The Details

It's time. The time is here. Let's go. Beginning tomorrow, January 1, I will post the smoothie I make each day. I will drink 1 quart of it and I will tell you all about it. Was it yummy? Was it awful? I will post my weight tomorrow morning, and while I'm not using this as a weightloss strategy, I can't imagine my weight will go anywhere but down. Feel free to cheer me on, play along or just lurk from the sidelines. But let's get going!!

Happy New Year! Here's to great health in 2010!

Basic Smoothie Starter

I usually start all of my green smoothies with the same basic recipe:

• 1 apple or pear cored & chopped ~OR~ two cups of grapes
• 1 cup of water
• 3 large handfuls of Spinach

From here the possibilities are limited ONLY by your imagination.

Grocery List

If you plan to play along with my challenge, and I sincerely hope you do, there are some things you may want to add to your grocery list this week so we can get started on Friday! I don't have any specific recipes planned out just yet, but here are some things that I like to always have on hand for my smoothies:

• Spinach. Lots and lots of fresh green spinach
• Apples or Pears
• Pineapple
• Frozen mixed berries
• Bananas
• Any other fruit that looks interesting while you are shopping......

If you have these ingredients, you are well on your way to your first smoothie!

Tools

I'm often asked what's needed to get started with Green Smoothies. In truth, nothing more than what you already have in your kitchen. I made my first green smoothies with my everyday kitchen blender that I'd had in my cabinet for years. While most blenders can't pulverize whole carrots or totally obliterate nuts into smooth nut milk, they can make pretty decent smoothies. Just keep to soft fruits and add liquid as needed to keep things moving around the blades.



I started with the Cuisinart Blender that we had purchased at Costco several years ago to make baby food for around $80. I know others that have been making them with even cheaper blenders that they've picked up from Walmart, Target or other large department stores.
However......
After you've become addicted to these green smoothies you may want to upgrade. My husband, who is one of the most frugal persons I know, bought me a Vita-Mix for my birthday back in November. Its by far, the best investment we've made for our health yet. A lot of people balk at the idea of spending $400 on a blender, but seriously, I've used it everyday (usually twice) since we purchased it. If you are serious about getting healthy and serious about green smoothies, its a purchase that you will not regret.

A blender, a cutting board and a sharp knife are really all you need to get started. But there are a few other things I have around the house that do make smoothies a little easier and healthier. I picked up a cheap-o citrus juicer at Walmart to juice my own oranges, limes & lemons when I can find them on sale. I'm not a big fan of pulp and while I realize that just tossing the whole fruit in my blender is best, I enjoy juicing them and just using the juice. When I juice the fruits myself I know the juice is fresh, raw and unprocessed. Nut milk bags are another thing that I have in my kitchen. I haven't used them yet, as I just picked them up last week, but I look forward to making some yummy, creamy smoothies with a nut milk base.

There are other tools that raw foodists rave about, but right now I'm only concentrating on my green smoothie habit so this is it for me. Easy peasy. Be sure to stop back on Friday, that's when my smoothie challenge begins!

The Beginning

About two months ago, after posting a facebook status about the kids being sick for the 578th time this year, a friend introduced me to The Green Smoothie Girl. Well, not her pesonally, but to her website. That night I stayed up nearly all night (always a good idea when your house is infested with germs, I might add) reading what this woman had to say. I stayed up the next night (because I didn't suppress my immune system enough the first night) watching all of her videos. It didn't take long before I decided green smoothies were something that I had to try. And after just one day I knew I was hooked. I noticed an immediate difference in my energy levels. Being the mother of two small boys, I thought "energy" was something of the past. I now actually have enough energy to clean my house (that doesn't mean I actually do it, though) and to keep up with my kids on the Wii Fit Plus (but they still kick my butt on that obstacle course). I knew my husband was hooked when he offered to buy me a $400 blender for my birthday and while my kids aren't exactly addicted to the smoothies, they do drink them (we won't talk about the bribes I've offerred them.) I started doing some more research and I’m learning new things about raw food nutrition everyday and I’m making small, subtle changes to the way I eat and the way I feed my family. Don't get me wrong, I’m not perfect. In fact, as I type this I’m sitting here with my hand in a bag of potato chips, but I am trying to incorporate smoothies into our daily diet. The simple truth is, I've eaten a Standard American Diet (SAD) my entire life and having just turned 35 I can tell that its starting to catch up with me. I'm not looking at this as a "weightloss diet". I've given up on those a long time ago! I simply want to start eating healthier and instilling healthy habits in my children.
And so I vow to eat one quart of smoothie everyday during 2010, and to tell you all about it (yay you!). This blog will be the journal of my smoothie adventure; it will keep me focused and accountable. 365 smoothies. They will be a lot raw, mostly green and all wholesome & healthy. Feel free to join along!