July 12, 2010

Monday's Green Smoothie

It's a roadie!

1 head of Collard Green Leaves - no stems
3 frozen bananas
2 mango
1 white peach
3 cups of water

Blend on High

March 10, 2010

Green Juice Pineapple Smoothie

This refreshing drink packs in the nutrients!
In a juicer, juice the following:
2 heads of celery
1 large cucumber
5 apples
3 inches of ginger
I added 3 broccoli stems, but you can any green stems such as kale or chard or leave them out.

Pour the juice into a blender and add the following:
10 oz of frozen pineapple
The juice of 2 lemons
Blend untill smooth. Makes 8 cups. There will be some foam. Just skim that off the top when the smoothie settles, and enjoy!

Benefits of Celery Juice

Benefits of Pineapple

Pineapple is Loaded with Vitamins and Minerals
The obvious benefits of pineapple are all the vitamins and minerals the fruit is loaded with. Its nutrients include calcium, potassium, fiber, and vitamin C. In addition it is low in fat and cholesterol.

Pineapple Strengthens Bones
One of the benefits of pineapple is that it helps to build healthy bones. Pineapples are rich in manganese, a trace mineral that is needed for your body to build bone and connective tissues. Just one cup of pineapple provides 73% of the daily recommended amount of manganese. The benefits of pineapple can effect the growth of bones in young people and the strengthening of bones in older people.

Pineapple is Good for Colds and Coughs
While many people often take extra vitamin C or drink extra orange juice when they have a cold, few consider eating pineapple. The benefits of pineapple when you have a cold or cough are the same as the benefits of orange juice, but there is an additional benefit of pineapple. Bromelain, which is found in pineapples, has been found to help suppress coughs and loosen mucus.

February 27, 2010

Krazy Kale Mint Shakes

Click here to download:

Krazy_Kale_Mint_Shakes.zip (379 KB)

Lately I've been a bit obsessed with greens! I crave them all day long, which has inspired me get a little more creative beyond my usual morning green smoothies.

The fresh mint and kale at the market today was so beautiful, on my drive home I started dreaming of how yummy a mint shake would be and how the kale could not only punch-up the green coloring, but enhance the nutrient content as well.

Fortunately I already had some fresh almond milk in the refrigerator ready to go for this DELICIOUS concoction:

Krazy Kale Mint Shake:

1.5 cups chilled almond milk
4 kale leaves
2 soft dates
1 small frozen banana
1 small bunch of mint - about 20 large leaves.

Blend in a high speed blender - I use a Vita-Mix.

For a chocolate version add 1.5 T of raw cocao.

February 24, 2010

Fabulous Enthusiasm and Information about Green Smoothies!

Many of LeijaTurunen's videos are passionate about raw food and she knows here stuff!

Go Leija!

February 19, 2010

Chocolate Green Smoothie!

Chocolate Green Smoothie - For Breakfast or an afternoon snack when you need a chocolate fix!

You can make it in the morning and take it to the office in a glass mason jar. It will last 3 days refrigerated.

Two big handfuls of kale (any kind)
One large frozen banana
Two big pitted dates (or 1 T of Agave Syrup)
Two tablespoons of Raw Cacao Powder or Cocoa Nibs
Dash of cinnamon
Water

For a Chocolate Mint Version - add 10-12 mint leaves

I hesitated to try this because I follow the green smoothie guidelines set forth by the author of Greens for Life, Victoria Boutenko. I never usually add anything but fruit to my greens. However, I'm happy to report that I did not have any digestion problems by adding the dates and cocao, so I hope you don't either if you try this recipe. It's a great starter smoothie for those resistant to greens for breakfast!