I tried the breakfast smoothie that Reese Witherspoon has made every day for the last 9 years and it kept me full for hours
Anneta Konstantinides
- Reese Witherspoon has been making the same green breakfast smoothie every day for the last nine years.
- Witherspoon demonstrated the recipe on Instagram, revealing that Kerry Washington swore it had transformed her hair and skin.
- Intrigued by the promise of a natural glow, I decided to give it a go.
- The smoothie — which is packed with fruits and veggies— was a little bitter for my taste, but kept me feeling energized all day.
Reese Witherspoon has taught us many important things: Never wash your hair right after a perm, orange is definitely not the new pink, and a good manicure can cure almost anything.
Okay sure, technically those were all lessons from Elle Woods, Witherspoon's character in the iconic (and educational!) film "Legally Blonde." But from her production company to her clothing line, the actress has also become a lifestyle expert in her own right.
So when Witherspoon demonstrated her favorite breakfast smoothie on Instagram recently, I was definitely listening. The "Little Fires Everywhere" star revealed that she began making the drink every day after Kerry Washington swore it had transformed her hair and skin.
How could I say no to a natural glow? Little did I know, the morning was going to be a lot more than I bargained for.
Witherspoon has been drinking the same breakfast smoothie every single day for the last nine years.
Witherspoon also revealed that she actually found out about the recipe — which was inspired by celebrity nutritionist Kimberly Snyder's glowing green smoothie — when she sat next to Washington at an awards show.
"I didn't really know her," Witherspoon said of her future "Little Fires Everywhere" costar during her Instagram video. "But I was like, 'Your skin is so beautiful, what do you do?' And she said, 'I actually think it's from this drink that I drink, it's just really changed my skin and it makes my hair and nails really strong.' So, I was in."
A breakfast routine that improves your hair and skin? Elle Woods would definitely approve.
Witherspoon's favorite morning smoothie is packed with fruits and veggies.
You'll need:
- 2 heads of romaine lettuce
- ½ cup spinach
- ½ cup coconut water
- 1 whole banana
- 1 whole apple
- 1 whole pear
- 1 whole lemon
It sounds like a lot, and it is! But all those ingredients keep Witherspoon full for hours.
"I have this instead of breakfast," she told her Instagram followers. "Around 10 or 11 in the morning, and then I'm not hungry at all until around 1 o'clock!"
The recipe is also enough for two full portions, allowing Witherspoon to store one away for the following day.
I began my morning by chopping up all the fruits and veggies, which didn't take as long as I expected.
Witherspoon doesn't cut her ingredients into tiny pieces, so I followed suit.
As I started throwing all the ingredients into the blender, I made sure to follow the same order that Witherspoon used in her video.
I threw in the spinach and romaine, then added all the fruit and lemon.
By the time I was done, the blender was clearly packed to the brim.
I threw on a gray sweatshirt to match Reese and felt confident as I flipped the switch and started my blender.
The feeling, though, was fleeting. Seconds passed, then minutes. The blender was whizzing away, but nothing was happening.
It was then that my mom, who had offered to take a few photos for me, asked: "Is there even any liquid in there?"
I had forgotten the coconut water.
Thankfully, this was an easy thing to fix. I poured in my ½ cup of coconut water and tried again.
The fruits and veggies started moving down the blender as a light-green liquid began to appear. My health goddess transformation was near!
But, because there were so many ingredients, it was happening very slowly. Eager to speed things up a bit, I recalled a trick that I had seen in Witherspoon's clip.
As she blends away, there is a moment when Witherspoon takes out a wooden spoon to help push the ingredients down and toward the blender's blades.
"Sometimes it needs to be pushed down a little bit," she said. "You shouldn't really do it like this, but this is how I do it."
Then, five words popped up above her head: "Don't try this at home!"
Reader, I tried it at home.
For a few seconds, the wooden spoon worked like a charm. Then I heard the sound of an awful crunch.
As the blender did a little jig, I knew I had accidentally pushed the spoon down too far — letting it hit the blades.
When I dumped the ingredients out, I fully expected to see wooden shards all over my beautiful fruit and greens. The carnage wasn't that dramatic, but the spoon was definitely chipped.
After a brief, panic-induced Google search — "traces of wood in food, bad?" — didn't give much clarity (shocking), I knew I'd feel better just starting all over again.
After a quick run to the grocery store for a few reinforcements, I was back at the blender.
Since there was no way I was going to use that wooden spoon again, I decided to change my strategy a bit. I put the fruit and lemon in first, figuring they would blend faster than the greens because they were juicier (I have no idea if this logic is backed by science, dear reader, but we're on this journey together).
I threw the greens on top, and this time I definitely didn't forget the coconut water.
The second time worked like a charm.
It was immediately apparent that my drink was blending quicker than the first attempt. Maybe my logic actually made some sense!
After a few minutes, I decided that my juice was ready to go.
Maybe it was the way the sun from the window was reflecting onto the blender, but before I poured the drink I actually thought it looked pretty appetizing.
I should confess that I'm not the biggest fan of leafy greens. My daily salad doesn't have any at all, and kale is probably my least favorite food in the entire world.
But the hue of Witherspoon's smoothie was so vibrant and pretty. It looked healthy and fresh — like it was full of promises.
But when I poured the drink into a glass, I had a feeling I wouldn't love it as much as I had hoped.
The consistency was thick. Like, guacamole thick.
"I know it looks like it tastes gross," Witherspoon said in her video, clearly reading my mind. "But it tastes so good!"
But before I took my first sip, I knew there was one last thing I had to do — dance.
Dancing, Witherspoon revealed, is her drink's secret ingredient.
After the very eventful morning, I was starving. So I took a big first sip.
The taste of the greens wasn't as overpowering as I had expected, but that hint of bitterness from the leaves was definitely still apparent. Even with four different types of fruit, I was still really missing some sweetness.
The consistency tasted as thick as it looked, with a chunkier texture than I was used to in a smoothie. Because there's no ice in the recipe, the juice was also a little lukewarm. After I threw in a couple of ice cubes, though, it was definitely easier to slurp down.
But the green juice also had some benefits that were immediately apparent.
The juice filled me up for hours — just like Witherspoon had promised — and I definitely felt more energized than usual during my afternoon workout, which was a huge plus.
So, although I wasn't the biggest fan of the smoothie, I would definitely try it again with a few changes. I'll add ice next time around, and maybe try coconut milk instead of water to give it that extra bit of sweetness.
And I'll probably cut down on the greens just a tiny bit.
I probably won't become a full-time green goddess like Witherspoon just yet, but trying her morning smoothie definitely taught me a new — and important — lesson.
When Reese Witherspoon tells you not to try something at home, always listen.
- Read more:
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- I tried making dalgona coffee, the newest TikTok craze, and it was definitely worth the hype
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