Summer is just right around the corner! Who doesn’t love summer? With all the fresh fruit, the family get- together’s; sometimes it can be had to decide what to bring to the function. Green smoothies are the new “it” thing, and why not bring a batch of the best smoothie you can make to the get together? There are so many benefits to drinking green smoothies! They have great anti-oxidants, a bunch of nutrients, and they even have vegetables in it, when you can’t even tell! So next time you are thinking about going to a family get together and have not a clue what to bring, try out one of these amazing recipes, they are sure not to disappoint.

1. Island Blast

1 small to medium banana (ripe and peeled)

1 rib of celery

¼ cucumber (peeled if not organic)

1 cup of fresh or frozen pineapple

1 small handful of parsley

½ inch piece of ginger (or less if you’re new to ginger)

1-2 cups of coconut water (unpasteurized)

2. Banana-Berry Super Smoothie

2 cups of spinach

1 frozen small to medium banana (ripe and peeled)

3/4 cup of frozen mixed berries (or fresh strawberries or blueberries)

¼ cup of raw nuts or raw seeds (my favorites are sunflower seeds, walnuts, flax seeds or almonds, or a combination of the above)

1-2 cups of water or coconut water (unpasteurized)

3. Green Strawberry-Kiwi Lemonade

1 kiwi (peeled)

¾ cup of frozen or fresh strawberries

¼- ½  cup of frozen or fresh pineapple

½ lemon (peeled and seeds removed)

2 cups of spinach

1-1 ½ cups of water or coconut water (unpasteurized)

** More recipes on mindbodygreen.com

By Krystal Nelson