Friday, March 25, 2011

Time to make a green smoothie!

Anyone can do it . It's easy ~ have FUN with it. ~ you can be creative ~ The main thing is to enjoy your green smoothie & get those greens in!!

There are so many different recipes for green smoothies out there ~ so many lovely choices of fruits and greens to pick from. Let's start with the one I began with and is still one of my favorites today. It's really simple to whip up. 

It's rich in nutrients ~ low in calories ~ extremely filling and really delicious!

You are going to need a blender.

 I use a Vitamix , which is a high speed blender, but I didn't start with one in the beginning. It's not necessary to have the Vitamix! Your smoothie will just have a creamier consistency and you don't have to chop up your fruit. Using a regular kitchen blender is fine. You should chop up any firm fruits in smaller  pieces if you are using your kitchen blender.



I'm going to use a regular kitchen blender for this since that's what most people have...

Ingredients:

  1 apple
 2 bananas      ( to sweeten it more add another banana ) 
  2 carrots 
 1 celery stalk
 1 peeled cucumber
 2 handfuls of spinach 
1 1/2  cup of water

Wash everything really well  ~  slice your apple and carrots to blend easily 

Directions ~ it's important not to add all ingred. at once ~ they won't blend properly
blend approx. 30 seconds each time

add 1 cup of water
all spinach .... Blend for abt 30 seconds 

add carrots & blend 

add rest of water & blend

add apple slices & blend

add celery & blend    

add cucumber slices & blend

add bananas & blend until creamy   

ENJOY!!




Feel free to add more fruit ~ any fruits if you prefer it sweeter to start ~ your tastebuds will ask for less and less fruit as you continue drinking them ~ I PROMISE!!!

I would love some feedback.... Feel free to ask any questions, share your thoughts or share your own green smoothie recipes ~ let's have some fun with this  :)


22 comments:

  1. so you are getting all the fiber too !!!

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  2. i may begin to partake in the smoothy thing we have an awesome food coop and i can get tons of fresh and amazing organic produce. We have a jack lelane juicer that we use a bit but i think the whole veggie concept is better. I used to drink a TON of bolthouse farms veggie juice. It tasted the most fresh out of all the store boughts. I may try your recipes though. Mrs. C you look GREAT and i love and miss you!

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  3. I'm so happy to see you both here :)

    Tricia yes yes ~ and we get all the great benefits of the fiber too!

    Ant ~ I first used a juicer too but it only lasted about 2 weeks. For me the smoothies are tastier,easier and much more filling.I know you will love them! Love & miss you too ~ hugs

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  4. Kathy - how many servings is that - and did you use it as a meal replacement?

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  5. Kathy, thanks so much for sharing the smoothie recipe. I am looking forward to trying it.

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  6. Hi Kate ~ This recipe yields a full 40 oz. blender full of smoothies. I always use the 16 oz Ball jars to store them in the fridge, so in this recipe I got 2 1/2 jars worth.
    In the beginning I added a smoothie a day to my regular routine, I didn't drink them as a meal replacement. It didn't take long before my palate began to change and I started eliminating other foods that I no longer craved or cared for. My eating patterns have changed since then, but that's a whole other post.Basically I only eat when I'm hungry....
    Yes ~ now I do drink a smoothie for breakfast and lunch every day.Often at lunch I will have something else with it depending on how hungry I am.
    I think that as long as introducing the greens into your body, the changes occur naturally ~ whether it's in addition to or instead of your regular meals. I found that listening to my body was my guide in this process.The smoothies are so filling that they can easily be a meal replacement as long as you feel full and satisfied. I never ever go hungry and have not felt deprived for a minute during this whole amazing journey!

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  7. Hi Kathy - My milk/soy allergy has caused me much dietary trouble but with this not needing either I guess I'm just going to have to give it a try. The best thing for me would be feeling full. I've wanted to try something like this for a long time but needed motivation. Thanks...

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  8. OK! I'm trying it. We have a Vitamix-like blender that they sell at Costco so I'm ready to go. Now, like Janie Miller, we're counting on you for recipes!

    XOXOXO
    Kate

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  9. Gotta do some running around today - I need that recipe for the snack balls made with dates please! Just had my chia cereal again and it is growing on me. Keeps me full and helps with energy boost. Today I tried the cinnamon plus cranberries and almonds. Chia - do your thing! talk to you soon X

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  10. Good for you Kar :)

    I love chia seeds! I made the cereal with apples,cinnamon and walnuts this morning. Isn't the energy amazing :)
    And you tried the cinnamon! Hope you liked it ~ it has so many healing benefits.
    I add cinnamon to so many of my recipes.
    I'll post the recipe for the Maca balls above ~ mmm mmm good!

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  11. This is so much fun. I am experimenting with different fruits for different flavors. So far, I love what mango slices and oranges bring to the mix. I've got grapes, bananas pears, pineapple,& red and green apples. Each day, I'll try something new. Kathy, thanks for sharing!!
    The chia seeds will be next. Thatcereal sounds amazing!

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  12. Camille ~ The smoothies seem like a good bet, I think they'll keep you pretty satisfied.But they don't have to be a meal replacement. You could have one with some raw almonds and maybe a Lara bar. That's my lunch quite often and I'm never hungry.
    Jane ~ Thanks for coming by to share your excitement, I can feel it :)
    I love your combinations! What kind of greens are you adding? Enjoy

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  13. I'm using spinach and kale for now along with cukes and celery, and as you suggested, carrots for the base ingredients. You mentioned swiss chard? I will look for that next time. Can't wait for summer and the farmer's markets! What websites/resources guided you? You are so helpful and knowledgeable about the healthy benefits and energy-boosting effects of raw foods. You've piqued my interest!

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  14. Glorious greens Jane :)

    I'm so looking forward to the farmers markets too! This year I joined a CSA (community supported agriculture) which is a really cool concept. Are you familiar with it?

    As for your question about how I began on this journey and the resources that have guided me ~ I started to answer you here and realized that the answer was so long I thought I'd do a post about it.
    I will say that it surely wasn't a path I ever expected to take, but once I took the first steps down it I never looked back!

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  15. My husband and I have been juicing a bit and wanted to try your smoothie recipe with a little variation and added an avocado and not in the same order. I have a fairly new Cuisinart blender that I have used a couple of times. John took his time and blended each item about 30 seconds or so. He brought in this drink that was green and I was chewing my way through it. After I finished the glass, he told me he was very sorry, but the blender was not on the right way and when he took it off, there was actually smoke under it and the bottom teeth had been mangled and half grinded off. LOL is all I can say. I can order the part but for now it is out of stock. John cooked us a steak this week and we were literally food poisoned. I think we have to find a restaurant tonight.

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  16. What a great story Tricia! At least John tried and you laughed :) Live & learn...
    I've been getting a lot of feedback much like yours regarding the steak & feeling poisoned! It's happening!! Woohoo ~ your bodies aren't liking that heavy food as much!
    Thanks for sharing here ~ it really made me smile!
    Keep up the good work ~ hugs :)

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  17. Tell me more about the CSA in our area.

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  18. Hi Tricia!
    The one that I'm involved with is called “FARM TO CHEF CONNECT” through Green Gourmet to Go, a great vegetarian take out place up on Fairfield Ave. next to Timothy's ~ wonderful place! I'm really excited about this ~ it's my first I'll be involved with. The farm that the produce will be from is Sport Hill Farm in Easton. You pay month to month and get a box of seasonal vegetables from the farm each week! With this program you not only get your weekly seasonal produce but also a seasonal soup and dessert made by Linda at Green Gourmet.

    Here's the particulars from Green Gourmet's site.... The link to her website is posted on the right of the blog.... :)

    Sport Hill Farm & "GreenGourmetToGo" have joined forces to launch a new pilot program for 2011 called the "Farm to Chef Connect". This program brings together the best of two worlds; local organic produce and healthy, seasonal prepared foods.

    When you enroll, you'll get weekly box with a seasonal soup & sweet dessert along with local, seasonal, organic produce. A win, win combo! Some soups you'll find on the menu; Yellow Tomato Gazpacho, Chilled Coconut Carrot, Scarlet Ginger (a puree of beets, carrots and ginger), Summer Minestrone. You'll also find a "sweet treat" prepared without refined sugars, flours or processed ingredients. Our sweets are prepared with goal of making treats nutritionally dense so you can forget about the guilt and enjoy a dessert knowing it's actually good for you! We also create items that respect food allergies and sensitivities. And of course, you will also receive fresh-picked seasonal produce from Sport Hill Farm, a unique family-owned farm in Easton.

    You can sign up one month at a time or for multiple months. Pick-up is on Thursdays either at Sport Hill Farm or at GreenGourmetToGo. It's a great introduction to a CSA program if you've never participated before. (CSA stands for community supported agriculture program where you pay in advance for a season of farm-fresh produce. This program helps support small local farms by investing much needed capital up front which helps them sustain and grow their farms so that we can all benefit.) It's also a great option for those who want the benefits of a CSA but only for parts of the season.

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