Eat Healthy

Love Your Greens Shake

When making vegetable or fruit shakes, one of the advantages of using a blender instead of a juicer is that all the nutrients and fiber stay in the drink instead of being extracted as pulp. This recipe, made with a variety of vitamin-rich hearty greens and fresh fruit, will work best using a high-powered blender, such as a Vitamix. 

On this page
[show][hide]

For better blending, most manufacturers suggest adding liquids first so that they are closest to the blade. Then add ingredients from softest to most dense, and ice cubes last. Check your blender’s instructions for the best order for your machine.

Feel free to swap out ingredients with whatever fruits and veggies you have on hand. Half the fun is experimenting! Just be sure to wash your greens well before using.

Ingredients

Serves 2

  • 1/2 cup water
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted
  • 1 cup fresh spinach leaves
  • 1 cup kale leaves, thick ribs removed
  • 1 apple, cored and quartered
  • 1 cup seedless green grapes, chopped pineapple, or chopped mango
  • 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped mint leaves
  • 1 cup ice cubes

If you have mouth or throat pain,, omit the lemon juice and don't prepare the drink with pineapple — both can make mouth tenderness worse. 

Instructions

In a high-powered blender, combine the water, lemon juice, avocado, spinach, kale, apple, grapes, mint, and ice cubes. Start on low and increase to high speed for about 1 minute, or until smooth.

Per serving

Calories: 160
Fat: 6 g
Saturated fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 30 mg
Carbohydrate: 30 g
Dietary fiber: 6 g
Sugars: 20 g
Protein: 2 g
Calcium: 60 mg
Potassium: 560 mg

Excerpted from

What to Eat During Cancer Treatment
Copyright ©2018 American Cancer Society.
cancer.org/bookstore

15% off your cookbook purchase!
Use Code: ACS15

American Cancer Society Emails

Sign up to stay up-to-date with news, valuable information, and ways to get involved with the American Cancer Society.

Sign Up for Email