Wanted: Mega Dose of Green Smoothie
Posted: June 7, 2012 Filed under: Smoothies and Drinks | Tags: breakfast smoothies, Green Smoothie, travel, vacation 6 Comments »I’m fairly certain that my breakfast (green) smoothie saves my life everyday. As most of you know, I was visiting my daughter in South Korea for (give or take) 12 days and in that time; I didn’t make the proper arrangements to prepare my morning drink. I didn’t fully feel the effects until a couple of days before I left and I have been paying for it since I arrived home. I feel like I’ve literally been hit by a double-decker bus and I barely have enough oomph to open up a dark chocolate bar. I’m not worried because I know as soon as I’m back on the “smoothie”; I’ll be bursting with energy again.
My friend Dee whom I’ve known forever and is the reason, I have to spell my name “De” instead of “Dee” wrote me yesterday asking me how I prepare my smoothies for the week. Below is my response…
On Sunday, we make breakfast smoothies for Monday through Friday. We store Monday and Tuesdays in the fridge and Wednesday through Friday in the freezer. You have to get the freezer-stored smoothies out the evening before and of course, shake well.
We use these containers…
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Rubbermaid-MixerMate-2-Qt-Bottle/16408619
If you decide you want to start drinking breakfast smoothies, the links below will help you get started. It will honestly be the best decision you ever make. Dramatic? I think not. :)
http://devitamin.com/2012/02/05/my-breakfast-smoothie/
http://devitamin.com/2011/10/23/the-green-light/
Okay, it’s almost 8:00 am here in England, which means it’s time to drink my breakfast. Catch you later!
As I stated on my face-book page: Mr. Manatee and I discussing the importance of a plant-based diet. He resides in an aquarium in Seoul Korea.
drink up!
Posted: April 5, 2012 Filed under: My own recipe creations, Smoothies and Drinks | Tags: Apple, Banana, Breakfast, Carrots, Celery, Flaxseed, Orange, Pear, Romaine lettuce, Smoothie, Snack, Spinach 2 Comments »Every once in a while, I like to change-up our breakfast smoothie and on April 1st my husband and I decided to drink two smoothies a day. We have one in the morning and then one either between breakfast and lunch or between lunch and dinner. We can already feel the difference in our energy levels.
Per request: Below are the smoothie recipes.
The Green Apple (Breakfast)
Ingredients
One handful of celery
Two handfuls of spinach (you can use frozen)
One apple
One pear
One banana
16 ounces of distilled water
1-tablespoon flaxseed
Directions
Blend thoroughly. We make ours at least the night before so they are cold.
“People who ate lots of white-fleshed fruits and vegetables-mostly apples, pears, bananas, and cauliflower-had a 52 percent lower risk of stroke over a 10 year period than those who ate the least of those foods. Achieving that difference only took eating an apple a day.” -Dutch researchers/Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association
The Orange Bowl (In between meals)
Ingredients
One handful of baby carrots (I use de-thawed frozen)
One handful of Romaine lettuce
One peeled orange
One apple
12 ounces distilled water
Directions
Blend thoroughly. Again, we make them the night before so they are cold.
Picture: graphichive
Why did the orange stop rolling down the hill?
It ran out of juice.
Drink your Veggies!
Posted: March 6, 2012 Filed under: My own recipe creations, Smoothies and Drinks | Tags: Avocado, Carrots, Celery, Cucumber, Flaxseed, juice recipes, Kale, omega 3 fats, red cabbage, Red Pepper, Romaine lettuce, Spinach, Vegetable smoothie, Vegetables Leave a comment »I’ve had some requests for vegetable ONLY smoothies/juice recipes. It always makes me a little nervous to post smoothie recipes because I will seriously drink any combination as long as I know it’s good for me. It doesn’t even matter how it taste. BUT… for your sake, I want them to be nutritious and enjoyable as well. Developing delicious vegetable ONLY smoothie’s is quite a challenge.
I personally like the idea of blending rather than juicing. It’s easy, nothing is wasted and you reap the benefits of ALL the nutrition and fiber.
Drinking green smoothies guarantees you consume the recommended daily allowance of fruits and vegetables. I have several friends that serve green smoothies to their children, which allows them to get all the nutrients they need on a daily basis.
The first recipe is one that I created. You may think it’s a little boring, but below I’ve listed why I chose these ingredients.
Drink it; it’s good 4 u
2 handfuls of spinach (you can use frozen spinach)
1 big handful of chopped cabbage
2 handfuls of red pepper
2 tablespoons of flaxseed
8-12 ounces distilled or filtered water
Optional: ice cubes
Blend, blend, blend!
Spinach: One of the most nutritious foods on earth! You may not have known this but Spinach is a fine source of calcium for those that can’t or don’t want to drink or eat dairy.
Cabbage: A good source of Vitamin C, fiber and an awesome antioxidant.
Red Pepper: Good source of vitamins C, A and the mineral potassium. Inflammation reducer.
Flaxseed: Rich source of Omega-3 fats
*My smoothie/juice gives you a combination of greens, sulfur and color which you should add to your diet on a daily basis.
Jackie V’s recipe
2 handfuls of spinach or kale
1 handful of carrots
1 handful of celery
Ginger
Optional: cucumber
Avocado Cucumber
1 medium avocado
1 large cucumber
¼ cup chopped parsley
3 tbsp lemon juice
Just Green
1 bunch of romaine lettuce
1 medium cucumber
2 cups of water
Of course adding fruit to any smoothie makes it taste better. You can find green smoothies with fruit under my “smoothie” folder listed to the right of my blog. I still drink the “Green Light” for breakfast every morning. A couple of times a week, I’ll drink the vegetable smoothie mentioned above (for lunch) followed by some cut up veggies and hummus.
If you have a good Vegetable ONLY smoothie and would like to share, please leave a comment with the recipe. Thank you!
Drink up! :)
Picture by: www.almightydad.com
D&D Breakfast Smoothie
Posted: February 5, 2012 Filed under: Detox, My own recipe creations, Smoothies and Drinks, START HERE | Tags: Apple, Banana, Breakfast, Carrots, ground flaxseed, Pear, red cabbage, Smoothie, Spinach, typical breakfast 6 Comments »Recently I’ve had quite a few people ask me about the smoothie my husband and I drink every morning, so I thought I’d re-post the recipe. It’s changed just a little bit from when I started making it last summer. We both drink 40 ounces for breakfast everyday.
INGREDIENTS
2 handfuls of spinach (Try frozen)
1 handful of celery
1 handful of carrots (I use thawed out frozen baby carrots)
1 apple
1 pear
1 banana
12-16 ounces of distilled or purified water
3 tablespoons of ground flaxseed (optional)
6 ice cubes-optional (We like to drink ours cold)
DIRECTIONS
If you use a high-powered blender, you can just cut up the apple and pear and throw it in the blender with the skin on.
BLEND thoroughly!
Enjoy!
*We’ve found that adding a half a handful of red cabbage on occasion really helps to “clean you out” if you know what I mean.
You will feel much more energized drinking this smoothie for breakfast than you would if you had consumed a typical breakfast. BECAUSE it’s blended, you don’t have to use your energy digesting what you would normally eat in the morning. AND just think of all the fruits and veggies you consume right off the bat! It’s a win-win situation. :)
Picture: epicself.com
Recipe inspired by: Kimberly Snyder
Cherry/Banana Smoothie
Posted: January 25, 2012 Filed under: Least Amount of Ingredients Recipes, Smoothies and Drinks | Tags: almond milk, Banana, Blender, Cherries, Freezer, frozen cherries, Rice milk, Vitamix 2 Comments »Here’s a healthy snack for two, maybe three if you’re feeling generous. :)
INGREDIENTS
1 12-ounce bag of frozen cherries (yep, I used the whole bag)
2 bananas
2 cups Rice or Almond Milk (use a little more if it helps with blending)
DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients into blender. Blend until smooth or preferred consistency.
You can always cut this recipe in half if you are making it just for yourself.
*Don’t forget: If you’re bananas are ripening faster than you can use them just peel, wrap and place them in the freezer to use later in the week (for smoothies).
Not just for Margaritas
Posted: December 4, 2011 Filed under: Smoothies and Drinks | Tags: Blender, Flaxseed, Fruit, Raw, Smoothie, Vegan, Vegetables, Vitamix 6 Comments »I haven’t fallen in love with a kitchen appliance since I left my double oven in Georgia (10 years ago) but the Vitamix Turbo Blend VS has captured my heart. I can’t believe the time I wasted grinding up fruits and vegetables in my Osterizer blender. Don’t get me wrong, the old-timer kept on ticking, but it definitely didn’t make my life any easier.
The Vitamix has Superman powers. I’m not even exaggerating. The vegetable/fruit smoothie I’ve been drinking everyday for the past 6 months taste even better and smoother than ever! A smoother, smoothie. lol According to the instructions, this thing could almost replace every appliance in your kitchen (I’ll keep you posted on that one). Anyway, it’s well worth the money.
So in honor of the almighty new blender, I’ve posted a new smoothie recipe. It goes against my 5 ingredients or less rule, but it’s chocolate and delicious and well, it’s chocolate and delicious. I would limit myself to this one as just a treat or a dessert.
Chocolate Smoothie
1/2 cup almond or rice milk
1/2 cup of pomegranate or acai juice
Handful of spinach
1 medium banana
1 tablespoon natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon flaxseed
2 cups of frozen blueberries
First, place all ingredients into blender in order listed. Select variable 1 (if you have a Vitamix) or low-speed and quickly increase speed to Variable 10, then to high. Blend for one minute.
CHEERS!
Revised Recipe from Vitamix live fresh raw/vegan/vegetarian recipes.
The “Green Light”
Posted: October 23, 2011 Filed under: Detox, Smoothies and Drinks 17 Comments »The “Green Light”
My husband and I drink the “Green Light” smoothie (for breakfast) every morning after we drink 8-16 ounces of water. We call it the “Green Light” because of the energy it gives you and how it really gets you going (in more ways than one) for the rest of the day. First, I’m giving you the exact recipe we use and then I will give you a quicker version if you don’t want to buy as many ingredients. You won’t get as many veggies in the morning, but you are still getting a lot of good nutrients you need to start your day off right. Of course, using organic is optimal, but not always available or affordable. Believe me, drinking non-organic smoothies is still way better than eating a donut or a bagel topped with cream cheese for breakfast.
Ingredients
1 and ½ cups of water
1 handful of spinach
1 handful of romaine lettuce
1 handful of chopped celery
1 handful of chopped carrots
1 apple
1 pear
1 banana
5 ice cubes
Flaxseed (optional)
Hemp protein powder (optional) * Make sure your hemp protein powder says no THC.
01/09/2012-I’ve had some concerns about Hemp Powder showing up on employment drug testing so I did some investigating. Everything I read says it will not show up and I e-mailed one company and they also stated that it would not show up positive on a drug test. BUT, if you have any doubts, please do not use the Hemp powder. My husband decided NOT to use it and I totally understand and respect his decision. These days, you can’t be too careful.
BLEND BLEND BLEND! Unless you have a professional blender, you need to blend this as much as possible. I blend after each category. It measures out to around 40 ounces and yes, we drink it all. That’s 40 ounces EACH. At first, you may not be able to drink the whole thing but once your body gets used of “that’s your breakfast”, it goes down quickly. Note: It does not look pretty, but because we know what it does for our bodies, we don’t much care about eye appeal.
Quick version
1 and ½ cups water
2 handfuls of spinach
1 handful of chopped celery
1 apple
1 pear
1 banana
Optional: You can add flaxseed or hemp protein powder.
BLEND WELL!
You can make a bigger batch and store it in the refrigerator for 2 days or in the freezer for one week. During the week, we make it in the evening so it’s ready for my husband when he goes to work in the morning.
*This smoothie is based off Kimberly Snyder’s (The Beauty Detox Solution) Glowing Green Smoothie recipe.
