It’s green smoothie season again. Yum. I really like green smoothies — but, not in the winter. I don’t know why, because lots of people make them in the winter, but for some reason, I do NOT enjoy making them or drinking them when it’s cold outside. I’m sure my family would drink them regardless of the weather. The bird has always loved them (I have funny pictures of her as a baby with green all over her smiling face) and the bean loves them too! Even Kevin likes them. There are a million different things you can put in them. There are some great recipes and tutorials on Green Smoothie Girl . com. Today I used….
2 cups of spinach
3 cups of kale
2 large carrots
2 beets and the greens
1 cup of blackberries
1 cup of strawberries
one banana
2 kiwis (unpeeled)
1 mango
and I also threw in a few cubes of frozen pineapple puree from my baby food stash
It’s so tasty and sweet and fresh. I love it! I do admit that the color is unappealing at first, but you get over it after you taste it. I’m drinking one right now!
Sometimes I add yogurt or kefir if I have it. That makes it nice and creamy. Also, I sometimes add stevia if it needs to be a little sweeter. But, today the pineapple and banana took care of that. I also sometimes throw in some ground flax seeds or a tablespoon or so of coconut oil. (best stuff in the world)
So, that means for each serving my family scarfs down today, we are each getting all the servings of fruit and veg for the day! Even more if they ask for seconds! Awesome. I don’t have too much trouble getting the kids to eat veggies, and maybe it’s because they’re used to drinking them. Who knows.
There is research out there about greens and how we don’t eat enough of them. Ever. I like salad as much as most people – but I DO NOT eat the recommended two large bunches of dark leafy greens a day. No way. That’s just way too much salad – and salad dressing. But, with a smoothie, you can do that no problem. Greens help with a whole host of illnesses and health problems. A really good book on this subject is, ‘Green for Life’ by Victoria Boutenko. I read this a few years ago. It’s very interesting and is an easy read. Chapter Four is all about why Green Smoothies are so great for you. Check it out. If you read it – you’ll be hooked. 🙂
Yum! Whole, raw, REAL food! Bottoms up. (now I can eat at Cracker Barrel this weekend and not feel as bad!) 🙂
I have meant to post something about the green smoothies I have been making, but haven’t gotten around to it. They are yummy, and I have them every morning after I work out. (I add a bit of powder protein to mine, via doc’s orders…) thanks for the tip, ole gal.
Do the boys like them? The mangos were on sale for 50 cents this week. When I got it out to put in the blender – Lucie said, “Mangos are what lemurs eat.” I didn’t even tell her it was a mango. She was very excited to try the fruit that King Julian eats. Thank you ‘Penguins of Madagascar’. hehehe