The healthiest drink in the world?
Lemonade stands will never be the same.
I don’t think I ever sold lemonade as a kid. I ran a cookie stand and a hot chocolate stand, and my friend and I once sold flowers we picked from her mom’s garden. (Not a good idea; nobody bought flowers, and her mom yelled at us for ruining the flower beds.)
Sorry to say, I missed out on selling lemonade. But I didn’t miss out on drinking it: my favorite was when lemonade tasted really sour, not the super-sweet pink stuff my sister loved because it was her favorite color. I always wished they’d made blue lemonade.
With its vibrant green hue, this crazy-healthy recipe comes close:
The best part about blender recipes is that, unlike with baked goods, you can keep adding ingredients if you’re not happy with the initial result. I kept playing with this recipe, tasting along the way, and suddenly the flavors just popped. It’s surprisingly delicious!
Green Lemonade
(no added sugar)
Recipe inspired by my drink at Peacefood Cafe
- 1 to 2 very large apples (200-400g)
- 1 to 2 cups kale (or another green, or omit) (40g)
- 1 to 2 stalks celery, broken into a few pieces, and bottoms cut off (80g)
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 3/4 cup water
- optional: a small piece of fresh ginger (or more, for a spicier juice)
Core the apples (no need to take off the skin), and combine all ingredients in a super-high-powered blender like a Vita-Mix. Blend until completely pulverized. I like it thick, so I never bother with this next step: Unless you prefer a ton of pulp like I do, you should pour the blended mixture through the finest strainer you own. Discard pulp or use for a different recipe. (Google “juice pulp recipes” if you need ideas.) Use one apple for a more tart drink and two apples for a sweeter drink.
View Green Lemonade Nutrition Facts
Question of the Day:
Did you ever sell lemonade as a kid?
Sadly I don’t see very many kids selling lemonade anymore. Now they’re always out there selling Kool Aid… for $5 a glass!
Link of the Day:
It’s also green, thanks to a secret healthy ingredient. No, not spinach or avocado!
Well like you I never sold lemonade as I kid. I never had any sort of stand come to think of it…oh well!
I do very much like the way this lemonade looks and with my favorite veggie, KALE, in it it must be a winner 🙂
It’s so GREEN! Love it- usually wake up to yummy spinach smoothies 🙂
This looks awesome! I’ve made something similar in the juicer, but not in my blender! I will have to give it a shot!
Do you use granny smith apples? Or a sweeter variety?
I used Pink Lady.
Ah, I LOVE pink lady apples. I just ate one today. 🙂 Looks like a yummy recipe, Katie! Have you ever had limeade?
I just ate one about two minutes ago! Wish I could try this recipe, but all I have is a food processor and I don’t think it could handle this :/
I’ve made a similar juice in a food processor before. It will just come out slushier, like a slushy instead. Try it; still delicious!
What a fabulous idea! I am so trying this!
I found 2 lemons, 1 LARGE (inedibly so ) cucumber, a little bit of agave nectar and some kale or spinach or both to be THE best lemonade slushy! 🙂 less calories too because of the cucumber instead of apples. Believe me with the apples piling up I was tempted. 🙂
I throw kale, 1/2 a peeled lemon, spinach, an apple, 1 celery stalk, piece of ginger, 1/2 a cucumber, cilantro and parsley in my juicer in the morning, and it’s delicious! No pulp just a dark green juice. I like the color of your bright green juice!
I never had a lemonade stand but I did have a mini carni game lol. I got a bunch of toys I no longer wanted and set up a game for people to play to win a toy….a couple people played and gave me money but no one would take a toy. I think they figured I would be sad losing some of my own toys.
For the lemon juice, is it pure lemon juice? Like freshly squeezed stuff?
Yes 🙂
No, but I just saw a lemonade stand on the corner about an hour ago. In fact, I’ve seen them more than ever this summer!