Created by Laura Wright
Jump to Recipe
Pin Recipe
No ratings yet
My healthy green drink is slightly sweet with peaches and apple, zingy with ginger and lime, and loaded with chard, cucumber and parsley.
The first time I went camping, in my whole life, was only two years ago. Our family holidays always saw us on a beach or at an amusem*nt park in the winter because summertime was just too busy with gardening and work. I had been with my man for almost a year when he proposed a little canoe and camping jaunt for a weekend in the summer. I was coming off of about 6 years in the city at that point. I didn’t really know if I was a wilderness enthusiast/type yet, but when I started to think about wood-fired breakfasts, the sheer density of trees, and when Mark mentioned offhand that the whole thing would be pretty romantic, I was in!
I bought some s’mores stuff, some cheap water shoes at Mark’s recommendation, worried about staying hydrated, made up little batches of homespun instant oatmeal, packed a Malcolm Gladwell book for extra lightness and some other things. We woke up before the sun to start on the 5 hour drive. There were road stops. I drank a coffee (rarely, if ever, drank coffee back then). I couldn’t believe that even the little Tim Hortons shops were surrounded by conifer-draped cliffs.
We eventually got to the park entrance. The little shop that sold firewood also had a particularly rich selection of bear figurines. We set the canoe in at the launching point. The water was shallow, clear and cold. There were two mountainous hills covered in foliage straight ahead. Mark had told me that the 3 hour canoe trip we were about to embark on was pretty much rookie-level. I got a quick tutorial on paddling technique, but I had also prepared by doing some dry strokes at my desk informed by Wikipedia, so was basically pro at that point. Once we had been going for a bit and had separated from the other boats, this comment just spontaneously came out of my mouth: “It smells like mulch everywhere!”
So my initial brush with wilderness had me comparing its overall atmospheric greatness to that pre-bagged shredded stuff that you can buy for your garden to keep the moisture in and the weeds out. Totally normal!
I was hooked after that trip though. The quiet, the simpler mode of living, the romance of it, the warm glow of fire for hours at night, the growing optimistic hunch that maybe the whole world could be covered in trees.
This green drink isn’t exactly optimal camping food, but it’s been keeping me energetic while I sort out and check off what I need for our little wilderness jaunt this weekend (!!!). I go in phases where I absolutely love this stuff for breakfast. It’s green, sure, but it’s also minty, punctuated with a nice hit of lime, cold from frozen peaches/mango and lightly sweet. Sometimes I’ll tote one to work if I haven’t had enough time to rustle up a little meal pre-shift and it most definitely hits the spot. Anyway, I know there’s a lot of green drinks and smoothie recipes out there, but this one is my favourite because it really does taste great and I feel like a million bucks once I finish up that last sip.
My Go-To Green Drink Recipe
My healthy green drink is slightly sweet with peaches and apple, zingy with ginger and lime, and loaded with chard, cucumber and parsley.
No ratings yet
Print Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Total Time: 10 minutes mins
Servings 1
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups cold coconut water or regular water (see notes)
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 ½ cups rough chopped greens, lightly packed (see notes)
- ¼ cup flat leaf parsley, cilantro, basil or mint, or a combination
- ½ English cucumber, chopped
- 1 small apple, cored and chopped
- ½ cup frozen peaches or mango
- 1-inch piece peeled ginger
- ice (optional)
Equipment
Notes
- I generally aim for milder greens here. I love kale, but it can be a touch strong in this particular application. Chard, spinach, romaine and beet greens are preferable for my personal taste.
- If you’re opting for regular water instead of coconut water, I would add some more frozen fruit to make up the extra sweetness.
Instructions
In an upright blender, combine the coconut water, lime juice, greens, herbs, cucumber, apple, frozen peaches, ginger, and ice (if using). Blend mixture on high until completely smooth. The texture will be between a smoothie and a juice. Enjoy immediately.
Author: Laura Wright
Course: Beverage, Breakfast, Snack
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan
Keyword: apples, blender, chard, coconut water, cucumber, ginger, lime, mint, peaches, spinach
01/08/2013 (Last Updated 03/08/2023)
Posted in: autumn, beverage, breakfast, earthy, gluten free, grain-free, nut free, oil free, raw, refined sugar-free, snack, sour, spring, summer, sweet, vegan, winter
37 comments
-
Ian Hobbs Why peel the ginger when Indians tend to wash and use the skin as well as it is full of goodness.
Reply
-
Alexia Hello! I’m looking forward to trying out this smoothie, but I’ve never put parsley, mint or ginger in my smoothies. Can you give me quantities that are a little bit more specific for these ingredients? I want to make sure I incorporate the right amount of flavor.
Reply
-
Laura Hi Alexia, I’ve updated the recipe with specific amounts. Hope that helps!
-LReply
-
daba Awesome and exciting. Can’t wait to try this
Reply
-
Martine My go-to is blueberries, banana, almond milk, and almond butter. A new creation that I really like is frozen cranberries, a splash of cranberry juice, water or almond milk, and vanilla protein powder.
Reply
-
Grace I have never had a better and more refreshing green drink in my life!!!! Thank you for your amazing culinary skills
Reply
-
Claudia Love your advice on greenies =)
Reply
-
Benji Please ignore my previous comment it’s amazing what happens when you read fyrther…:-D
See AlsoRudolph Holiday Appetizer RecipeReply
-
Benji I’m just looking at your picture of Kale it looks like Chard????????
Reply
-
Shelly I love the shapes and colors of your green smoothie pre-blending! So gorgeous!
Reply
-
Sol I feel in love with his smoothie from the first time I tried it. I find myself craving it for a light snack or my meal after a heavy brunch. I tried to replace the apple for a banana once and it was not so great, so I will stick to the main combination for now. I’m using green chard, mint-parsley and peaches. Thanks!
Reply
-
Jessina Love love love your site. I just found your Vimeo page and watched your Summer Panzanella video…I want more! Ok, I just can’t get enough of The First Mess posts. Love love.
Reply
-
sarah I so, super-duper love that photo of you. You are the cutest. And! I just found out my Naked green juice has all kinds of crap in it, boo. So, I need to make this! xo
Reply
-
linda jaseck this is so beautiful, i really can’t stand it. i’m making this today.
thank you for your beautiful, inspiring posts. please never stop.
this really made my day. i lovelove your stories and everything that you write pre-recipe. truly inspiring & sweet. xReply
-
Stephanie @ Eat My Tortes your photos are gorgeous! green smoothie with no banana–can’t wait to try!
Reply
-
SARAH Love this so much! The recipe, of course, which looks delicious (and sooo much better than the typical kale-celery-kelp concoction!), but also the writing. I have been craving nature in a very serious way lately, as many city-folk tend to do this glorious time of year. Thank you for yet another gorgeous and inspiring post!
Reply
-
Brandon @ Kitchen Konfidence Now THAT is one green smoothie. Looks so delicious.
Reply
-
hungryandfrozen I love that there’s no banana in this! Frozen peach is much more fun.
My family went camping at this one spot every year since I was a baby (they still do!) and even though I’ve never been the wilderness type, I do love it. All the reading and cosiness and sunburn and mosquito bites and uncomfortable beds and why do I love it again?
Also thanks for getting that song in my head :)
Reply
-
Kathryn I’ve never actually been camping which I’ve never regretted until now and after reading this all I can think about is how much I want to go out there and explore the wilderness (so long as there are s’mores involved of course). Have an adventure-filled weekend of fun : )
Reply
-
Julia i love everything about this smoothie!!!! thx :)
Reply
-
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com Divine! This is one of my favorite green juice combo!!
Reply
-
e / dig in hobart it sure is green! i feel healthier and energised just looking at your photos. looks like the perfect summer treat.
Reply
-
Jaimie Ok. You’re too cute. That first photo is SO HAPPY! I am in love. This green drink sounds lovely.. glad you didn’t use kale.. I totally agree that it isn’t really suited for this type of beverage. Question: do you need to strain?
Reply
-
Laura Wright Hey Jaimie!
Thanks for your sweet comment. I have a high powered blender, so I never strain. There might be a tiny bit of “chew” involved if you’re doing this in a regular blender. See what it’s like. A strain might not be a bad idea!
-LReply
-
Tianna this sounds lovely! I’m a huge fan of green drinks and smoothies thanks for sharing your recpe ♥
Reply
-
Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe This smoothie it totally the answer to my desire to incorporate more greens into my life. Perfection!
PS. Have a wonderful adventure!Reply
-
Courtney Why have I never thought to put peaches in my green smoothies?! Going to have to try this soon. Oh, and I totally have that salt ‘n’ pepa song stuck in my head now :)
Reply
-
Marta @ What Should I eat for breakfast today I do love green smothies, drink them quite often and I do love your story. Camping is in my blood, I just have to do it.
Reply
-
Lindsay Frélot Beautiful recipe! I always like new ideas when it comes to green drinks! Haven’t tried peaches yet and it sounds delightful! Thanks! Lindsay
Reply
-
tara You’re adorable. And really, you can’t go wrong with a Niagara peach.
Reply
-
Steph @ stephsapartmentkitchen I love green smoothies! Your comment about the peaches / mangos is so important. I’ve found that adding just a few slices gives the smoothie a really creamy consistency, and makes it so sweet and delicious!
Reply
-
carey Heck yes green drink! I resisted greens in drinks for a while (which I’m sure is something most people can say), but I got past it pretty quickly when J began running the cafe/juice/smoothie bar at the natural foods market in town. I have yet to try parsley in a drink though, and I don’t know how that’s possible. Needs to happen asap-like.
Reply
-
Blaine Arin What a mighty might good drink indeed! Just looking at it makes me feel all healthy and virtuous.
Your wilderness jaunt sounds crazy fun, I haven’t done something like that since camping out in a Texas state park when I was a freshman in high school. There’s definitely sumpthin’ about it!
Have an amazing jaunt!
Reply
-
michelle hey there pretty lady!
Reply
-
Amanda I am a lover of green smoothies and this looks like an amazing combination. I have everything in my kitchen to whip one of these bad boys up, it will make the perfect post-yoga refresher. And make up for the bagel and cream cheese I just inhaled. Oops!
Reply
-
Emma Galloway We LOVE green smoothies in this house :-)
Reply
-
Sophie I love green smoothies! Your photos are absolutely gorgeous.
Reply
