Green Smoothie Cups

Featured Ingredient: Avocado

The most popular post I have had on this blog is for these Green Smoothie Cups. Apparently the health-conscious, smoothie-loving masses out there love the idea of having green smoothies ready to whirl with no assembly required. So I thought I would pass along another great green monster smoothie cup recipe to enjoy this summer.

This one includes avocado, which brings an amazing creamy richness to smoothies. Not to mention many nutritional perks like cancer-fighting folate and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. These frozen cups produce a smoothie that is exceptionally fresh and alive tasting. I think it’s the parsley that is given a ride in the blender that really turns things up a notch.  

This is a perfect example where silicon muffin cups come in handy. They are bendable which makes extracting frozen stuff a breeze. But you can also use metal as well.

Green Smoothie Cups Part 2

1 cup water

1 avocado

5 to 6 large kale leaves

2 celery stalks, chopped

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley

1 large banana

3 tablespoons ground flaxseed

2 tablespoons honey

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Place all the items in a blender container and blend until smooth. If your blender is having a hard time churning, you can add some more water. But your goal is too create a pretty thick mixture. Vita-mix users may find the plunger helpful.

Divide mixture among 10 medium sized muffin cups, place tray in freezer and freeze until solid, about 4 hours.  

Unmold smoothie cups, place in an airtight container, and return to freezer until ready to use. If you are having trouble unmolding the frozen cups, try placing the bottom of the muffin tin in warm water for several seconds, being careful not to thaw the contents.

When ready to make a smoothie, place 1 cup water or coconut water and 2 green smoothie cups into a blender container and blend until smooth. For most blenders, its best to carefully slice the smoothie cups into quarters first before placing in the blender container to help make blending easier. 

You'll get 5 smoothies total out of 10 frozen smoothie cups.