add 1/4 to 1/2 of an avocado to make the smoothie really creamy.

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This is a great, healthy way to start the day or give you some energy in the afternoon!

Have you made any green smoothies yet? Do you have a favorite recipe for one?