HOW TO BE A SMOOTHIE CRIMINAL
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Contents Who is James McLoughlin & Green Press? ����������������������� 01
Inflammation Insurance �����������������������������������������������������������������28
Why Smoothies? ������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 03
Switch On Smoothie ����������������������������������������������������������������������� 29
Green Press Smoothie Formula ����������������������������������������������04
10 Day Smoothie Detox ���������������������������������������������������������������� 30
Fruits ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������06
Bonus Smoothies ������������������������������������������������������������������������������32
Protein ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������09
Blueberry Muffin Smoothie ���������������������������������������������������������32
Sugar-Free Sweeteners �����������������������������������������������������������������12
Snickers Smoothie ���������������������������������������������������������������������������32
Superfoods & Flavour Enhancers ��������������������������������������������14
Mjango Unchained ����������������������������������������������������������������������������33
Mixed Greens ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������16
Mochin’ On Heaven’s Door �����������������������������������������������������������33
Favourite Plant-Based Liquids ���������������������������������������������������18
Fibre Flush �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 34
Smoothie Recipes ��������������������������������������������������������������������������� 20
Magnesium Mood Elevator ��������������������������������������������������������� 34
The Boss ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 20
Matcha Detox ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 35
Danny Green �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������21
Strawberry Shortcake ������������������������������������������������������������������� 35
Bananaman Smoothie �������������������������������������������������������������������22
Chocolate Cake Batter ����������������������������������������������������������������� 36
Mint Choc Chip �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������23
Weed Brownie ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 36
Peanut Butter & Jelly ����������������������������������������������������������������������24
Peanut Biceps �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������37
Lemon Meringue Pie ������������������������������������������������������������������������25
Chai Latte ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������37
Pina Kale-ada ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 26
What Else? ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 38
Purple Rain ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������27
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Who is James McLoughlin & Green Press?
I’m from the middle of Australia. The outback. My life changed when I quit my job in Australia and moved to New York. Just because. I stretched the dream out for 3 years (thanks U.S. immigration) and had my entire diet overhauled. New York introduced me to green juices and re-ignited my daily smoothie habit. I was so inspired that I moved back to Australia and put my life savings into the first organic cold pressed juice bar in Melbourne. My brother (a chef) and New York fiance helped me start it. Green Press was born in Melbourne, Australia in 2013.
What Do We Believe In? Everything we do at Green Press is designed to add time to your day and years to your life. We believe in vegetables like Kanye believes in Yeezus. If you’re a human being you simply have to eat more. Only we try to make them taste great with as little effort as possible. Find ways to increase your greens and you’ll age slower, get more things done and look better naked. We don’t live a paleo, vegan or gluten free life. A New York margherita knocks all of those out in one meal. We understand that blanket restrictions work great for some people, we just don’t want to give up everything. Any time we relapse and put convenience or comfort first, our stomach is pretty quick to remind us that we mucked up. So we eat to feel good. To look good. And to live longer.
Who Is This Book For? Anyone that wants to increase their vegetable intake. See their doctor less and have more energy. Morning smoothies are a gateway. Start your day right and soon enough you’ll be enthusiastically eating salads. Sounds BS but it happened to me, a carnivorous carb lover.
Who Isn’t This For? The crash dieter. There are plenty of other smoothie books that will help you lose 10-15 pounds in 10 days. If you want to lose weight urgently we’re not for you. We don’t count calories. We want to lose weight and enjoy plants for the long term. Not because we need to fit into a smaller wardrobe next weekend. We could recommend blending lemon, water and kale each morning. You’ll get results and they are fantastic nutrients to consume. In fact, there’s probably nothing better. But we’re foodies. We like to enjoy our meals. We want to look forward to our blended creations, not view it as a forced chore. Doing something you don’t want to do is why diets fail.
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We’re interested in evolving your palate so you eat more plants. Change your lifestyle. Smoothies changed our life and they’ll do the same for you. Making kale taste good is the key to long term success. We also try not to take this health game too seriously.
What’s In This Book? The ten tastiest detoxifying smoothies you’ll ever make. They have no peer in terms of nutritional integrity and flavour. None. Plus we have some bonus smoothies and a 10-Day Detox program.
Bonus We’re also hooking you up with our GREEN DAY; GOOD RIDDANCE TO BAD DINNERS. Also for free it will show you how to make vegetable dense dinners in no time. Our chef created these with the three Green Press goals in mind: 1. The most vegetables 2. The quickest prep time 3. The tastiest flavour Please download that free-book here.
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Why Smoothies?
There’s no easier way to get plants in your body. It’s the least confronting method for your tastebuds. And it’s fast. As well as tasting great (with the right combos), they’ll also fill you up. And it’s important to start your day right. Skipping breakfast means you’re 450% more likely to be obese. So please don’t underestimate the cliché. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. We use it as an opportunity to knock out at least two servings of dense vegetables. It clears your skin as well as your dietary conscience. And gives you energy. Add a clean protein and you’ve got burning metabolism that leads to looking good naked.
What Do You Need? A fridge A freezer A blender A knife Optional - measuring cups Couldn’t be easier. • • • • •
What Blender Do I Need? If you have a blender, that will do. Don’t let your hardware prevent you from enjoying vegetables. That being said, if your machine chokes on kale, we have some recommended upgrades. • The Nutribullet Range The perfect my-first-blender option. Convenience, speed and less cleaning up. Blend your breakfast and run out the door. • The Optimum Range (Available UK & Australia) Their stick blenders are brilliant for next level blenders. Smoothie bowls, nice cream and cashews creams. Push plants around to form creamy deliciousness. You’ll notice we didn’t recommend the Vitamix. In Australia those machines cost $1200-1500 and aren’t as reliable or powerful as the Optimum range. And the Optimums cost less than half the price. The Vitamix marketing budget is genius and I can understand why you think they are the Rolls Royce of blenders. But they drive like a Camry. The same can be said for the Hamilton Beach range. The cheaper Ninja models work well in the cup style, but not so much with bigger jugs. The only well known brand we haven’t used hours and hours is Blendtech. Additionally, don’t buy a blender for under $100. Any machine at less than a greenback won’t take on almonds. And won’t last six months.
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Green Press Smoothie Formula Our non-patented smoothie formula is: 2 cups Greens + 1 cup Fruit + Protein + Sweetener + 1 ½ cups Plant-Based Liquid It looks a little long. Kind of like painful algebra. But you’ll soon see it’s incredibly simple. And the addition of protein and a small sweetener is what will drive your results. But let’s start with the most important.
GREENS The reason we have green smoothies is to ingest more vegetables. Let’s face it, raw kale is about as palatable as the dirt it grows in. But the nutritional profile is medicinal in strength, so if we can smuggle that into a peanut butter and jelly smoothie, we can keep our cells happy. As well as our tastebuds. If you want to get the most out of your smoothies, include two cups of green every time you blend.
Our Favourite Green Leafs For Smoothies Spinach Baby spinach is the gateway to plant based eating. Tremendously dense in vitamin A, C, K, magnesium, folate and many more vitamins and minerals. It’s also subtle in flavour. If you blend it with other ingredients, you won’t taste it. It’s perfect for beginners and experts. Our personal favourite.
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Kale Two cups of kale the recommended dosage in some of our smoothies, equals four times your daily vitamin A needs, twice your vitamin C needs, 13 times your vitamin K needs and 50 %of your manganese needs. What does that all mean? You’ve prevented disease, you’ve given your body energy, you’ve slowed ageing and you’ve brightened your skin. Raw Broccoli Kale’s cruciferous cousin. She’s dense in folate (baby development / sperm health) and also rich in vitamin C and K. The antioxidant properties are so strong they protect against prostate, colon, breast, pancreatic and urinary bladder cancers. Are There Any Others? Feel free to try cabbage, cauliflower, bok-choy, silverbeet (aka swiss chard), collard greens or romaine lettuce. You can use pretty much any leafy vegetable but we find kale and spinach to be the most smoothie compatible. Followed by raw broccoli.
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FRUITS We love fruit. Slow releasing plant based energy and a whole host of micronutrients.
Freeze ‘Em You already know this but if you want a creamy and cold smoothie without ice, freeze your fruit. We love buying frozen organic fruit such as blueberries. It’s farmed just like, or even next to, the fresh stuff. Only it’s cheaper and available all year. There’s actually strong evidence that fruit frozen right after picking is more nutritious than the same variety transported fresh to your market. The further your fresh food travels, the more time the nutrients have to deteriorate. I’ve previously been a huge snob of fresh over frozen but I’m wrong. Consider buying organic fruits and vegetables frozen. And if you buy fresh bananas that are starting to overripen, get those suckas in the freezer. Just remember to peel them first.
Fruit & Fructose We have a massive problem with the current health trend bashing of fruit. To put a naturally grown whole food under the same umbrella as processed foods which contain high levels of fructose is idiotic. The fructose in fruit doesn’t act at all like our processed foods. Fruit doesn’t cause your energy to crash. It doesn’t cause liver fibrosis or hypertension. Fruit is full of nutrients, giving us energy and slowing down ageing.
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And people that eat fruit lose more weight than people who restrict fructose all together.
Our Favourite Fruits For Smoothies Banana The most popular smoothie ingredient. And for good reason. Creamy, sweet and universally known. Bananas are a great source of fibre, potassium and vitamin B-6. Lemon The tartness isn’t for everyone but one lemon is nearly a day’s worth of vitamin C. That means an immune system that can prevent disease and slow down ageing. The key to enjoying a smoothie with a peeled lemon is complimenting it with sweetness. Anti-bacterial raw honey or a vanilla plantbased protein will create that sweet and sour flavour. Pineapple You’d think with such a sweet flavour profile that pineapple isn’t nutritious. Not true. It has a similar vitamin C content as lemon, and a similar vitamin B-6 and fibre content as banana. Organic pineapple is erratic and hard to find. If you can buy it frozen, that gives you access to this delicious fruit year round. Berries We get down with any berry. Blueberries are our favourite. But you can go from straw to black to rasp. The whole family is notorious for antioxidants. They’ll protect you against cancer, diabetes, and heart and brain diseases. Dang! And they are colourful characters that bring flavour. Avocado Truth be told, we don’t love avocado in smoothies. And no it’s not cause she’s fat. We love her unsaturated curves. Our issue is that she shouldn’t be sharing the smoothie spotlight with anyone. If we’re going to spend 10 minutes fondling every avocado at the market, you better believe we want to taste every bruisefree inch of her. We can’t have her flavour and texture outshone by other ingredients in a smoothie. We’d rather turn her into guacamole or let her pimp a salad. But if you’re fortunate enough to own an avocado farm or drive a brand new Range Rover then you can treat avocados like they grown on trees. They blend like champions. Full of folate, good fats, potassium and fibre. Mango Our mango approach is pretty similar to avocados. We like these guys by themselves. However, unlike avocados, we don’t mind a few bruises on these guys. We love putting overripe or blemished mangoes in smoothies. The flavour comes on strong.
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Delicious tropical mangos are rich in vitamin A and C. Which is no surprise given their orange hue. What Other Fruits Can I Use? Obviously you’re not limited to our picks. These are just our favourites. You can use papaya, kiwi, apple, orange, pear, cucumber, watermelon and anything else seasonally available. How Much Fruit Should I Put In A Smoothie? The green press smoothie formula calls for one cup. That’s roughly one frozen banana, two cheeks of mango or a handful of frozen berries. Precision is overrated. Measure with your eyes and tastebuds.
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PROTEIN Protein is the Green Press point of difference. It should be a mandatory ingredient for smoothies. Forget the notion that protein is exclusively for the bicep posers at your local gym. By enjoying a plant based protein you’ll increase metabolism, feel fuller and curb cravings. This is why protein is instrumental in weight loss. Plus our favourite sources of protein are full of vitamins and minerals. Check out our Naturopath’s article on how protein helps hormone, skin and liver health.
Walnuts Walnuts are a dense source of omega-3, copper, manganese, molybdenum, and biotin. Importantly, they are recognised with having anti-cancer properties. As well as supporting brain function, male reproduction and heart health. I have a handful of walnuts every time I spell check this paragraph.
Oats Renowned for their fibre, rolled or steel cuts are also rich sources of protein, manganese and phosphorus. Oats lower cholesterol which reduces the chance of heart disease or stroke. And they also stabilise blood sugar levels which makes them an ideal breakfast ingredient.
Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas) An anti-ageing multi-vitamin, just one handful will go along way to achieving your daily requirement of magnesium,
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zinc, iron, manganese, vitamin E and protein. That means energy, weight loss, firmer skin and a stronger immune system.
Chia Seeds Chia seeds, in terms of nutritional content, are basically a blend of the best attributes in salmon, spinach, blueberries and human growth hormone. If you haven’t read the worldwide bestseller, “Born To Run”, do yourself a favour. Christopher McDougall describes the true story of the Tarahumara tribe who live hidden in the Copper Canyons of Mexico, running double marathons for fun all on the fuel of the magical chia seed. Once you read the book you’ll be putting a tablespoon of chia seeds in everything.
Plant Based Protein Powder Your protein powder has to be plant-based as whey, like milk, isn’t biologically designed for human consumption. It will get toning results but at the cost of alkalinity and inflammation. The best plant based recipes are much cleaner with complimenting ingredients too, because they are made for fussy health nuts like us that read labels. Our favourite brands from the States are MRM Vegie Elite and Rawfusion. We also discovered Prana On in Australia and love their coconut flavour. If you refuse to use protein powders in our recipes, use a handful of cashews with a tablespoon of coconut as a replacement.
Hemp Seeds Banned for human consumption in Australia but I don’t let the man keep me in the dark. Hemp seeds are an unbelievable source of essential fatty acids (omega-3 and 6), promoting weight loss, lowering cholesterol and providing energy. You only need a couple of tablespoons for a powerful serving. They’ll also thicken up your smoothie like chia seeds would, only with twice the protein and all nine essential amino acids. Almonds California’s favourite nut is another multi-vitamin. Fibre, protein, vitamin E and many other nutrients mean almonds help with fighting disease, losing weight, treating respiratory disorders and anaemia, improving skin and hair, and preventing diabetes. Fellow fellas, almonds also help with impotence and constipation. Charming. For best results, soak a handful of almonds in water before bed. Strain, rinse and add to your blender. You’ve now activated your almonds to be even more nutritious.
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Nut Butter From cashews, to almonds, to ABC. Nut butters are now healthy. Including the original gangsta, peanut butter. Add a heaped teaspoon of peanut butter to your smoothies for extra protein and fibre. As well as vitamin E, b-6 and magnesium. Plus your smoothie is now off the chart delicious.
Cashews Not technically Paleo as cashews are legumes, but we’ll let it slide inconsistent Crossfit Chris. Cashews are seriously dense in almost every essential mineral, from iron to zinc. They’re also dense in fat. Which may deter some punters but it’s why they make the perfect dairy replacement. Cashew cream, cashew cheese, cashew ice cream and cashew milk. Creamy flavour with more nutrients.
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Sugar-Free Sweeteners We think smoothies should be addictive. They need to taste amazing. But we also don’t want to overdo the sweetness, creating a caloric monster that crashes our energy like a 20 foot wave. The key, as is always preached when it comes to things that taste good, is moderation.
Raw Honey One of our favourites. Raw honey contains over 200 substances such as vitamins, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and enzymes. It has powerful antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, and is used in the treatment of digestive disorders such as colitis. It’s seriously nutritious and seriously sweet. But you only need a teaspoon in a smoothie serving. Therefore, enjoy the nutritious benefits and don’t be fructose fearful as raw honey won’t overwhelm your liver. It will just support your immune system and create a delicious smoothie.
Maple Syrup Maple syrup is derived naturally from tree sap. It contains approximately 23 phenolic compounds including lignans that have been shown to produce powerful antioxidant properties. Additionally, maple syrup contains magnesium, iron, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. It may also be able to fight cancer and other inflammatory conditions by inhibiting the formation of tumor cells. Be sure to look for 100 percent pure
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maple syrup and not the cheap, processed kind. The real stuff will usually come in a glass jar or on a bottle that indicates “100 percent pure maple syrup.”
Dates One of our absolute favourites. They are a good source of fibre and minerals. But a high source of natural sugar. Serving sizes are only 1-3 dates so you’re not going to experience intestinal broom bliss, nor will your energy levels crash. For bonus points, make date paste. Add 1 cup of dates to 1 cup of water and bring to the boil on the stove. Stir until you have a creamy texture. Date paste will last fresh in the fridge for 10 days and one tablespoon (about 1.5 dates) will make any smoothie taste amazing.
Vanilla Bean Vanilla is an amazing flavour enhancer but it needs to be complemented with something sweet. Vanilla alone isn’t going to make an impact. Pair it with any of the other sweeteners on this list. And consider adding 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt per serve for extra pop. We use vanilla bean paste over the synthetic vanilla essence. Freeze dried vanilla powder is less common but it’s the cleanest.
Protein Powder & Nut Butter You’ve seen these guys in our protein section and therefore don’t need to be used twice. Similar to vanilla, nut butters shine brighter when paired with another sweetener. Protein powders, however, are best used solo. They are both a protein and a sweetener, allowing you to make four ingredient smoothies.
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Superfoods & Flavour Enhancers Without googling the definition, we think the term superfood applies to any food with extra strong nutritional properties. Like an orange is known for vitamin C, but there are other plants found on this planet that have tremendously more vitamin C content per weight or serving size. “SuperFoods” is an accurate description. Albeit a grossly overused marketing term. Let’s look at the best ingredients to take your smoothie to the next level. Most of these are rare superfoods with unique properties, and a couple others are there for flavour.
Camu Camu This Amazonian fruit is the highest source of vitamin C on the planet. One teaspoon of freeze dried powder is 12 times your daily needs. That means an immune system so strong that it slows ageing and even prevents oxidative stress that leads to cancer. It’s great for skin, provides mental clarity and even elevates mood. It’s subtle citrus flavour blends in quietly to any smoothie, allowing other ingredients to shine. Add this if: You’re run down and feel a cold coming on.
Chlorella One of several ancient algaes that we recommend. Chlorella, as the name suggests, is a rich source of chlorophyll. One serving of this single cell algae is
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twice your daily B-12 needs, and a rich source of iron. Add this if: You’re a B-12 deficient vegan or undertaking a detox.
Spirulina Another microscopic algae. The B-12 and iron properties are similar to chlorella, with some solid copper and B vitamin scores thrown in. Spirulina companies love to propagate that roughly 60% of it’s weight is protein. Which is great. However, you consume this in teaspoon size portions so using it in your plant-based protein argument against Crossfit Chris is not a good tactic. He will verbally bench press you. Add this if: You are lacking vegetables and need a shortcut to micronutrients.
Blue Green Algae AFA The most well known AFA is the most well grown. E3Live AFA is the brand name. There are several farms on Klamath Lake in Oregon farming the most nutritious blue green algae on the planet. But E3Live does a great job of distinguishing themselves, suggesting that their organic practices and algae quality are second to none. AFA stands for Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae. It’s a brother to spirulina and chlorella. Arguably more nutritious. Definitely more expensive. It has twice the chlorophyll as spirulina and contains over 40 minerals. AFA stimulates stem cell growth, increases brain activity and an Italian study showed that it has cancer preventing properties. Beyond those superfood powers, blue green algae started our planet. Sparking evolution. Sorry Jesus, we’re choosing science over your Dad. Add this if: You want to look younger, feel mentally sharper and potentially evolve to a new species of human. Add a teaspoon every day for ten years and you might be in the next X-Men movie.
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Mixed Greens Bee Pollen Bee pollens are rich in free amino acids, and B vitamins, including folic acid. They are flexibly used as an energy source, an immune booster, an allergy treater and to improve digestion. Add this if: You want to try a non-green multi-vitamin.
Turmeric The potency of this root is obvious just by touching it. Your fingers will be stained orange. The definition of anti-inflammatory, turmeric can do everything. Prevent cancer, inhibit cancer cell growth, relieve rheumatoid arthritis, relieve cystic fibrosis patients and protect against Alzheimer’s. Add this if: You’re body is aching.
Cinnamon Our favourite spice. The versatile flavour can improve anything from coffee to homemade pancakes. And the nutritional properties stand up against anything. One of the strongest antioxidants on the planet, it’s also anti-diabetic, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and anti-flatulent. That’s a lot of antis. Add this if: You want your smoothie to taste better with more nutrients. Plays amazingly well with a little raw honey and banana.
Cacao Raw chocolate. We prefer the crunchy texture of nibs but you can use powder too. The nutritional profile reads like this: • highest source of magnesium • highest plant based source of iron • a powerful anti-depressant and mood elevator • one of the highest sources of antioxidants • dense in copper, calcium and manganese Add this if: You want chocolate but also need help sleeping and recovering from exercise.
Maca As pungent in smell and taste as it is potent in nutrition. Maca improves mood, energy, libido, endurance and fertility. This Peruvian superfood is also shown to relieve women’s menstrual discomfort and menopause.
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For those trying it for the first time, don’t go beyond a small teaspoon. Add this if: You are hormonal. Or have the sex drive of a retirement community without access to wifi or medication.
Mint A simple suggestion but not to be underestimated. Mint soothes indigestion and inflammation, plus it can even reduce pimples. Equal to the digestive power is the flavour. You can make any green smoothie taste like peppermint ice cream with some cacao, dates and fresh mint. Add this if: You want to give a vegetable dense smoothie flavour.
Peppermint Oil The most powerful edible oil we’ve used. It’s great for digestive relief, fresh breath and flavour pairing with chocolate or coconut. It also one of the best headache cures we’ve seen. Just apply one drop to each temple and get yourself a glass of water. Add this if: You want a raw chocolate smoothie to taste like a peppermint ice cream.
Coffee We’re skeptical of the advertised antioxidant properties. It’s roasted and boiled. But what we do know is that coffee smells like heaven. And without it, our todo list would be even longer. You can enjoy any form in your smoothies. A shot of espresso, a big cup of filter, a cup of cold brew or even some home brewed instant. The latter may have the worse reputation in the hipster community but it’s strength makes it shine through in a smoothie. Add this if: You are thinking about skipping the gym. Pre-workout fuel.
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Favourite Plant-Based Liquids We don’t do cow’s breast milk. It acidifies human pH level and ironically, makes our bones weaker. It acidifies human pH levels and ironically, makes our bones weaker. You’ll get a much more efficient source of protein and calcium from other smoothie recipes.
So What Do We Recommend? There’s plenty of plant-based liquids that suit. You’ll see that most of our recipes recommend coconut water or almond milk, but you can substitute them for any of the others here. We just think they create the best texture and flavour.
Coconut Water Coconut water contains all six essential electrolytes which means not only is it a hangover helper but it will hydrate tired skin. The reason it’s our top pick is the subtle sweetness. If you’re a No-Fructose Frank you can create a delicious recipe without even needing our recommended sweeteners. Or you just use a little less.
Almond Milk You can make homemade almond milk, as it’s better than anything you’ll be able to buy, but we also know that people are phobic to effort. The truth is, it’s hard to find plant-based milks with serious nutrition because they just don’t contain that many almonds. If you can find a recipe with as few ingredients as possible, and as short a shelf life as possible, then you’re on the right track. It should be in
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the supermarket fridge, not in a tetra pack in the aisle. The more perishable, the better. But despite the lack of nutrients, almond milk is still great for smoothies. It helps with creamy texture. You’ll notice a big difference if you use water, instead of almond milk.
Coconut Milk This is a tricky ingredient. There’s the canned coconut milk which is a popular ingredient in curries and plant based cooking. It’s full of fat and flavour. Use sparingly and avoid any ingredient labels with preservatives. You can use these with smoothies, just use less than half a cup and top up with water. And then there is the new coconut milk which is similar to almond milk. It’s made by blending coconut flesh with water and then filtering out the pulp. It’s not actually milk from a coconut. This is lighter than the canned stuff and a great smoothie ingredient. We’re just hesitant to recommend it in our recipes because of the double coconut milk confusion. Plus a lot of the new coconut milks, like the ones from Vitasoy and So Delicious, are full of stabilisers, sugar and emulsifiers.
Water The cheapest liquid you’ll find and providing you filter it, you’ll never be exposed to cheeky ingredients. No calories, no fructose, no preservatives. You can see why it features heavily on weight-loss websites. But you won’t see it here too often. We’d rather enjoy an extra 100 calories if it means we get a creamier smoothie with a better flavour profile. Watered down smoothies taste, well, watered down. They get our tick of approval and you’re absolutely welcome to substitute water in our recipes. Your palate (or health committment) is more developed than ours.
Green Tea Simple to make and full of antioxidants. It absolutely gets our tick of approval. If you have some suitable recipes then absolutely go for it. You won’t see it mentioned too often on our website though because we want something creamier. We need that smoothie texture and we don’t like our liquid having too much control on the flavour.
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Smoothie Recipes The Boss Our antioxidant rich game changer. Four ingredients, lots of flavour. And even more nutrients. The only criticism of this recipe that we’ll accept is the colour. Because spinach is so rich in green chlorophyll and berries in red flavonoids, you get a competitive clash. If your smoothie looks too murky for Instagram, you’ve nailed it.
Ingredients • • •
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Mixed frozen berries - 1 cup Spinach - 2 cups Coconut or vanilla protein powder - ½ scoop Almond milk - 1 ½ cups
Directions Add all the ingredients and blend until smooth.
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Danny Green Follow the ingredient list and go hard on the mint. You can’t overdose on that calmative herb. Digestive health, fresh breath and more flavour than Elton’s wardrobe.
Ingredients • • • • • •
Frozen banana - 1 Spinach - 1 ½ cups Pumpkin Seeds - ½ cup Mint leaves - 1 cup Dates - 3 Almond Milk - 1 ½ cups
Directions Add all the ingredients and blend until smooth.
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Bananaman Smoothie This recipe is inspired by the yoghurt, honey and skim milk smoothies Mum used to make us when the bananas got too ripe at home (we purposely never ate them during the week). We kept the flavour but deleted the dairy and made it green. Oh, and we named it after a 1990’s cartoon that we used to watch while smoothing.
Ingredients Frozen banana - 1 • Spinach - 2 cups • Cashews - ½ cup • Cinnamon - ½ teaspoon • Raw honey - 1 teaspoon • Almond milk - 1 ½ cups Optional - Turmeric - ½ teaspoon •
Directions Add all the ingredients and blend until smooth.
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Mint Choc Chip We love using cacao nibs as often as possible. Any excuse to eat chocolate for breakfast. Plus the nutritional profile is off the charts: • highest plant based source of iron • highest source of magnesium • a powerful anti-depressant and mood elevator • one of the highest sources of antioxidants
Ingredients • • • • • • •
Kale - 1 ½ cups Frozen banana - 1 Mint - 1 cup Pumpkin seeds - ¼ cup Cacao nibs - 1 tablespoon Coconut protein powder - ½ scoop Almond Milk - 1 ½ cups
Directions Add all the ingredients and blend until smooth.
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Peanut Butter & Jelly Based on the infamous sandwich but full of nutrition. Our berry jelly is antioxidant rich, protecting you against nasty diseases like Alzheimers, diabetes and even the C word. And peanut butter is protein and fibre. As well as vitamin E, B6 and magnesium.
Ingredients • • • •
Kale - 2 cups Mixed frozen berries - 1 cup Peanut butter - 1 teaspoon Coconut water - 1 1/2 cups
Directions Add all the ingredients and blend until smooth.
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Lemon Meringue Pie Every health influencer loves to populate the benefits of lemon and water. And fair enough. But if you really want to boost your immune system and flush out toxins (plus enjoy clear skin), you need to eat the whole thing.
Ingredients • • • • • •
Spinach - 2 cups Frozen banana - 1 Lemon (peeled) - 1 Coconut protein - ½ scoop Ice - ½ cup Coconut water - 1 ½ cups
Directions Add all the ingredients and blend until smooth.
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Pina Kale-ada “If you like Piña Coladas, getting caught in the rain If you’re not into yoga, if you have half a brain” Hold up! Excuse me Jimmy Buffett, but what’s wrong with yoga? And why would I want to get my suede wheels ruined? You’ve been drinking too much of the devil’s water, we need to make your Piña Coladas virgin baby. Here’s a recipe.
Ingredients • • • • •
Kale - 1 cup Spinach - 1 cup Frozen pineapple - 1 cup Coconut protein powder - ½ scoop Almond milk - 1 ½ cups
Directions Add all the ingredients and blend until smooth.
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Purple Rain Our tribute to Prince. Make it purple rain from your blender with a tonne of blueberries.
Ingredients Kale - 1 ½ cups • Frozen blueberries - 1 cup • Cashews - ½ cup • Raw honey - 1 tablespoon • Almond milk - 1 ½ cups Optional - Vanilla bean paste - 1 teaspoon •
Directions Add all the ingredients and blend until smooth.
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Inflammation Insurance Whenever your immune system is under attack there is inflammation. We can speed up healing and even protect against inflammation through diet. Turmeric is often thrown up by bloggers as the anti-inflammatory poster child. And it’s definitely one of them. But arguably more powerful is green leafs, pineapple and walnuts. Ginger makes the list too.
Ingredients Frozen pineapple - 1 cup • Spinach - 1 ½ cups • Walnuts - ½ cup • Ginger powder - 1 teaspoon • Raw honey - 1 teaspoon • Coconut water - 1 1/2 cups Optional - Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon •
Directions Add all the ingredients and blend until smooth.
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Switch On Smoothie We don’t talk about the nutritional health of our brain very often. However, just like the heart, there are particularly foods that specifically nourish it. Foods that protect it from memory loss, dementia and even Alzheimer’s. But you don’t need to be retired to think about these ingredients. The same protective foods also help with focus, memory retention and our ability to learn.
Ingredients • • • • • •
Frozen mixed berries – 1 cup Kale – 1 ½ cups Walnuts – ½ cup Coconut oil – 1 teaspoon Raw honey - 1 teaspoon Coconut water – 1 ½ cups
Directions Add all the ingredients and blend until smooth.
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10 Day Smoothie Detox The ten recipes that we just shared with you can be done individually and whenever you feel. But as an added bonus we wanted to provide the opportunity to do a ten day detox. You’ll make every recipe once, and we’ll make it easy by writing out your shopping list. Some of these ingredients you’ll already have and some you’ll need to stock up on. Check your kitchen first, crossing off what’s already there.
Shopping List To Begin • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
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Baby spinach - 150g or 5oz Kale - 100g or Pineapple - half Banana - 4 Mint - 1 bunch (25g or 1oz) Pitted dates - 3 single dates Raw honey Peanut butter Pumpkin seeds (pepitas) - 300g or 10oz Raw cashews - 150g or 5oz Walnuts - 150g or 5oz Coconut Oil - 1 teaspoon Cinnamon - ½ teaspoon Ginger powder - ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder - ½ teaspoon Cacao nibs - 1 tablespoon Vegan protein powder - 2 scoops (our protein powder recommendations) Almond milk - 2.5L (our almond milk recommendations) Coconut water - 1.5L (100% coconut water) Mixed frozen berries - 450g or 14oz Frozen blueberries - 150g or 5oz Ice - we only need one full tray (12 cubes)
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Shopping List 2 (days 6-10) Most of the ingredients we stacked up on to begin with are still fresh, so we just need fresh greens and a lemon: • Baby spinach - 150g or 5oz • Kale - 150g or 5oz • Lemon - 1
Do I Need Organic? Perfect world, yeah. But some ingredients are more important than others. Refer to the Dirty Dozen. Basically, if the ingredient doesn’t have any outer protection (think avocado or pineapple) and what you put in your mouth is directly exposed to being sprayed (apple skin), go organic.
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Bonus Smoothies These rule breaking recipes don’t exactly match our Green Press formula. But they are outstanding nevertheless.
Blueberry Muffin Smoothie The old blueberry muffin. Remember when you had one for the first time? Branching out from choc chip to the blue spotted one? You actually thought it was healthy. Well, here is a nostalgic recipe with nutrients.
Ingredients • • • • •
Frozen blueberries - 1/2 cup Frozen banana - 1 Oats - 1/2 cup Raw honey - 1 teaspoon Almond milk - 1 1/2 cups
Directions Add all the ingredients and blend until smooth. Drop in a few blueberries and Instagram that sucka.
Snickers Smoothie Not much else needed in this description. We like to make the ‘Snickers’ before we workout. 30 minutes before the sweat we have ⅓ of it. Then we enjoy the rest within 45 minutes of our session. Refuel and reward.
Ingredients • • • •
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Frozen banana - 1 Cashews - ½ cup Peanut butter - 1 heaped teaspoon Chocolate protein powder - ½ scoop (or 1 tablespoon cocoa powder + 3 dates) Cacao nibs - 1 tablespoon Almond milk - 1 1/2 cups
Directions Add all the ingredients and blend until smooth.
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Mjango Unchained The world’s favourite tropical fruit. One mango has more than a day’s worth of vitamin C and nearly half of your vitamin A needs. You can almost guess that from the orange pigmentation. But enough about the nutrients.
Ingredients Mango - 1 • Frozen banana - 1 • Chia seeds - 2 tablespoons • Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon • Raw honey - 1 teaspoon • Ice - 1/2 cup • Coconut milk - 1 1/2 cups Optional - Kale - 1 cup •
Directions Add all the ingredients and blend until smooth.
Mochin’ On Heaven’s Door Coffee and chocolate. Two addictions in one cup. For the coffee, you can go hipster barista. Two strong shots of espresso. Or go ghetto and use instant coffee. I’m a ghetto man myself as instant is potent and simple. You don’t need a cafe near your house or a George Clooney Nespresso on your benchtop.
Ingredients
Directions
Frozen banana - 1 • Coffee (2 oz of espresso or 1 tablespoon instant coffee in 1 oz boiling water) • Cacao powder - 1 tablespoon • Maple syrup - 1 tablespoon • Ice - 1/2 cup • Almond milk - 1 1/2 cups Optional - Oats - 1 cup (brings fibre and protein which will keep you fuller for longer)
Prepare your coffee. I like to put a heaped tablespoon of instant in my Nutribullet cup, then add a tiny amount of boiling water. Just enough to cover it. Then add all the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth.
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Fibre Flush Runner up names for this smoothie were Intestinal Broom, Stool Softener and Preparation H. We’re incorrigible aren’t we? This recipe is for all you silent sufferers. When the doc says you need more fibre, turn to this delicious smoothie.
Ingredients • • • • • • • • •
Frozen banana - 1 Broccoli - ½ cup Spinach - 1 cup Almonds - ½ cup Psyllium husk - 1 tablespoon Flax seed meal - 2 tablespoons Dates - 3 Cinnamon - ½ teaspoon Almond Milk - 1 ½ cups
Directions Add all the ingredients and blend until smooth.
Magnesium Mood Elevator Having trouble sleeping? Feeling fatigued? Not recovering quickly from your workouts? Feeling stressed? Suffering from headaches? All signs of magnesium deficiency. This smoothie combines the tastiest and most powerful magnesium rich ingredients you’ll find. Plus this recipe tastes like choc chip deliciousness.
Ingredients • • • •
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Frozen banana - 1 Kale - 2 cups Pumpkin seeds - ½ cup Cacao nibs (or powder) - 1 tablespoon Dates - 3 Cinnamon - ½ teaspoon Almond Milk - 1 ½ cups
Directions Add all the ingredients and blend until smooth.
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Matcha Detox Let’s use the highest antioxidant green tea to pop our ultimate green smoothie. We’ve even submitted to the skinny calorie counting crowd by suggesting this recipe uses only filtered water. Probably a good time to mix things up. If it’s too thin or ‘grassy’ for you, swap in coconut water instead.
Ingredients • • • • • • • • •
Avocado - 1 Broccoli - ½ cup Spinach - 1 cup Kale - 1 cup Matcha green tea - ½ teaspoon Lemon (peeled) - 1/2 Vanilla protein - ¾ scoop Ice - ½ cup Filtered water - 1 ½ cups
Directions Add all the ingredients and blend until smooth.
Strawberry Shortcake Strawberries are delicious but the food colouring is weaker than a watered down cocktail. I throw my favourite colouring in, beets, to make this smoothie Instagram pink.
Ingredients
Directions
Frozen strawberries - 1 cup • Cashews - ½ cup • Vanilla bean paste - 1 teaspoon • Coconut sugar - 1 tablespoon • Ice - ½ cup • Coconut milk - 1 ½ cups Optional - 1 oz raw beetroot (beet) or 1 teaspoon beetroot powder (use this for pink food colouring)
Add all the ingredients and blend until smooth.
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Chocolate Cake Batter The secret ingredient in anything sweet is always vanilla bean.
Ingredients • • • • • • •
Frozen banana - 1 Cashews - ½ cup Cacao nibs - 1 tablespoon Cocoa powder - 1 tablespoon Vanilla bean paste - 1 teaspoon Dates - 3 Almond milk - 1 ½ cups
Directions Add all the ingredients and blend until smooth.
Weed Brownie Hemp seeds are still banned for human consumption in Australia. But we don’t let bureaucratic ignorance stop us from consuming one of the best plant protein sources on the planet. If the government knocks on our door we’ll just say it’s for our bodybuilding bulldog.
Ingredients • • • • •
Walnuts - ½ cup Hemp seeds - 2 tablespoons Frozen banana - 1 Chocolate vegan protein - 1 scoop Coconut water - 1 ½ cups
Directions Add all the ingredients and blend until smooth.
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Peanut Biceps This is for the calorically unphased. I freestyled this when finishing up the book and it worked out perfectly. Peanut butter massages your tastebuds even more when it’s got a step brother to party with. Coconut protein is the Will Ferrell to PB’s John C Reilly... Pumpkin seeds and cacao bring deep sleeping magnesium and feel good endorphins. And spirulina and spinach turn this big boy combo into a smoothie that’s greener than Colorado.
Ingredients • • • • • • • • •
Frozen banana - ½ Spinach - 2 cups Pumpkin seeds - ½ cup Coconut protein powder- ½ scoop Peanut butter - 1 heaped teaspoon Spirulina - ½ teaspoon Cacao nibs - 1 tablespoon Ice - ½ cup Coconut water - 1 ½ cups
Directions Add all the ingredients and blend until smooth.
Chai Latte All the flavour and aroma of your favourite Indian tea. Only even creamier and more satisfying.
Ingredients • • • • • • • •
Frozen banana - 1 Almonds - ½ cup Vanilla bean - 1 teaspoon Cardamom - ½ teaspoon Cinnamon - ½ teaspoon Dates - 3 Ice - ½ cup Almond milk - 1 ½ cups
Directions Add all the ingredients and blend until smooth.
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What Else? Once you’ve conquered breakfast, it’s time to fix lunch and dinner. Download our FREE GREEN DAY; GOOD RIDDANCE TO BAD DINNERS. It will show you how to make vegetable dense meals in no time. Our chef created these with the three Green Press goals in mind: 1. The most vegetables 2. The quickest prep time 3. The tastiest flavour Please download that free-book here. Thanks for reading.
Online support and more recipe ideas: www.greenpress.co @greenpress.co facebook.com/lovegreenpress hey@greenpress.co