8.18.2011

green juice and smoothies

a few years ago i read quite a bit about the benefits of juicing and green smoothies. i knew right away that i wanted to incorporate both into my diet and that i REALLY wanted a vita-mix blender. but since they are so dang expensive i decided i would make due with the blender i had and opted to get a juicer. once it arrived in the mail, i set to work and made a big glass of fresh vegetable juice. it was seriously disgusting and i ended up dumping it out. until, last week my poor little juicer sat in the cupboard waiting for the day when he would get a second chance at life. it wasn't his fault that i made a gross concoction. well, his patience paid off! over the years that he sat waiting i continued reading about juicing, but the horrible memories kept me from giving it another try. then one night as i was browsing the "watch instantly" section of netflix, i came across this documentary and decided to watch it. after it was over, i was convinced i HAD to give juicing another shot. so the next day, i made my second glass of juice. yucky again! i decided to look up some recipes. duh! why didn't i do that the first time?! needless to say, with a recipe the juice was awesome and insanely refreshing! i've been juicing daily since then and am pretty darn sure i will continue for the rest of my life! hehehe! hey, jack lelanne thrived on stuff. i plan on doing the same!


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as for the vita-mix...after nearly 3 years of searching for a used one, saving enough money then using it for more important things, yadda yadda yadda...i finally got one! ruben bought it from nicky's mom for my birthday ( i had tried to buy it from her about a year ago. luckily her husband recently bought a blendtec and they no longer needed the vita-mix, so they sold it to us for a great price. thanks again dave and denise!). green smoothies are much better without big chunks of kale in them.
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i've been making all sorts of goodies! above are raw kale chips. these babies are seriously delicious! you can find the recipe here. i also have made raw chia seed pudding a couple of times, a great healthful desert! and i'm still working on making a good raw cracker. i've made several different batches but they don't come close to these (the best raw cracker around, i think).
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green smoothies changed my life. i know, that sounds kinda lame but it's true. i can already tell that juicing is doing the same thing. that being said, i want to encourage everyone to start juicing and blending! if you don't have a juicer start with smoothies. you don't need a high speed blender, a regular one works fine. here's a recipe for my basic green smoothie-

*2 cups water
*1 banana, i like mine frozen
*about 1 cup frozen mango or any fresh fruit you enjoy or have on hand
*1-2 big handfuls of kale, chard, spinach or any dark leafy green (you'll want to remove the stem from kale or chard)



and here is a recipe for the juice i've been making-

*2 big handfuls of spinach
*1 whole lemon
*1-2 cucumbers
*1-2 celery ribs
*1 green apple
*1 big handful of parsley or cilantro
*1 chunk of fresh ginger (about 1 tablespoon)



when i first discovered raw food and started making green smoothies i lost close to 20 pounds! now after baby #4 i'm in the same boat. unfortunately i didn't eat that great during my pregnancy. i ate way too many grains, a food that definitely packs the pounds on me. but, i know with smoothies and juicing the weight will come off like it did last time.


do you have a yummy juice or smoothie recipe you'd like to share? if so, please leave a comment. and even if you don't, leave a comment and share your thoughts :D

for further reading and viewing-


Green for Life


Dr. Mercola interview with Cherie Calbom


Life Regenerator aka Dan the Man


Fat Sick and Nearly Dead

♥ anne

5 comments :

  1. I actually read quite a bit about juicing and veggie smoothies a while back. It seems like a really good idea, but one I was rather tentative about trying since all the best juicers are so expensive. Plus, with all the supposed benefits, it almost seemed like a gimmick. It would probably be a great way for me to get more veg into my diet though, which is pretty important for me right now since I'm several iron deficient, eep!

    I have a blender at home, but I know if I try throwing even half-thawed strawberries and mango in there, I'll wind up with a lumpy smoothy, and that's not tasty :C For a while I was having just large smoothies for breakfast, actually. I'd make a huge jug of whatever it was on a Sunday afternoon, and store it in the fridge for my Mon-Fri breakfasts. Maybe I should start doing that again... hmmm...

    And I know I've probably said so before, but you have the most beautiful eyes :)

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  2. I'm glad you finally got the vita-mix and that you're using it :D It was a sad lil fella like your juicer, just waiting for some love! I really want to watch that documentary some time.
    We still make the green smoothies every once in a while that you got me started on a couple of years ago. We like to use the frozen bag of fruit from Costco. It's got Mango, papaya, pineapple, and strawberry. That, a banana, greens, and water (Erick like to add yogurt when he makes em).

    I'm back to the gym this week and last (trying to go all week) and sore all over. Crazy how the weight just ebbs and flows! ;( waa. Trying to really up my water intake right now too- I'm sure I'm dehydrated most of the time!
    Juice away Mrs. Fripplehoot!

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  3. ~ * ♥ * ~

    Your green juices sound fascinating ~ I am just wondering how you implement them into your diet? i.e., do you substitute juice for breakfast? I am trying to loose baby weight and I'm look for some low carb, healthy alternatives to the usual junk!

    Also, how well would you say the juice keeps? Or is pointless to drink it any other way than fresh? I am just thinking in terms of time saving. : ) Any info would be helpful thank you! : ) My email is bonita{at}bdotdepictions.com if that's easier to reply too. Thanks again. : )

    xox,
    bonita of Depict This!
    ~ * ♥ * ~

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  4. yes, yes, yes!

    green smoothies are so great. don't you just feel so energetic after drinking them? I love that feeling.
    my favorites usually have spinach and mint and maybe some fruit, or even just stevia and ice.
    so good!

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  5. Yum! I can't wait to try out your green recipe. I've been craving greens like never before lately, so I must need them. Thanks for sharing. I'll let you know what I think when I see you :)

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thank you so much for stopping by. please feel free to leave a comment! i love reading them :)


anne