Sunday, May 19, 2013

Week 3 is here!

Are you enjoying your green smoothies?

If you haven't tried a smoothie yet and are wondering why you should, I'd like to share some compelling reasons....

1.  It's the easiest way to consume 2 cups of greens.  Seriously, if you don't enjoy salads, are you really going to sit down and eat a huge plate of spinach?  Why not puree it with some fruit and drink it.  When you're short on time, smoothies are a great way to get a complete meal!
2.    They give you energy!  Drinking your greens gives you a powerful boost of nutrients to make you feel amazing.  I no longer have that 3pm slump - my energy lasts all day.
3.  They help you lose weight!   Consuming green smoothies on a regular basis has been proven to assist in weight loss.  By eliminating one processed snack or meal item a day and replacing it with a green smoothie, you are not only consuming fewer calories, but you are boosting your nutrition.  Giving your body whole foods nutrition is THE BEST way to get healthy and lose weight.  I've lost 5 lbs these past two weeks just by drinking a daily smoothie!
4.  Your cravings for bad food will decrease.  Believe me, I speak from experience when I say this is totally true.  Since I have been drinking smoothies on a regular basis, just the thought of eating junk food makes me cringe.  I want to eat more veggies.  If you knew me when I was younger, you would laugh in disbelief at that.  Like most kids, I totally hated veggies.  Now I can't believe I didn't eat them and am enjoying trying so many new ones - ever had kohlrabi or jicama?? 
5.  You will have better digestion and elimination.  No one likes to talk about elimination (except, apparently, 8 year old boys, who think talking about bodily functions is the funniest thing ever.) But seriously, if you're not going every day, then you have a problem with constipation.  Drinking green smoothies will help.  Not only are they easy to digest because you've already broken down the leafy greens, they contain lots of fiber and we all know how important that is.
6.  They reduce pain and inflammation in your joints.  If you suffer from daily aches and pains, try adding a smoothie to your diet.  They work on a cellular level as an anti-inflammatory.  By adding ingredients like turmeric, green tea or blueberries, you can increase the anti-inflammatory effect.
7.   Your skin, hair and nails will begin to look betterThe dark leafy greens in smoothies are great at detoxifying your body.  Because of this, many people experience clearer skin, shinier hair and your nails grow faster.  Pretty cool!

Ok, so if those reasons aren't enough, I don't know what else to say.  Get past the green color and try it!!    

Here are your recipes for the week -

This cleansing and detoxifying smoothie from a website called The Road Not Processed is a delicious way to start your day. 

Or try this one that is Simple and Delicious for a breakfast that will leave you feeling great. Some frozen mango, banana, kale and ginger are all you need to add to the creamy vanilla almond milk for a quick and easy meal.

This one is called the Rawkin Superfood smoothie because it contains super healthy ingredients that also taste amazing.  It contains some ingredients that may be a bit unusual to you.  Bridget, at The Road Not Processed, adds chlorella and spirulina to this smoothie.  What?? you say.  Chlorella is a powerhouse of nutrition  - as is spirulina.  Both can be purchased online or found at a health food store.  I just thought I'd throw this recipe out there in case you were feeling ready to try something different and/or up the superfood power available. 

Next, I'll share one I've really enjoyed - it's called Blueberry Heaven and the recipe was developed by a fellow IIN classmate of mine - Kate Kim. 
2 cups frozen blueberries
2 cups spinach or kale
1 frozen banana
2 Tbsp. almond butter
2 cups water

Blend well.

This is soooooo delicious!  The almond butter adds such a wonderful flavor and creaminess.  I often have this one after a workout.

The Carrot Cake Smoothie is a divine treat.  Great as a dessert replacement after dinner.....hint, hint.  If you followed the link, you'll see I found this one at a great blog called Simple, Healthy, Tasty.  Love her by-line - "Healthy Doesn't Have to Be Hard" - I couldn't agree more!

Now I'll share two more that are so yummy, you'll think you're drinking dessert.

The Cherry Berry

1 frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen cherries
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
3 large kale leaves (stems removed)
1/2 cup coconut milk
Blend well.  You can add a couple drops of liquid stevia or a dash of honey if more sweetness is desired.

Key Lime Pie Smoothie this one is a treat - it does not contain greens, just fruit

3/4 cup Greek yogurt
Juice of one lime
splash of pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup coconut milk
ice
stevia to taste

O.M.G. this is yummy!!

Your shopping list.... 
Fresh or frozen peach
Mango
Lemons 
Lime
Bananas, frozen
Frozen cherries and blueberries
Ginger
Swiss chard, kale and/or spinach (it's time to start changing up your greens!!)
Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
Coconut milk
Carrot juice
Greek yogurt
Almond butter
Spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves
Sweeteners like stevia, honey, or pure maple syrup.  I DO NOT recommend agave.   

OK, there you go.  I hope you all have a great week!   
    


2 comments:

  1. Hi, I made the Blueberry Heaven smoothie (Except with Peanut Butter, since I don't have almond butter.) It was delicious! And so nice to eat the greens this way!

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  2. So glad you enjoyed it! What others have you tried?

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