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!
I’ve never been much for lemonade, even as a kid, although I do love lemons! The color of this drink is just beautiful! Normally green might turn me off, but here it looks so quenching.
This looks fantastic! I love fresh squeezed lemonade, and can’t stand the fake stuff. But apples are a great way to get sweetness and nutrition! Tonight, I think I’m going to go pick a couple of apples from the apple tree!
First off, I love your food photography; it’s so pretty! (I need background designs and a pricey camera…)
I never sold lemonade as a kid but I recently noticed two little sisters selling lemonade around their neighborhood – it was adorable. =)
Also, this recipe reminds me a lot of the delicious juice made in the documentary “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.” It’s such a great and inspiring film. Have you watched it?
Take care! <3
I haven’t! I will have to look it up :).
I saw the nutritional facts and kind of confused how it can be so low. One medium apple alone is about 75 calories so how can it be that this is only 65 calories?
It makes more than one serving.
This looks delicious! I absolutely LOVE kale. I’m excited to give this a try! Green is such a pretty color too…and it just looks healthy 🙂 I sold lemonade all the time when I was little. Now I have this promise to myself that whenever I see a lemonade stand I HAVE to stop…I know how exciting it is to get a customer!
Kids in our neighborhood sell lemonade all the time. I’m sure it’s *fake* lemonade, but lemonade nonetheless.
I must get a juicer! I’ve been jonesing to by one all summer for drinks just like this.
Katie, this is amazing! Thank you for such a wondermous recipe!
On a side note, the foam on your images is beautiful! That’s always my favorite part of a juice/smoothie.. the super foamy cap on top! 🙂
this is my breakfast every day!! i love how fresh it tastes! great photos!
Wow, that’s the healthiest lemonade I have ever seen! 🙂