Kale?  Check.  Spinach?  Check.  Ability to add other leafy greens?  Check.  Fruit?  Yeah sure, but the first three are the critical ones.  The Vegetable Shake 2.0 is not only a smashing success but also a noticeable improvement over the prior version.

I won’t retell the full original story (you can find that HERE).  This healthy vegetable shake came to life as a solution for my stubborn daughter’s eating preferences.  With consistent tweaks, it has steadily improved over time and not just in flavor but also in healthiness and nutrition.  Not only does this one taste great, but it is also one super healthy shake and a vegetable shake at that!  So, for those bold enough to give it a whirl, here’s the recipe for my healthy vegetable shake:

Ingredients:

• 1-1.25 cups coconut milk
• 6 handfuls (approx. 6 cups) of fresh, leafy greens (e.g., Kale, Spinach, Chard, etc.)
• 1 banana
• 1 cup of grapes (I think green work best)
• 1-1.5 cups of the frozen “Antioxidant Berry Blend” from Costco
• 0.75-1 cup of frozen blueberries from Costco

Add milk, leafy greens, and banana to blender.  On top of that mixture, add both types of frozen berries.  Liquify.

Yeah, not overly complicated.  Getting the order of vegetables and fruit in your blender is probably more difficult than anything else.  Obviously, you want everything to mix thoroughly and that generally means the heaviest stuff (i.e., the frozen berries) on top.  Having the banana surrounded by the leafy vegetables helps as it will stir the mixture when being blended.

For what it is worth, you can add any assortment of fruit or vegetables that you like to my vegetable shake recipe.  I use those ingredients because (a) it is a pretty simply recipe, (b) my goals are to get my kids to eat kale and spinach everyday, and (c) even with the vegetable content, the finished product is delicious. But, here’s a couple ingredient-related pieces of advice though when picking ingredients for your vegetable shake.

One, some leafy greens taste better than other.  For instance, endive, collard greens, mustard greens, and dandelion greens have a very strong and sometimes bitter flavor.  I have found their flavor difficult to mask and have eliminated them from the vegetable rotation.

Two, having a powerful blender helps but isn’t necessary.  This vegetable shake can be made in any blender or even using a handheld blender.  You just need to proceed in the right order to ensure the leafy greens are as liquified as possible.  My advice would be to blend the leafy greens and milk first until thoroughly mixed.  Then, add the banana and last add the frozen berries.  Chunks of blueberries taste great.  Chunks of kale are less desirable.

Three, have fun with it!  My vegetable shake is nothing more than a vehicle for nutrition.  But, when making it, I try to have it be as fun as possible.  I involve my kids.  I add random vegetables sometimes (e.g., carrots, celery, etc.).  But, whether you are making it for yourself or others, remember to have a good time in the process.

If you have any specific questions, please just ask.  I always appreciate comments, questions, and feedback, especially about the Vegetable Shake 2.0!!!  Thanks for reading!