Day Thirty Seven

OOPS! I made the smoothie bright and early yesterday morning, but just never sat down to blog it. How did I let that happen? I've been struck by plantar faciitis and it really seemed to mess with not only my workouts, but my mind as well. I've finally arrived at a place where I'm committed to getting healthy. I'm drinking my green smoothies, eating more salad everyday, and I was working out consistently. And then WHAM! I can't walk. At all. When I get up in the mornings, I literally look like an 87 year old woman trying to hobble to the bathroom. Its really frustrating and I spent most of yesterday feeling sorry for myself. So, in a nutshell, that's how I missed my blog post. My apologies.
I will be going to my inlaws to watch the Superbowl today and I'm taking my vita-mix with me to make a smoothie for them. I'll blog my recipe from their house. So, here we go. Yesterday's smoothie was:

• 1 T coconut oil
• 3 pineapple spears
• 2 bananas
• 2 c water
• lots of spinach
• ICE

It was ok. I'm just not a fan of the coconut oil. But I contintue to use it because I know its healthy. Like the last one, it tasted better after it had been in the fridge for a while. I'll check back in later this afternoon!

Day Thirty

Oh Green Smoothie, take me AWAY!!!!! Its a rainy, muddy mess here in the Pacific Northwest. Living here for over six years now you'd think I'd be used to it. But sometimes it still takes me by surprise. This morning the dogs were outside wrestling around in the mud, which they always do and I went about my morning and making my green smoothie. I realized I needed some ingredients that were out in the (detached) garage. I opened up the side door and the dogs immediately attacked me. Within 1.7 seconds I was covered in mud. Did I mention I'd already showered? In an attempt to get away from their "affection" I tried to run back into the house. But the dogs are faster than I am. And they ran straight through the door, pushing me to the side. Muddy paw prints are the new decor of my kitchen floor. It took three of us (myself, hubby and oldest son) to get the wet, soppy muddy dogs into their crates and I went about making the green smoothies, heading back out to the garage in peace. I got said smoothies made, and poured and handed out to all of the members of our family. I went to put the leftover smoothie into the fridge and yesterday's smoothie decided it had had enough and wanted to end it all. The (glass) pitcher jumped of the shelf, taking down a brand new bag of spinach with it, and another (glass) pitcher of extra smoothie. So, on top of the muddy paw prints there was now a beautiful swirl of green and deep purple, littered with spinach leaves on top. Oh, and the pitcher smacked into my shin on the way down. Thankfully neither of the pitchers broke and the mess was somewhat contained to right in front of the fridge. Its cleaned up now and I think, after I finish this smoothie in front of me, I may go take another shower. Oh, did I mention we're having company this afternoon? Fun times.

Ok, into the vita-mix:

• 1 cameo apple, chopped
• 2 bananas
• OJ
• frozen pineapple (ingredient that prompted the canine attack)
• kale
• spinach
• ICE

Its been brought up that Kale has a fairly strong flavor and I was asked how I'm able to mask it in my smoothies. I only use 3-4 leaves per smoothie and lots of spinach. I also like to pair it with fairly strong flavored fruit, such as pineapple & banana. I hope this helps! Keep the questions and comments comin'! I love getting feedback from you guys!

Day Twenty Three

Wow. Yesterday I had a total emotional breakdown. I had super weird cravings all day and I just felt 'off'. Its not hormonal, so I turned to look at my nutrition. Yesterday's smoothie was very good, but it was very heavy and not as raw as I normally like (especially since I didn't soak the walnuts). Thursday night for dinner I had made myself some Morning Star Broccoli Cheddar Bites. They were good, but now I'm wondering what kind of preservatives may have been used and if I was having a reaction to some weird ingredient. I haven't had much processed food lately. Either way, I knew this morning I needed a raw, wholesome nutrient packed smoothie. So, into my vita-mix:

• Basic Smoothie Starter with pear
• one over ripe banana
• about two cups of frozen pineapple chuncks
• three handfuls of spinach
• one handful of collard greens
• a splash of OJ (not raw, but I was out of oranges)
• ICE

Its very yummy and I expect will help kick out whatever toxins took hold of my brain yesterday. Now what to do with that pan of brownies I made.............

Day Twenty One

I should learn to keep my mouth shut. My husband was happily drinking today's smoothie, even exclaiming how great it was. "I really like this one" he called out while playing Wii with the boys. And then I told him what was in it. My big mistake. For the last two hours he's been complaining that he has a "rice milk after taste" stuck in his mouth. Hhmmm, I think he's worse than the kids ; )
Ok, into the vita-mix today:

• 2 c rice milke
• 2 bananas
• 4 handfuls spinach
• 2 big handfuls frozen strawberries
• a squirt of agave
• a few fresh strawberries (rinsed, with stems in tact)

Blend it all up and off ya go! Enjoy!

Day Sixteen

Today's smoothie was one of those "I have an idea in my head, the smoothie didn't even come close to what I thought so let's add some more random ingredients" kind of smoothies. And I have to say it ultimately did come close to what I had in mind. Whadda know?
I was going for a "Cherry Limeade" kind of thing, but I didn't have enough frozen cherries. So I substituted some frozen strawberries and I think it came out beautiful. Actually, it didn't because it came out kind of a murky muddy green, but the flavor is beautiful. Afterall, its not looks that matter, its what's in the inside right? Well that's what I tell myself. Please don't burst my bubble. Ok, into the vita-mix:

• some green grapes (its what was leftover from my son's snack. I'd say maybe 7 or 8 of them)
• handful of frozen cherries
• handful of frozen strawberries
• 2 keylimes, peeled + a small piece of peel for extra flavor with no added pulp.
• 2 handfuls of spinach
• squirt of flax
• 1 cup of rice milk
• 1 cup of orange juice
• 2 whole dates, pitted
• ICE

I love it. Again, my kids have given it a thumbs down. I think they've gotten into the habit of taking a taste and immediately telling me they don't like it. I don't get it. My older son used to say how much he loved smoothies, telling me he couldn't get enough of them, etc. I dont' know what changed. But I'm determined to find out.

Day Fifteen

Orange Julius anyone? Today's smoothie reminds me of the siren call of those yummy, creamcicle like "smoothies" at the mall. My son plays in a chess club that meets at the food court of our local mall every Monday evening. And they sit at tables between the Orange Julius and a candy store. Its like they are trying to torture me. I usually take a smoothie with me and just sip on it while reading a book or hanging out with the other chess club moms. We're a wild bunch. Don't let the pocket protector's fool you ; )
Ok, into the vita-mix:

• 1 1/2 cups of Rice Milk
• a tsp (ish) vanilla extract
• one banana
• two clementine oranges (peeled)
• couple handfuls of spinach
• ICE

Lots and Lots of ice. Why? Because I wanted it to be thick and milkshake like. To hide the pulp from the oranges. I'm a wimp. I do not do pulp. You may notice over the next few days that my smoothies are getting smaller. I am not finking out on my quart a day challenge, but my husband is a commerical airline pilot so when he's working, I do not make as big of a smoothie. To be honest, today's was much bigger than I intended. It'll be a snack later. And it may be dinner. And possibly breakfast tomorrow. Would you like some of my smoothie?

Day Thirteen

Wow, its been almost two weeks already! How are you guys feeling? For today's smoothie I kept it simple, but I also made a small batch. I'll have to make some more this afternoon, and it just so happens that I've been craving one of my peanut butter milkshake smoothies. Yea, I'm sneaky like that. Ok, into the vita-mix today:

• 1 kiwi with skin (ends trimmed)
• handful of frozen pineapple
• 4 big handfuls of spinach
• 1 small handful of cilantro
• 2 cups of water
• ICE

The cilantro? It totally made this smoothie. I was awesome! But a little goes a loooooooong way. I'm just sayin'. Oh yea, and its got loads of health benefits, also. Enjoy!

Some of the questions I've been getting for my Q & A post: What do you eat the rest of the day? Do you plan your smoothies out in advance? Why don't you just drink a V8? Has your inventory in toilet paper gone up? Couldn't you just eat a salad? And many more! Don't forget to get your questions in! The Q & A post will be published this weekend!

Day Twelve

Today was a rummage around in the freezer, fruit medley kind of day. Boy, will I be glad when summer rolls around again and I can visit our local farmer's market. Is it wrong that I'm salivating, not over the fresh fruits & veggies that I can get, but over the leaves that are attached to said produce? I am lucky in that I've got a fantastic local grocery store that caters to produce snobs like myself. Today's smoothie recipe is as follows:

• handful of frozen mango chunks (whatever was left in the bag, about a cup)
• big handful of frozen tart cherries
• two big handfuls of frozen granny smith apple slices
• 3 fresh dates, pitted
• 1 cup organic OJ
• 3 cups water (I needed more liquid to move all of that frozen stuff through the blades)
• 4 big handfuls of spinach
• flax oil

Let 'er rip! I actually blended it all up before adding the spinach and gave some to my children that way. They told me it was too sweet and wanted me to add some greens. I can't win with those two.

Later today I plan to make myself some soup with my vita-mix. My goal is to keep the temperature under 118* so all of my yummy ingredients stay raw and packed full of healthy enzymes. Would you like me to share other recipes I try out in my vita-mix or are you here only for the smoothies?

Day Eleven

My kids are addicted to juice. As a new mother, that didn't know any better, I got them started on juice habit way too early. In an attempt to repent for my prior mistakes, I've switched them from apple juice to V8 V-Fusion. Its not a perfect solution, but its better than the other alternatives. They love this stuff and it does have a decent amount vitamins and minerals, so I don't feel overly guilty about it. Probably the most frequently question I'm asked is "why don't you just drink a V8?" This question, along with any others you may have will be answered in an upcoming Q & A post. I've been collecting your questions and now's the time to ask any more that you may have! They don't even have to be about smoothies! Anything you want to know!

Ok, back to business. I have one son who will eat his weight in fresh fruit and cherry tomatoes. However, this one does not like smoothies. Go figure. I allow him a little lenience because he does get a lot of raw goodness in otherwise. My older son, however, would live on PB&J and chicken nuggest if I allowed it. Thankfully, he's the one that loves smoothies. I just love it when things work out for me this way!

So, in an attempt to find the perfect smoothie for my youngest son (ie, one he'll actually drink without arguement) I decided to try to recreate his beloved V8. The flavor I modeled today's smoothie after was the Strawberry Banana. These are the ingredients as listed on the side of the bottle:

reconstituted vegetable juice blend (water and concnerated juices of sweet potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, beets), reconstituted fruit juice blend (water and concentrated juices of white grapes, oranges, apples, strawberries and clarified bananas), contains less than 2% of the following ingredients: natural flavoring, banana puree, malic acid, vitamin c (ascorbic acid), citric acid, vitamin e (apha tocopheryl acetate).

Ok, not too bad. But I'm quite sure I can do better with my vita-mix. So this is what I blended:

• A handful of butternut squash chuncks (purchased at costco) (approx 8 1" cubes)
• 1 medium carrot washed, unpeeled
• 5 -6 cherry tomatoes
• a small piece of beet
• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of oganic OJ
• 1 whole apple
• 2 bananas
• 2 large handfuls of frozen strawberries

And guess what??? My youngest gave it a thumbs up! He didn't drink a lot of it, but he rarely drinks or eats much in one sitting. He's more of a grazer. But he liked it and asked if I'd make it everyday. I don't think I'll go that far, but this recipe is definitely a keeper. My husband enjoyed it, despite the fact that it wasn't green. But he did say "just don't tell me what's in it". I told him not to read my blog. To which he answered "I don't". LOL! So go smack your forehead and say "Doh, I coulda had a V8!"

Day Ten

Good evening smoothie friends! We left the house early this morning and just walked in the door about 10 minutes ago. We've been to Portland, OR and back and we're all exhausted. I made two smoothies this morning for the ride. I made the strawberry milkshake as well as a new one:

• 2 cups of water
• 1 large apple
• 2 bananas
• 3 handfuls of spinach
• ice

Gave it a good whirl in the vita-mix and off we went!

Day Eight, Part Deux

Yesterday's smoothie did not yield enough for all of us to have our desired amount, so I whipped up another one in the afternoon. It was delish! Into the vita-mix:

• 2 c organic OJ
• 1 large apple
• 1 whole kiwi (skin & all)
• 1 banana
• 6oz clamshell of raspberries
• 6oz clamshell of blueberries
• lots o' spinach
• ice

gave it a whirl and let 'er rip! It was good. DH said it was a bit too citrusy for his taste, but I think that was the combination of kiwi and OJ.

Day Eight

Today's smoothie was fairly simple. Into the vita-mix:

• Basic Smoothie Starter with apple
• 4 handfuls spinach
• 2 bananas
• frozen pineapple
• frozen mangos
• flax oil

Yummy!

Day Seven

WooHoo! We made it a whole week! How are you guys feeling? Are you noticing anything different? I'd love to hear how your first week went. Some things I've experienced and have heard from others is that for the first few days you may experience some negative side effects. Especially if you have been consuming a standard american diet comprised of processed foods, refined sugar and lots of white flour, animal protein and fast foods. A lot of people notice a difference in their, um, digestive abilities. Green Smoothies will clear ya out! But that's a good thing! Some other symptoms include headaches, a bit of nausea, muscle aches, etc. These are short lived and its actually your body trying to rid itself of the toxins that the green smoothies are pulling out of your cells. Keep up the green smoothie habit and these symptoms should go away quickly.

Now, onto today's smoothie. I've been experimenting quite a bit lately so today I went totally minimalist. Into the vita-mix:

• 1 apple
• 2 bananas
• 3 handfuls of spinach
• 2 cups of rice milk
• big squirt of flax oil
• ice

I thought it was a bit bland and my husband didn't care for it at all. The kids haven't tried it yet, but I'm going to add some mixed frozen berries for them and that's how I'll drink my second pint this afternoon. Live and learn!

So, what's with all the rice milk lately? My oldest son has been requesting "milk shake" type smoothies this week and I use rice milk to achieve that texture. I'm currently reading the book "The China Study" and it really has me rethinking the amount of cow's milk we consume. Hopefully soon, I'll get around to making my own, raw almond milk. I can really have some fun with that!

Day Five

I'm still sans camera and I was fairly busy today so I just threw some stuff in a blender and it came out remarkably well. I love it when that happens! Today's recipe:

• 2 c Rice Milk
• 2 handfuls semi frozen strawberries
• 3 big handfuls spinach
• a banana
• a squirt of agave
• a splash of vanilla extract
• a big handful of ice

Dumped it all in the vita-mix & let 'er rip. It came out like a strawberry milkshake. YUM!

Day Four

Well, its a good thing the last few posts have been fairly picture heavy because today's has ZERO pictures. Why, you ask? Oh my camera died. Its dead. Its ok though because it was a dinosaur. I borrowed it from my FIL a few years ago when my youngest son killed my last one. Throwing a camera onto a gravel driveway? Not a good idea. So, my husband has been talking about getting a new camera soon, so I guess now's the time eh?

Ok, on to the smoothie. I sssooo wish I had a camera because today's smoothie was PHENOMENAL!!! It is divine. Its amazing. Its scrumptious. Have I mentioned how much I like today's smoothie? I've linked to all my ingredients though so you can see what I used.

I wanted something indulgent, but I didn't want to pay for it later. So I thought I'd try something a little different today and it was, well you get the picture. I threw the basic smoothie starter out the window today. And this is what when into my Vita-mix:

• 1 cup of Rice Milk (original flavor)
• 2 bananas
• approx 1/4 cup (maybe a little more) Adam's Natural Peanut Butter
• 3 handfuls of spinach
• 1 tbsp organic cacao powder (I couldn't find raw powder)
• about a tsp of vanilla extract
• a squirt of agave
• 2 big handfuls of ice

It tastes just like a peanut butter milkshake. Oh wow. Oh wow Oh wow Oh wow. Ok, I'm off to hide in the corner and drink all of it. I'll just tell the kids that today's was yucky. If they don't notice the green dribble running down my chin. Mmmm......green dribble. I have to go. A smoothie is calling my name.

Day Two

***Warning! Today's post is very picture heavy!***

Its day two of my smoothie challenge & things are going well. Today I thought I'd show you step by step how I make my smoothies. Don't worry, not all posts will be this picture heavy : )

I started with my Basic Smoothie Starter with apple. I just cut out the core and chop the apple into dice sized pieces. Before I got my Vita-mix, I usually used pears as they are softer and a little easier on the motor.


I added two bananas. Mmmmm.....bananas.

Then came the spinach. Lots and lots of spinach! This is the good stuff! About two whole salads worth of spinch. Right there. In my blender. People think I'm nuts. I'm ok with that.

Blueberries. I splurged this week and bought some fresh berries. I was getting sick of frozen. Fresh is always best, but this time of year I buy what I can find and rely heavily on frozen fruit. I just make sure there is no added sugar or other ingredients.

Stuff it all in the Vita-mix and let 'er rip!

Keepin' things moving!

Lookin' good. Actually, its looking a little like mud. But I know it will taste good. That's what's important. If you can't handle the look of it you can put it in an opaque cup. I prefer a pretty glass.

More blueberries. Actually, I just couldn't fit them all in before I blended it. What is not pictured is several berries making the plunge and bouncing all over my counters. That's when I decided to add them in two batches.

ICE!! If I'm not using any frozen ingredients I like to add ice. It makes the smoothie nice and cold and gives it a bit of a slushie feel.

(please ignore the blue fingernail. a pen exploded on me yesterday.)

The Meyer Lemon. Its a hybrid between a traditional lemon and a mandarin orange. They are sweeter and a little less tart. I probably should have used them yesterday and then maybe my husband's reaction would have been a little more subdued. But I didn't have enough. Anyway, I just juiced half of this guy into our smoothie. Just to brighten up the flavor a bit.

Put smoothie into a pretty glass and add cheesy garnish. (not pictured: digging out a few lemon seeds after removing said garnish)

I keep my smoothies in a glass pitcher in the refrigerator and they'll keep for about a day or two. If there's any left. We usually finish the whole batch. And sometimes make more. Its an addiction around here. I'm tellin' ya!

Um, honey do you think you could take your eyes off The Bee Movie for just a second or two and look at Mommy? How about looking a little more enthusiastic, too? Could you do that for Mommy? Please?

Hhhmmmmm. I guess he gave me one of my requests.

Thank you, sweetie!

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!