I was gulping down an Odwalla “Superfood” smoothie—a puree of fruit and leafy greens—in math class the other day when a classmate turned to me and asked, “Are those things actually good?” He asked this with a skeptical, slightly disgusted tone, placing particular emphasis on the word “good” and eying the green sludge that coated my upper lip. I replied that, yes, these smoothies are in fact delicious in spite of their repulsive color—a brownish green hue resembling that of a stagnant, algae-coated fish tank. I explained that even though their color suggests they contain mostly vegetables, they actually taste as sweet and fruity as any other smoothie.
All this applies to homemade green smoothies, too. Yes, they are an unappetizing color, and yes, they are delicious nonetheless. As an added bonus, they’re healthy as hell, but don’t think you need to be a yuppie, health-obsessed, 35-year-old fad dieter to enjoy them (beauty detox, anyone?). As a college student, I enjoy them in my quest to ward off scurvy.
One of the nice things about this recipe is its flexibility. I give a suggested combination of fruits and veggies, but really you can use whatever you have on hand. In place of spinach, for example, I encourage you to try kale or chard. Replace the orange juice with another juice of your choice. The only constants here should be the liquid-to-solid ratio and the ginger—seriously, it works wonders.

Green Smoothies
(Makes two servings)

1/2 avocado
1/2 apple, preferably frozen
1 cup spinach, chard, or kale, packed
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. minced ginger
1/2 cup crushed ice (not necessary if enough frozen fruit is used)
Directions:
1. In a few stages, combine ingredients in a blender or food processor, blending until relatively smooth. Shaking the blender helps to ensure even blending. If necessary, add extra orange juice to achieve the desired consistency.
2. Serve cold.