How to make nutritious, delicious green smoothies

Good Morning  :)

 Here's a video I made showing you just how easy it is to blend up a nutritious, satisfying and delicious green smoothie. Below that are instructions for making them in a kitchen blender. You don't have to use a high speed blender, if you don't have one, don't let that stop you.  

Green smoothies have worked their magic on me ~ it's all about getting your greens in! Once I began adding the greens into my diet, my palate began to change slowly but surely!

I began to lose my taste for sugars and carbohydrates,without any effort. I found myself replacing them with more fruits and veggies, enjoying them like I never had before. It was a change that occurred gradually and naturally and helped me to become the healthier, happier gal I am today!

I am 116 lbs lighter and feeling fantastic  :)

Ingredients

1 granny smith apple

1 banana

2 carrots

2 celery stalks

1 cucumber peeled

2 large handfuls of spinach

1 inch piece of ginger peeled

1 tsp raw honey

1 cup of water ~ approx.

blend 1 cup of water with spinach

add each ingredient one by one ~ stirring in a circular motion with tamper

blend until smooth

add more water to fill till top

I always store my smoothies in a 16 oz. Ball mason jar.

They will last up to 2 days in the fridge 

be sure to refrigerate them soon after making them.

Today 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.

Instructions for making a Green Smoothie in a kitchen blender

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 ingredients at once ~ they won't blend properly

blend approx. 30 seconds each time

add 1 cup of water

all spinach .... Blend for about 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!!

Coconut Strawberry Hydration

1 1/2 cup coconut water

1 cucumber, peeled

12 strawberries

1 tsp coconut oil

1 tbsp chia seeds (optional)  

dash cinnamon

dash vanilla

Blend & enjoy  ~ this is really delicious & hydrating!!

  
Strawberry Green Smoothie

1 1/2 cups coconut water

1 pint strawberries

1/2 banana

2 tbsp chia seeds

1 peeled cucumber

1 large handful baby spinach leaves

Blend & Enjoy

These last 2 smoothies are full of hydrating goodness, great for the hot summer days!!

Blend one up or created your own green smoothie :)

There are no rules  ~ have fun with it!!

get your greens on in a delicious, satisfying way!!

Have a wonderful day!!

Sharing my story and facing my fears :)

  Last night was a big night for me!

  I shared my personal journey of weight loss and healthy happiness at Catch A Healthy Habit Cafe. There was a wonderful crowd and I think the evening was a success for everyone involved.

I conquered a huge fear of public speaking and that in itself is such a blessing. I found a confidence I had misplaced long ago. I think because I am passionate about the healing powers of nutritious, natural foods, it was much easier than I ever expected. It was a wonderful experience, one I will never  forget. I realized that I do have a story inside that is just bursting to get out and I found a voice inside that I didn't think I had.

 My wonderful son, sisters and brother in law were there, believing in me much more than I believed in myself. That means more to me than words can say. The love of my family and friends gave me the courage to step far outside my comfort zone and take a risk. I'm so glad that it did! 

 I spent the past several weeks focusing all my energies on this event and haven't spent much time here on my blog. I'm ready to jump back in with lots to share and renewed sense of excitement! For any of the great people I met last night that want to take a look at menus, thoughts and tips from the beginning of my journey, I suggest starting back in the beginning of my blog and work your way through. In many ways I think the first steps were my most important ~ hopefully it will be helpful :)

Please feel free to email me, find me on facebook or comment here ~ post your story, share a recipe or whatever you'd like! That's what this blog is all about.... sharing!

 

Be back soon with some delicious ~ nutritious & simple new recipes and more!

Enjoy the sunshine & have a wonderful weekend :)

Update on things to come

 Summer's in full swing and like all of us, I'm trying to squeeze a years worth of activities into the few summer months that always fly by so quickly... 

 This is just a quick update to say that although the past few weeks have kept me a little more occupied than usual, I will be back in full swing here very soon! I am thinking of doing things just a little differently here. I started this blog to share info on the many ways I've added joy to my life by choosing a healthier lifestyle, in particular the food choices that I've enjoyed along my weight loss journey. I've found that because I eat such nutrient dense foods, I eat so very simply that there hasn't been many new recipes to share lately. Especially in the summer when I am enjoying the abundance of fruits, veggies and greens in the most simple ways. 

 In the past year and a half I've developed a passion for gathering healthy recipes and now have more than you can imagine! I only choose recipes that really appeal to me but I rarely take the time to actually make many of them. So I think this would be a good way for me to take the time to prepare one or two of these recipes a week and share them here. This will be really beneficial for me and perhaps helpful to any of you that are looking for new, healthy & nutritious recipes. They will always be simple to prepare because that's the way I enjoy foods myself. I'm really excited about this :)

I look forward to sharing a few that I've been anxious to try really soon and would love to see some of your favorites here too!!

Have a fabulous day ~ enjoy the sunshine  :)

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July!!


 Yesterday I went to a family picnic at my sister's new house and as always, we all had such a great time hanging out together. I have 2 sisters and it's a family joke that every family get together is really just about the 3 of us. The close bond that my sister's and I share is always at the core of every gathering, we seem to take center stage whether it's intentional or not. 
There's nothing like the special bond that we sister's share ~ we are so blessed!


                                                      Silly fun with Karen & Sharon ~ xoxo

 Of course food is at the center of any picnic and my choices are never an issue with my family. It's really easy to march to the beat of a different drummer when everyone around you is supportive!
Karen  served a huge green salad she knew I'd love. She had all the yummy trimmings ~ sliced almonds, sprouts galore, sunflower seeds and cranberries. I was in heaven :)
I brought along a veggie platter with a raw spinach dip that was awesome and fruity quinoa salad that everyone enjoyed... (recipes below). I've found that as long as I have healthy, nutritious foods at my fingertips, it doesn't matter what anyone else is eating. After all ~ food is only a small part of any family gathering. Shared laughs and time together is what it's really all about!

                                             

Creamy Spinach Dip

4 cups chopped fresh spinach

1 ripe tomato

1/2 cup raw tahini

1/3 cup chopped onion

3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/2 Tsp. garlic powder

combine in a food processor until pureed

Enjoy!!

Fruity Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1 Tsp cinnamon

juice of 1 lime

pinch sea salt

1/2 cup cranberries

1 orange ~ sectioned & sliced

1/2 cup walnuts

Add quinoa to 2 cups boiling water 

simmer on low 15 minutes

let sit 5 minutes to absorb rest of water

Add the rest of the ingredients

Enjoy!

Dessert!!

"Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life"

Albert Einstein