The Best Green Smoothie

Okay, claiming this is the BEST green smoothie might seem a tad subjective, and possibly unbelievable to those who would rather chew on the bottom of a shoe for breakfast, but if you can hang in here for a few minutes you might be pleasantly surprised to learn what this funky green concoction can actually do for you.

While some may be perfectly happy sticking with a bagel and cream cheese for their first meal of the day, I've noticed some positive changes since indulging in this morning ritual. Cravings for starchy, salty white flour foods have greatly diminished, and I pretty much stick to three meals a day with very little snacking. When I do snack it's usually on fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, a hunk of protein or a leftover smoothie. I've also started making extra in the morning, so my daughter can have it when she gets home from school. She likes it, and seriously is there a parent on this planet who would object to this as an afternoon snack? Not me, that's for sure. 

So are you ready to jump on the green smoothie bandwagon? Or are you hovering on the sidelines? Why not start out gradually by setting a goal to have one or two a week. As your body gets accustomed to this royal treatment, you'll probably ramp up the frequency. It's funny how that happens. Just for the record, I have spells when I fall off the beam a bit. While traveling it's not so easy to whip one of these up, so when I get home it's usually the first thing I make. Yep, my body is craving the good stuff and I'm happy to oblige.

The Best Green Smoothie

Serves 3-4
1 granny smith apple (cored)
1/2 pear (cored)
2 leaves of fresh kale
3 leaves of romaine lettuce
1 small english cucumber
1 carrot
5 slices of fresh ginger root
1 banana
1/2 avocado
2 stalks of celery
1 lemon (peeled)
2 pitted dates
1 cup of orange juice
1/2 cup of water
Handful of ice

Place all ingredients (I use organic fruits and vegetables) into your blender ( I use the Vitamix). Toss the harder fruits and veggies in first and the greens on top, then the liquids and ice. Begin blending on low speed. As the smoothie comes together switch to high speed and blend until it's smooth and creamy. About 30 seconds. Enjoy!

To a Happy, Healthy Food Year

As I sit here drinking my last green smoothie of the year I raise my glass to everyone who's taken the time to prepare food for themselves, their families and their friends. There really is no better way to bring people together or to restore your health and well-being. Preparing whole foods that sustain and nourish us is an honorable endeavor, and one that I hope we continue to share into the new year.

My Farewell to 2012 Green Smoothie
1 large ripe pear (cored)
2 stalks of celery (ends removed)
1 small english cucumber (ends removed)
1/2 ripe avocado (scooped out of the skin)
Two leaves of kale
4-6 stalks of parsley
1 lime (peeled)
1 handful of raw cashews
2 healthy pinches of unsweetened coconut
1 cup of orange juice
1 handful of ice

Place all ingredients (I use organic fruits and vegetables) into your blender ( I use the Vitamix) and begin blending on low speed. As the smoothie comes together switch to high speed and blend until it's smooth and creamy. Now sit back, relax and allow your digestive system to wake up to this wholesome goodness. This healthy morning ritual also sets the tone for what you'll eat for the rest of the day.  Once you give your body good food, it will always crave more.

Visit my recipes page and scroll down to the Smoothies section for a little inspiration. I also invite you to explore my soup, whole grain and vegetarian recipes as you start planning menus for the new year. 

For a daily dose of smoothie inspiration you might want to subscribe to the Healthy Blender Recipes website or follow them on Facebook. 

Wishing you a happy, healthy new year.

Quinoa with Vegetables and Roasted Cashews

My Morning Mocktail

I haven't taken to having a cocktail at the crack of dawn, but when I poured this morning's smoothie into a glass it looked like one, so here's a peek at my morning mocktail. As we continue to explore fruit and vegetable combinations using the Vitamix, I've found that adding a little avocado produces a rich, creamy consistency. Plus, avocados are a nutrient-dense food that contain many essential vitamins needed to maintain optimum health. Visit http://www.avocado.org/ to learn more. 

Starting the day with this blast of fresh, wholesome goodness really agrees with us. My daughter requests them every morning, and she's open to whatever combination I put in front of her, but this didn't happen overnight. We started with fruit smoothies and transitioned over to the fruit and vegetable combinations. Ally grew up eating fresh whole foods which definitely gives us an advantage, however, I've met kids who've grown up on a processed food diet that are willing to trying new things. It's takes a little bit of time and some experimentation, but the results are well worth it. Recently I've noticed an awareness developing amongst her friends about the connection between diet and good health, so I'll happily do everything I can to support that interest as our well being depends on it.

My Morning Mocktail
Yields: Approximately 1 Quart/ 1000ml

1 ripe pear, quartered and cored
1 green apple, quartered and cored
4 leaves of kale
3 slices of fresh ginger
1/2 ripe avocado
1/2 bag Cascadian Harvest Berries
1 small english cucumber or 1/3 of a large one
1 orange, peeled, or 1 cup of orange juice
1 lime, peeled
1 handful of fresh cranberries
1 handful of almonds
1 healthy pinch of sesame seeds
1 healthy pinch of unsweetened coconut
1 cup of water
1 handful of ice

I prefer using all organic fruits and vegetables. Place all ingredients in the Vitamix and begin blending on variable (this is the toggle switch that controls the blending speed) and turn the speed dial to 3 or 4. Once the ingredients come together switch to high speed and increase the speed dial to 7 or 8. Blend until smooth and creamy. If you're using a regular blender start out slowly and once the ingredients come together turn to high, then blend until smooth. Here's to a happy, healthy start to your day. Raise your glass and let's toast to good health!

Note: If you like your smoothie a bit thinner just add another cup of water before mixing.

Beet and Avocado Smoothie

If I told you that you might possibly be able to get your child to eat beets, broccoli and avocado for breakfast you'd probably think I'm nuts. Well this morning I did. Yep, all mixed up in this tasty smoothie. I've made lots of fruit smoothies, and Ally likes them, but since getting the Vitamix I've been introducing some delicious fruit and vegetable combinations.

Inspiration for this one comes from a recipe I saw on my Facebook feed yesterday which I can't for the life of me find today. I like to give credit when I'm inspired by other food bloggers. Oh well, I hope I'll get a pass this time. This is an adaptation of the original recipe.

Raw Beet and Avocado Smoothie
Serves 3-4

2 small raw beets (peeled and cut into 1" pieces)
1 ripe haas avocado (peeled and pitted)

1 lime (peeled)
1.5 cups orange juice
1 cup water
8-10 baby carrots (or 2 regular size)
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup of ice
2 - 3 tablespoons lavender honey

I cut the avocado in half, remove the pit and then scoop out the flesh with a spoon. This is much easier than peeling and nothing goes to waste.  You can also increase the honey a bit if you think a little more sweetness might help the medicine go down. It sometimes helps when introducing these new tastes to your family.

Add all the ingredients to the blender container and turned the Vitamix to variable (this button controls the blending speed) and as soon as the ingredients start to come together switch to high speed and increase the high variable speed dial to 7 or 8. Blend until smooth. I let this one go for about 1 minute so it turned out very smooth and creamy. The beets give it a mild earthy flavor and the tang from the citrus juices is a refreshing complement to the vegetables. It was a hit and good for you, so I'll definitely make this one again.

Tangy Pear Lime Green Smoothie

It's day two with the Vitamix and I'm officially in love with this gadget. I've juiced for years, but decided to go the smoothie route and there's no better machine out there than this one. Take a look around their site and you'll see a plethora of food preparations that this nifty piece of equipment can perform. I bought a refurbished 5200 model for $329.00 so be sure to check out their specials. These machines were barely used and then throughly tested before being sold again. It's a great deal! In addition to daily smoothies, I look forward to preparing some fall soups now that the markets are overflowing with hard squashes.

This morning's green smoothie will definitely wake up your tastebuds. It's tangy yet just sweet enough to satisfy even those new to the world of 'green' drinks.

Tangy Pear Lime Green Smoothie
Yields: 1 Quart

3 small pears (quartered and seed core removed)
1 lime (peeled)
1 cup greens ( I used Olivia's Organics Cooking Greens, Baby Saute Blend)
1 small english cucumber or a 1/3 of a big one (ends removed as that's where the bitterness resides)
1/2 banana, peeled
1 cup orange juice or one orange
2 healthy pinches of unsweetened coconut
2 healthy pinches of raw sesame seeds
3 slices of fresh ginger

Place all ingredients in the container. Turn on to variable (this button controls the blending speed) and as soon as the ingredients start to come together switch to high speed and increase the high variable speed dial to 7 or 8. Blend until smooth. 

A delicious glass of green goodness to start your day. Yep, I drank the whole quart.

Note: Feel free to experiment with other fruits. My choices are usually driven by what's ripe and sitting on the counter. I leave the skin on all fruits and veggies, except for the citrus fruits and bananas. You can also add a handful of ice cubes if you like your smoothie really cold.