Joining the Green Smoothie Revolution

I want to be more healthy… this has always been a goal of mine and somehow I always fall off track. Part of it is because I live with a carnivore who doesn’t really eat very healthy at all and I have become submissive to his cooking (it’s pretty fantastic to have someone cook dinner for you, and especially when he’s such a great cook). Well, I have slowly put back on 15-20 pounds and I seriously equate a lot of it to not eating the amount of veggies/fish that I once did (as well as not exercising enough and eating out too much). This all got me thinking that I needed to look into some raw diets or at least try to figure out a way to get more veggies into our meals. So I started doing some research.

I had been looking into juicing because I wanted to find a way to make our favorite breakfast drink, Naked’s Green Machine. Green Machine is a disgusting looking (but delicious) green drink you find at the store that has apples, bananas, broccoli, spinach, kiwi and more in all it’s green goodness. Sam’s club used to carry it so we’d get a deal, but now they don’t so it’s major expensive and I wanted a recipe. Well, somehow I came across these books: The Green Smoothies Diet and The Green Smoothie Revolution. Basically you start incorporating leafy veggies in with your fruit smoothies. Well, we love smoothies so the idea seems like a great way to get more veggies in our diets. I have only started reading (starting with the Green Smoothies Diet) and I love what I am reading so far… like how disease and sickness become a thing of the past… like how you will have more energy and no longer be sluggish in the morning (like I have)… like how your eyesight may improve… and how you basically get 15 servings of fruits and veggies all in one drink. Basically, you get up in the morning and make one for breakfast and you have all your daily requirements in this area filled. And because the veggies are not cooked and are blended raw, you are getting every little vitamin you can out of it. It even means that you can take things like spinach and freeze it before it goes bad, and then add it to your drink.

So for now I am reading my book and I have started having smoothies regularly. I started last night with a pumpkin smoothie that I got out of the Biggest Loser Diet… it left a lot to be desired. You combine 1/2 C pumpkin, 1/2 Cup milk (ricemilk for me), 1/2 C greek yogurt, 2 Tbsp. agave nector (for sweetness), and then 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1/8 tsp. ginger, 1/8 tsp. nutmeg, and 5 ice cubes. Well, I added more ice cubes because it wasn’t thick/creamy enough… then I added 1/2 a banana and some dates. It just didn’t hit the spot, so I may need to try something else.

I really wanted to make a green smoothie this morning and try for Green Machine, but instead opted for the author’s Hot Pink Breakfast Smoothie which she showed on YouTube. It was actually pretty good. I was surprised. It has coconut milk, raw beets, carrots, strawberries, yogurt (optional), vanilla, dates and cashews in it. I did not put the nuts in it, but this sucker is surprisingly addictive. It’s a taste that you don’t necessarily love, but you can’t stop drinking… I think maybe it’s the coconut. Anyway, here’s to my first breakfast smoothie! And here’s the recipe:

Hot-Pink Breakfast Smoothie
GreenSmoothieGirl.com

Puree all ingredients except strawberries in BlendTec for 90 seconds. Add strawberries and puree on high until smooth. Notes I have been drinking this every morning for five years, just because I love it! Raw beets are an excellent blood purifier, coconut liquid is packed with minerals and electrolytes, and how many breakfasts do you know that taste great and contain raw carrots and beets? Makes one quart, a 450-calorie breakfast that has 4 servings of fruits and vegetables, 15 percent plant protein, probiotics from the yogurt, and high-nutrition, unrefined fats in the cashews.