Simple Green Smoothie (a.k.a. How to Use Your Regular Blender Like a "Magic Bullet")

Using just three ingredients and one dish, you can create a simple, healthy green smoothie -- delicious for any time of day.
What you'll need:
Simple Green Smoothie
1 Banana
1 - 3 c. spinach (depending on your taste buds)
 1/2 c. frozen fruit (I use 6 frozen strawberries in this instructable)
1 32 oz. mason jar
Water (or orange juice)
Blender

Advanced Green Smoothie
To give your smoothie a little more nutritional pizazz, you can add just about any supplement.  Here are some of my favorites:
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
1 Tbsp ground sesame seed
1 Tbsp hemp seed
1 scoop green powder (mmmm...chlorophyll...)

Step 1: Find a Jar That Works for Your Blender

The first step is to find a jar with the same size mouth as the base of your blender. 
I have had a lot of success with re-using Classico pasta sauce jars, but you can use canning jars, too.

Step 2: Fill Your Jar With the Ingredients!

Next, fill the jar with your ingredients.  If you are using your normal blender jar, add the spinach, then the fruit.  If you are using a Classico or other canning jar, add the fruit and then the spinach.  You want the greens to be closest to the blades for the smoothest final texture.
Once you've added your fruit and spinach, add some water (about 1 cup -- more for a juicier smoothie, and less for a thicker, shake-like smoothie.  Experiment to create the texture that you like the best).

Note:  If you are just beginning to venture into the world of green smoothies, you'll want about 2/3rds fruit, 1/3 greens.  You might also want to substitute orange juice for the water.  Work your way up to more greens, less juice, and more water.  As you become accostomed to the taste, you can dilute the juice and add more greens.

Note #2: I packed the spinach in a little too much in that last picture.  I ended up having to blend it in two stages.  Oops.

Step 3: Blend!

To blend the greens really well, use the "Ice Crush" button, and pulse the blender a few times.  Then, blend normally, working from low to high, and finishing with the "Liquify" setting. 

Note: If you overfill your jar, prepare for a mess!  The blades can get caught in the greens if you added too many.  You can always blend a little, and add more greens (or fruit) when you have the space.  I like to blend a full jar of greens and then add the fruit -- but I love me some greens!

Step 4: Enjoy. Yum Yum.

Enjoy your smoothie!

Since you made your smoothie in a jar, you won't have to pour it into another cup.  Plus, if you saved the lid of the jar, you can easily take the jar o' smoothie with you wherever you're headed.  When you're finished, you don't have an extra cup to wash.  Just the one jar.  Ain't life grand?!

A note on colors:  A "green" smoothie can be any color.  Here is a guide:
Add a lot of red berries and orange juice = grody brown/green color.  I promise it still tastes delicious.
Blueberries = purple
Mango/pineapple/orange juice (or any combination) = beautiful grass green.  This is my favorite.