Yes, I know, me and my green smoothies! But I’ve added some great ingredients to my smoothies in recent months, so I have to share my latest recipes. First let me explain that a green smoothie is blended in a blender, not juiced through a juicer. So as long as you have a blended, you are good to go. Then all you need is about 5 minutes of preparation time and you’re ready to enjoy!
Just so you understand, the main ingredients of a green smoothies are dark leafy greens, fruit and water. Generally speaking people do not add any dairy, but that is entirely up to you! Keep reading for more details…
Why green smoothies you might ask? Well there has been a lot of research to show that when the fibers of the dark leafy greens are blended into very small pieces, the body is able to absorb more nutrition from them. Also green smoothies provide a fantastic source of fiber in general and are very easily digested by the body. Finally, they are fast, easy and fun and very easily added to a busy day. You can sip them on the go, take them to work, make them for friends and enjoy so much variety of live foods – what a great treat for your body! I also think they are great way to add nutritional supplements to your diet – you simply throw them in and blend (see recipe below).
Even if you change NOTHING else to your diet and simply add one green smoothie a day, you can FEEL better and your body can start to CLEANSE and HEAL.
Many experts agree that the main nutritional component lacking in the Standard American Diet (SAD) today are dark leafy greens. They are very high in minerals, full of fiber and chlorophyll, and a great source of protein as well. Where do you think the cow, giraffe, buffalo, ape, elephant and moose get their protein? From the power of greens!!!
So I share with you now my latest DaVinci of the green smoothie world:
Dark Leafy Greens Kale, boy choy, beet leaves, celery leaves, dandelion leaf, parsley, mint, pumpkin vines – whatever! Get creative. Try to add variety to your greens, so rotate what you buy every week, or even better, buy fresh every day! I would normally add about 3-4 large leaves of kale and 1/2 bunch of parsley, just as an average.
Fresh Sprouts This is my new secret ingredient that I absolutely LOVE! How many people know that sprouts are good for you, but just don’t like the taste and texture of them? Well now you can put them in your smoothie, blend, and presto – you don’t even know they are there! But what a great source of enzymes and life force energy!! If you are interested in making your own sprouts at home, see my previous entry for instructions. Usually I add about 1/2 cup. Sometimes more, just depends.
Fruit I prefer to use sweet fruits in my smoothies, but you can also use savory fruits such as cucumber, tomato, or zucchini. At the moment I am enjoying dragon fruit and banana. I generally will add 1 whole dragon fruit plus about 2-3 bananas. Again, get creative, and bring variety in. Passion fruit are GREAT in a smoothie!
Cold water About 1/2 cup to 1 cup, depending on how thick you like your smoothies. If you don’t add water, you can eat the smoothie like a soup, many people do that. The cold water adds a nice overall temperature to the smoothie; if everything is at room temperature it can taste less refreshing to me. Ice makes the smoothie too cold and is not generally recommended for good digestion. Dairy products would be optional as a replacement here, but the smoothie is so good as is, why add mucous-forming dairy?
Hemp Protein This is a powdered supplement which I am really enjoying in my smoothies these days. Adds great fiber to the bowel and protein for the body. I use about 1 tbsp.
Ground flax seeds An incredible source of fiber and full of omegas. Best way to grind them is buy the flax seeds and then grind them in your coffee grinder or food processor. Once ground, they must be keep refrigerated; otherwise the oils opened up from the grinding will turn rancid. So make a batch and keep it in a jar in the fridge. About 1 tbsp.
Whole flax seeds I personally like the texture of them in the smoothie, but you will absorb a lot more nutrition from the ground seeds. To me the smoothies tastes more filling with some whole flax. About 1 tbsp.
Spirulina Powder I personally think spirulina powder tastes disgusting so I have always found it hard to fit into my diet, but the beauty of the green smoothies is that you can’t taste it!! The taste of the fruit generally overpowers the overall taste. Spirulina is a great source of minerals. About 1 tsp.
Probiotics I add my probiotics (or natural bacterial supplements) to my smoothie by opening up the capsule and dumping the powder right in. So easy!
Oils Usually I add coconut oil to my drink, but I also rotate between hemp oil and flax seed oil. These oils are all fantastic sources of essential fatty acids and also very good for proper bowel function. Despite what the media and mass marketed diet programs have told us, we DO need good fats in our diet! I usually add about 2-3 tbsp. Use variety and have fun!
I hope you see all the value added to your diet from just this basic, simple smoothie recipe!! The beauty of it is that you can try different combinations and even try different ingredients, like bee pollen, honey, agave or other super green powders. Whatever works for you!
Now available! My Green Smoothie DVD and Green Smoothie eBooks,including 200 recipes and a Quick Start Guide, so you can learn at home at your own pace. You can become the next Green Smoothie success story!
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