About Simple Green Smoothies
Welcome to my plant-based recipe + lifestyle blog started in 2013 by two friends, who met in a mom’s group, on a mission to help others transform their health one smoothie at a time. We offer plant-based recipes, meal plans, cookbooks, and live events that teach determined people like you how to fuel your passion. Itโs an honor to be a part of your wellness journey!
Meet Jen Hansard
In my 20’s, I was a vegetarian who survived on grilled cheese sandwiches, Lucky Charms, and bean-and-cheese burritos. Sometimes Iโd buy a bag of spinach because it was โthe healthy thing to do,โ and then watch it rot away in the fridge because I didnโt know what to do with it.
It wasnโt until I had my second child that I was stopped in my tracks. Having a toddler running circles around me, a newborn who wouldnโt stop crying, and a diet extremely low in any real nutrition was a recipe for utter exhaustion. I relied on double shots of espresso to get me out of bed in the morning, one around 10am… and another in the afternoon to keep me from falling asleep during Thomas the Train episodes.
Coffee was my lifeline, yet eventually, even that stopped working. It didn’t matter how much I had, I was still always tired. I felt defeated by my own body. Something had to change.
The Power of a Green Smoothie
I started blending a daily smoothie with spinach (aka: a green smoothie) for my family, wondering if the health claims were legit. I quickly noticed I had more energy and didn’t need so much coffee. I was also staying full longer and able to have a smoothie as a meal. Even the kids enjoyed them… and never seemed to get sick.
For my family, green smoothies were the “gateway drug” to a healthier life. Within a few weeks of drinking them, I was a different person. I was actually eager to wake up in the morning, bike my son to preschool, and then head to the playground with my daughter.
Running Across the Grand Canyon
I started creating plant-based meal plans, using them weekly and would wake up early to run in the morning, and completed a half-marathon in 2014, a marathon in 2015, an ultra-marathon in 2017 (100km), and then ran across the Grand Canyon in 2018 (49 miles). Since then, I’ve ran across the Grand Canyon every year as a way for me to stay in shape, spend much needed time in nature and reconnect with myself. It’s a gift that I truly cherish. Yet it doesn’t stop there.
Grand Canyon R3
Ran 49 miles in one day
I’ve crossed the Grand Canyon 10 times…so far. It’s one of my fav places in the world.
Backyard family farm
As homegrown as it gets!
We started a backyard family farm with raised beds, compost bins, chickens and rabbits.
Learned to Fly a Plane
Dreams can come true!
I spent months taking flying lessons and loved every moment I spent in the sky.
I’m still a work in progress (half & half in my coffee, Taco Bell and I are BFFs), but I’m pretty proud of how far I’ve come. You see, I plan to live a long, active and adventurous life and I’m doing what I can to cultivate a lifestyle that supports it. My husband (Ryan) is an Air Force chaplain, so travel is in our lifestyle… and I’m determined to keep my body rawkin’ so no matter where we move or how old I get, I can still go after my passions.
Current bucket list adventures
- Visit all US National Parks as a family. (We’ve hit 38 so far)
- Complete a Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim with my kids.
- Thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail in 2028.
- Do a Netherland Bike Tour with Ryan for our 30th anniversary.
- Trek the Camino de Santiago.
By drinking green smoothies and eating mostly plant-based, I’ve transformed my health. I am finally able to see my dreams as a possibility and actually chase them down.
I’m here to help you do the same.
Let’s transform your health one smoothie at a time. One plant-based meal at a time. Unleash the energy inside you to go after the things that matter most. Who you are today, can be someone different tomorrow. I’m proof of that.
Now, are you ready to take the first step like I did?
Meet the Team
I’m proud to say that I work with my actual real-life friends. Every one of them is super-talented and has helped me take Simple Green Smoothies to the next level. Wanna get to know them more? Join Rawk the Year, our online meal planner + community, where we hang out and share life together with fellow rawkstars.
Kelly Klukowski
Brooksville, FL
Erin Mottayaw
Marion, IN
Kimber Furman
Brooksville, FL
Laura Gooden
Pike Road, AL
Where’s my mom friend who started Simple Green Smoothies with me? In 2016, Jadah decided to go after her latest passion: online business coaching. She’ll always be a rawkstar in my book, but she’s no longer a part of the business.
Where should I start?
We transform lives for a living… every single day. We do this by offering plant-based recipes, meal plans, cookbooks, and experiences that teach determined people like you how to fuel your passion. Weโre a “for-profit company” that also creates an enormous amount of life-changing resources free of charge. Itโs an honor to guide and support your wellness journey!
New Recipes
Smoothies, snacks & meals
Each week, we release a new plant-based recipe on the blog, using fresh ingredients.
Free Meal PlaNS
Overhaul your diet…for good!
Transform your health with my help each week through my meal plans.
Plant-Based Education
Kitchen demos & ingredient deep dives
Explore some of my in-depth articles to support a plant-based diet with ease.
Community Events
Challenges, cleanses & masterclasses
Sign up for our newsletter to be first in line for our wildly popular live events.
OUR core Beliefs
The Rawkstar Way
We embrace progress over perfection.
Healthy foods can (and should) taste good.
Weโre here to make the world a better place.
Everyone has an inner rawkstar to be unleashed.
Press + Interviews
- Wellness Mama: How to Make Simple Green Smoothies a Daily Habit
- The Good Life Project: How two moms built an empire from green smoothies and big love.
- Parade Magazine: The Only Avocado Dressing you need
- The Entrepreneur Way: Smoothly Flying High in Business after Getting Through the Dip
- BigScoots: Simple Green Smoothies Found Peace of Mind With BigScoots
- NBC News: 3 new cookbooks written by and for hungry runners
- Prevention: 5 Simple Green Smoothies That Boost Energy And Help You Lose Weight
- Oprah: 4 Easy and Delicious Ways to Eat More Veggies
- Lewis Howes: How to Grow a Brand with a Powerful Heart
- Runner’s World: Zelle Book Club: Simple Green Smoothies
- Entrepreneur Magazine: From Unemployment to CEO: 4 Things This Mom Did to Turn Her Passion Into a Thriving Business
we’ve been featured in
More about Simple Green Smoothies
Simple Green Smoothies started as a mommy blog in 2013 between Jen Hansard and a friend, Jadah Sellner.ย In 2016, Jen took it over completely and has been the personality and CEO behind Simple Green Smoothies since.
Over the years, Simple Green Smoothies has created a handful of awesome plant-based products for our rawkstars. From custom mason jars, protein powder, tote bags, cookbooks and meal plannersโย we’ve expanded the plant-based lifestyle market. Yet due to rising shipping and production costs, we’ve scaled back our products to our top three: Rawk the Year Meal Planner, seasonal cleanses and cookbooks.
We are a plant-based lifestyle blog, which means we make recipes using a loooooot of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds. We aren’t vegan, which means on occasion, you will find eggs in a recipe or cheese as a condiment. If you love meat, you can add grilled chicken, ground beef, etc to most of our dishes. We don’t care how you do it, as long as we help you eat more plants that makes us happy.
I currently have two best-selling plant-based cookbooks published with Rodale, a division of Random House Publishing. You can purchased them on Amazon.
I try and host 4 live cleanses each year to supercharge your plant-based wellness goals. Our Winter Cleanse is usually in February, Spring Cleanse is May, Summer Cleanse is August and Autumn Cleanse is November.