Tag Archives: green smoothie

Want to Look and Feel Better? Drink Fruit

My skin has been aggressively dry this winter. My hands were starting to look like they belonged to a 150 year-old alien creature. They remained, dry, scaly and wrinkled no matter how much water I was drinking or how much cream I slathered on them. My face wasn’t faring much better.

I wondered why I suddenly seemed to be aging so rapidly. What was different? I realized I wasn’t eating enough fruit. I used to drink green smoothies most days. I had tapered off because, quite frankly, I don’t like them very much. Greens and fruit blended together tasted okay but I can’t say I enjoyed them. I don’t particularly want to see that shade of green early in the morning either. I also found that they repeated on me for several hours after I drank them. I much prefer to eat greens in salads. I personally seem to digest them better that way.

I hadn’t realized that when I dropped the green smoothies, I stopped eating as much fruit. This week, I began drinking fruit smoothies with my breakfast and the difference was immediate. My hands became recognizable as my own again. They were suddenly soft and supple. The skin on my face also smoothed out and plumped up again. My whole body felt better inside and out. My mid-morning desire to snack even went away.

My experience isn’t just anecdotal. Fruit is packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients. These properties are vital to our overall health and well-being. Fruit is also usually high in fiber. The increased fiber from the fruit is probably the reason I have been fuller longer and was able to ditch my mid-morning snack. Fiber, of course, also helps the body rid itself of waste and harmful invaders.

The base of my smoothie is always a banana and almond milk. I add a cup of various frozen fruits to this starter: mango, pineapple, and berries. I thaw them out in the fridge overnight. I don’t really like super cold drinks. When the ice crystals hit the back of my throat, I start coughing. I figure using softer fruit is less wear and tear on my blender too.

I know fruit smoothies get some flack for containing a lot of natural sugar. However, since the fruit is still whole when I blend it, the fiber and nutrients are intact. It isn’t as though I am getting all this sugar in a concentrated form like I would with just juice. So, I am not that worried about it.

How about you? Have you been experiencing very dry skin this winter? A fruit smoothie might just be the delicious solution that you seek now that Spring has sprung!

Naturally Nutritious: Beet Greens and a Smoothie Recipe

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One of the nicest things about shopping at the farmer’s market is that you see the produce in its natural state. There is no way you could transport beets and other root vegetables with the greens still intact. They would rot over the thousands of miles it takes for them to be delivered. Heaven forbid should there still be any soil on a fruit or veggie in the supermarket! By the time we see them, they are the de-stemmed, triple-washed, gleaming, little, over-sanitized specimens, we expect them to be. You’d never guess that they had been grown in dirt.

Unfortunately, we miss out on the greens. Beet greens, like all greens, are high in fiber. They also contain significant amounts of vitamins K, C and A. Best of all, they are tasty! Some people find them bitter. I honestly don’t. Compared to kale, they are almost sweet… but not quite. I would say they have a fresh, green, earthy flavor. Beet greens are excellent sautéed. They can be added to soups and stews or served raw in salad. I enjoy adding beet greens to my autumn smoothies.

Autumn Apple and Beet Green Smoothie

One Cup of Almond Milk

One Apple (cored and cut in a few pieces)

Handful of Beet Greens

Handful of Kale

One Banana

A few drops of lemon juice

Two Tablespoons of Chia Seeds

Throw all the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Drink immediately. (I have begun to add the chia seeds after I pour it into a glass. Little suckers get stuck to the side of the blender if you aren’t careful!)

Do you eat the greens that come with your root vegetables? Would you? Please leave me a reply. I would love to hear from you.

Many Blessings,

Cynthia

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Natural Way to Start the Day: Summertime Smoothie

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Summer is the season of the green smoothie! You can get all your ingredients fresh from the Farmer’s Market. The best foods for our bodies are the ones that are available in season. Getting fruit and veggies from the Farmer’s market ensures that they were grown locally and that they were picked when ripe.

I start every morning with a green smoothie. (When I didn’t get to make it yesterday. I really REALLY missed it!) Here is what I have been putting in my blender lately:

Summertime Green Smoothie Recipe

Two big handfuls of Kale

The juice of a quarter slice of lemon

One peach, stone removed but skin intact

One cup of almond milk

One banana

Two tablespoons of Chia Seeds (These are rich in protein and fiber!)

I usually just throw it all in the blender and whirl it up. If I remember I will soak the chia seeds in the almond milk first. (Soaking seeds speeds up the time in which you digest them.) Most of the time, I just toss them in the blender with everything else. They still get the job done!

Another variation on this recipe that I like is to replace the peach with a few slices of melon. I try not to go overboard on the fruit. Although it is healthy, spiking your sugar first thing in the morning might have you crashing soon after you get to work.

Do you drink green smoothies in the morning? What do you put in yours? Please let me know in the comments section. I would love to hear from you.

Many blessings to All,