Gifs & Garb: Actually Delicious Green Smoothie

Whenever I read or see something about a so-called green smoothie, I kind of cringe just thinking about the taste. Vegetables are delicious when they're cooked properly and have a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper, a few even taste great raw, but why would I want to blend up and drink raw vegetables? Well, after putting my judgments to the side, and actually tasting a few different green smoothies, I realized they can be great! They certainly can taste like dirt/grass, and if that's your thing, then you go for it. However, if you prefer a less harsh, raw veggie taste (but equally nutritious), read on and see how I make my perfect green smoothie!

Ingredients:

- 2-3 leaves of kale (with stem)
- 1/2 a cucumber
- 1/2 a lemon (peeled)
- 1 large celery stick
- 1-2 cups of pineapple
- about 1/2 cup mint tea* to thin out the smoothie and add a refreshing mint flavor (more if you like a thicker
consistency, and less for a thinner consistency)
*I pre-brewed and chilled a pitcher of mint tea before making the smoothie. I used four bags of Tazo Refresh Mint tea and 32 ounces of water (so I'd have a lot for future smoothies), but you can make whatever mint tea you'd like. If you don't want to make any tea, add some sprigs of mint to the ingredients above, and use water to thin out the drink.

To make the best possible smoothie, I like to blend the kale and mint tea first because it's quite fibrous and can be hard to blend completely. Next, I put in all the cucumber, pineapple, and lemon, and blend until smooth. I add the celery last because it's also fibrous and blends better when added at the end.

Now, just pour and enjoy! You can totally drink this all yourself, but I like to split it up a couple times (although, the tall glass is mine).

P.S. If you don't drink it right away, the thicker parts will stay at the top of the glass. When I reach this part, I like to add some water, stir, and finish the drink.