Cold Buster Green Smoothie (How to Fight a Cold)

This cold buster green smoothie recipe is packed with fresh fruits and vegetables to boost your immune system, hydrate your body and send those winter colds packing!

Green smoothies were all the rage a while ago and still are, but I never really thought they were that big of a deal. And then I realized that with all of those vitamins packed into a smoothie we would actually be giving ourselves the proper nutrition that we are recommended in getting. So, we started keeping a full supply of spinach and fruits and sure enough, not only did we start feeling better but we weren’t getting sick.

I hate winter. I know, lots of people love it and cannot wait to get outside and enjoy all that the snow has to offer, but I hate it. Strong word? I seriously dislike it I guess. I am learning to really enjoy skiing, but I still freeze to death and cannot last very long out there. But the major reason I don’t like winter is because we all get sick and pass it around over and over again all winter long. I freeze all winter which I’m sure keeps me sick.

You don’t have to pass a cold around all winter. Last year we cracked down and learned how to fight a cold and this cold buster green smoothie was a huge help! Keep scrolling to the end to see other products we love to help us survive winter colds.

What Makes a Green Smoothie?

The definition of a “green smoothie” can be quite ambiguous but the basics of a green smoothie are:

Leafy Greens + Liquid + Fruit

Then, of course, you can add other ingredient to add protein and more nutrients. Keep scrolling below to see suggestions for the best types of leafy greens, liquids and fruits. We also want to highlight what makes this recipe specifically a cold buster green smoothie.

Ingredients in a Cold Buster Green Smoothie

This smoothie is unique in that we chose specific items to kick the cold right where it hurts:

• Spinach: adds great fiber, vitamins and nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K as well as iron, folate and potassium
• Orange Juice: isn’t just about the vitamin C it’s also about staying hydrated
• Orange with Peel: really slam dunk the vitamin C and the peel contains 4 times more fiber than the fruit itself, it has anti-inflammatory properties and may even help reduce harmful LDL’s
• Baby Carrots: great for killing germs in the mouth and helping with digestion
• Banana: gives the body natural energy which is something you are lacking when sick, and it helps the smoothie be extra creamy
• Frozen Pineapple: adds flavor and helps thicken the smoothie when it’s frozen
• Apple: adds flavor and natural sweetness
• Ice: helps thicken the smoothie without adding sugar or extra calories
• Optional: add a scoop of protein so our b

Roasted potatoes, green chile sauce, and black beans tossed with barely wilted baby spinach make a surprisingly delicious combination in this breakfast hash recipe.

If you’ve been here long, you know that I’m a huge fan of hash for breakfast. I’m here for it, whether it’s a classic sausage hash with cabbage and potatoes, or this roasted sweet potato and spinach hash.

Hash is a simple, yet versatile option, perfect for mornings when you want something delicious and customizable. With endless combinations of meats and veggies, it ensures a tasty breakfast that never gets boring.

And, it’s great for using up those last few handfuls of spinach before it gets lost in the back of your refrigerator. I also like this spinach and potato hash for that, with garlic and onion. And, this spinach quiche looks amazing too.

Breakfast Hash

To get the crispiest potatoes in your hash, make sure they are dry when you drizzle them with oil and roast them. Excess moisture steams the diced potatoes.

This tip holds true for any crispy potato recipe, whether it’s roasted red potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, or even these roasted potatoes and green beans. I added green beans to my grocery list, after seeing that last recipe again.

Hash is a frequently requested meal at our house. Often it is breakfast, but of late, it has also been in the dinner rotation. How could it not be, with something as savory as this cabbage and corned beef hash

Roasted sweet potatoes, browned and slightly caramelized on the edges, are tossed with spicy hot sausage and handfuls of baby spinach to create a flavorful Sausage Sweet Potato Hash.

Sweet Potato Sausage Hash

The key to a great hash is getting all of the ingredients cooked and ready to eat at the same time. You’ll need to start the potatoes first and prep the other ingredients while they’re roasting.

When they’re almost done, you’ll cook and crumble the sausage. Then cook the onion and bell pepper in the same skillet. Pull that from the heat, add the sausage and roasted potatoes back to the pan, and give it a stir.

Toss in the greens and stir for a minute or so, just long enough to wilt them. If you want to serve this topped with an egg, just loosely cover the skillet while you cook the eggs.

The first time I made this, the potatoes roasted while I napped on the couch and when the timer beeped, I pulled together the rest of the meal in less than 20 minutes. I love quick and simple meals on a lazy Sunday night.

Going back to the first time I made this hash recipe, I actually used beet greens in place of spinach. (Most of the breakfast hash recipes here are made with spinach or cabbage.)

If you’re lucky enough to have an active garden and an abundance of beets growing, give it a try. Unlike their fully-grown counterparts, baby beet greens look and taste very similar to baby spinach.

(I don’t recommend trying this with fully-grown beet greens. For what it’s worth, I often find them to be woody and bitter.)

We all enjoyed this meal (my three kids included!) The beet greens tasted so much like the spinach we love; I could easily see eating the entire garden’s worth of baby beet greens before any beets have a chance to appear.

If you don’t happen to have an abundance of baby beet greens on hand, I’ve made this many times with baby spinach and we enjoy it both ways.

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Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

This is spinach salad at its very best! With crunchy bacon and fabulous homemade salad dressing, this salad gets devoured every time I make it!

This is a perfect holiday (and every other day of the year) salad. I don’t even know where to begin with this spinach salad. When you read what the ingredients are you might think…”what’s so special about this?”, but the combination of the salty bacon with the creamy cottage cheese and flavorful swiss cheese just rocks the taste buds in all the right ways.

Every time I make this recipe I make a whole boat load, and every single time I have brought it to an event the whole boat load is gone. One of the best things about this salad is that it is perfect for holiday dinners and get-togethers simply because it doesn’t require any produce that could be out of season and the ingredients list is short and simple. You can eat this beauty ALL YEAR LONG! It’s seriously so good!

Make it, eat it, enjoy it…and you can thank me later. In fact, add it to your Thanksgiving menu right now because I am for sure!

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