Recipe and photos for this Green Grapefruit Smoothie Recipe were updated 1/4/19. Most of the original writing remains.
Happy hump day y’all (or, rather, a “not so happy” snow/power outage/winter mess day to all of you in the Philadelphia area)!
Today’s recipe is inspired by the age-old saying “When life gives you lemons, make ________.” This winter has certainly thrown us a lot of lemons, and I’m not just referring to the citrus fruits that are most seasonal during the winter months. Snow storm after snow storm, polar vortex after polar vortex, we’ve been hit with some record-breaking weather trends that have made me, and I’m assuming most of you, crave nothing but warm comfort foods!
(**As I read this in 2019, I can’t help but laugh a little. Who knew I’d now be living in Minnesota, the winter capital of the US ;-)!!!)
We all know how difficult it can be to eat well in the bleak midwinter. That’s why I’m hoping this post will provide a little inspiration to get those greens in, especially when the thought of eating a cold, crisp salad in these temperatures is far from attractive.
‘Cause when “life gives you [grapefruits], [you should probably] make [a damn good smoothie].” I modified the saying a little (#poeticlicense).
I absolutely love grapefruit during this time of year. It’s so refreshing, and seems to quench my thirst and rejuvenate my seasonal dryness in all the right ways! In this Green Grapefruit Smoothie, the grapefruit is paired with kale (hence the “green” in the name). Both of these foods can have pretty strong, possibly polarizing flavors, so I also added a banana for good measure. This seemed to tie everything together perfectly!
There are also some chia seeds in the recipe. You can’t even taste them, but they provide a healthy dose of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids and fiber. A win-win, huh?
Finally, you can make this smoothie in any ol’ blender. But if you’re looking to up your blender game in 2019, my two favorite options are the NutriBullet and Vitamix E310 (affiliate links).
Green Grapefruit Smoothie
Ingredients
- ½ grapefruit - wedges and juice, see directions
- 2 kale leaves - stems removed and roughly torn, about 2 cups loosely packed
- 1 banana - peeled and frozen
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- ½ cup water - more if needed
Instructions
- To prepare the grapefruit, slice in half and cut out the wedges of one half. Transfer the wedges and whatever leftover juice you can squeeze out of the grapefruit half you used to the blender.
- Add the kale leaves, banana, chia seeds and water. Blend at high speed for about 30 seconds to 1 minute or until smooth. Add more water if needed. If you do not use a frozen banana, consider adding ice to make it colder. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Don’t forgot to pin this Green Grapefruit Smoothie now to make later!
Enjoy!
Lizzie
Sherrie
I love bananas, but not their carbs. I was diagnosed with high LDL and am trying to educate/mine info on what to eat. I have always been low carb/low sugar, so this new diet is really messing with my mind. How in the world do you eat zero sat. fat with a low carb/low sugar diet. ugh!!!! Your recipe sounds delicious and I wish I could try it.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Sherrie, you could try the smoothie without banana if you want to try the recipe. I would also recommend asking your health care provider if it’s possible for you to consult with a registered dietitian. I am a dietitian and know that working with one is hugely beneficial for managing conditions like high LDL through diet.
Tarina
Thank you thank you for this recipe. I’ve been lost since going gluten and dairy free but this smoothie for breakfast fixes everything.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Tarina, I’m glad to hear that you have been enjoying this smoothie!
Haley
I’m obsessed with grape fruit.