I confess. I don’t like to drink my greens.

Last week, Jennifer posted an amazing recipe, with lots of compelling nutritional information, for a Grapefruit Green Smoothie (with kale). I want to enjoy green smoothies, I really do. But every time I drink a green smoothie, I feel like I just stuck my straw in the backyard lawn…and then got lots of little pieces of grass stuck in my teeth. I like greens (usually sautéed), and I regularly drink smoothies for breakfast (my go-to recipe is 1 scoop vegan protein powder, 1/2 cup frozen fruit, 12 oz almond milk or coconut water, 2 ice cubes).

So, what’s a healthy gal to do?  I’ve decided to “build up” my tolerance for drinking greens, and thus, I have concocted my own “barely green” smoothie–something to acclimate my palette to the taste of liquid greens and, preferably, something that doesn’t leave strange green flakes in my teeth.

A Beginner Green Smoothie (Tasty, Fresh, and Healthy!)

• 3 Clementines, or 3 Tangelos, or 1 Orange, peeled and separated in to segments
• 3 pieces of Romaine Lettuce
• 1/2 of a Cucumber, sliced or cubed
• 1 scoop of your favorite Protein Powder, vanilla flavored (I prefer PlantFusion Vanilla Bean)
• 2 tsp grated fresh Ginger (or try a sprinkle of  cinnamon instead–I like it both ways)
• 8-12 ounces Coconut Water or Almond Milk, unsweetened (both taste great–you can also do a combo of the two)
• 1-2 Ice Cubes (optional)

Place all ingredients in blender, starting with 8 ounces of coconut water/almond milk, adding more if you want it less thick. Also, experiment with adding 1-2 ice cubes…this will make it a little lighter.

Enjoy!

PS: When you are ready to “build up” to spinach in your smoothies, you might want to try one of these 5 Delicious Green Smoothies on MindBodyGreen.com. I think I am going to give the Tropical Cleanse one, with pineapple, a try. Who knows, by summer, I might even be ready for a little kale in my morning drink!