As much as I want my family to eat nutritiously, so many unhealthy, fast, and convenient foods seem to win the battle. Here’s an interesting fact, that makes me feel not alone:
- In a 2012 study, 52% of Americans (that were polled) believed doing their taxes was easier than figuring out how to eat healthy. I decided I wasn’t going to contribute that to that statistic and I decided to do something about it.
- So 30 days ago I embarked on The Whole30 Challenge. It’s basically a very strict, paleo style diet that allows you to cleanse and detox, get rid of cravings, reduce inflammation, and even heal yourself of some health conditions. And hey, if I lost a few pounds in the process, you won’t hear any complaining from me!
I had been hearing a lot about green smoothies recently and thought this might be the perfect time to give them a try. So what’s a green smoothie? It’s an excellent way to incorporate lots of veggies into a great tasting drink. Unlike juicing, smoothies keep the fiber in the drink. We all know that fiber is good for our colon health.
There are many, many ways to make them. You can pretty much add any green leafy vegetables you have on hand, along with cucumber or celery, a little lemon and ginger and some fruit.
Here is my standard go to recipe:
1/4 cup green grapes
1/2 granny smith apple
2-3 cups of spinach
1-2 kale leafs
1/3 cucumber (peeled)
1/4 cup parsley
1 slice of lemon (peel removed, keep the pith and seeds)
1 small piece of ginger, peeled
splash of orange juice
1/2 cup of water
1 cup of ice
You will need a high powered blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec (trust me, it’s worth the price). The general rule of thumb is 2 – 3 veggie servings for every serving of fruit. Toss the ingredients in the blender in the order they are listed and blend for about 30 seconds. If you need a little more liquid add more water or orange juice.
Since I usually have mine for breakfast, I simply pour it into a tall mason jar, screw on the lid and take it with me. This way I can either drink it on the commute or shake it up once I get to work.
I have had a green smoothie for breakfast everyday for the last 30 days. My body hasn’t seen this many nutrients since…well it never has. And they actually taste really good! There are so many variations of what you can do. Avocado makes it really rich and creamy and provides you with good fats. It’s great to experiment and throw in different varieties of leafy greens. One time I used red grapes and blueberries. It tasted great but looked disgusting (brown). Oh and there was the time I thought I was buying flat parsley but accidently picked up cilantro. I didn’t realize it until my first gulp. Wow. Good thing I like cilantro!
[quote]I definitely noticed more energy and less bloat. My sluggishness vanished. Next, I noticed my skin! It became clear and started to have a healthy glow. It sure beats an egg Mcmuffin for a good start to the day![/quote]
If you want to get more fruits and veggies into your diet, I say consider trying green smoothies. Also, because the vegetable taste is masked by the fruit, your whole family will love them.
I would love to hear about your experiences with green smoothies…have you tried them, what do you like in them? Please share!
Happy Drinking!
Green smoothies are the best – as long as people keep it light on the fruit, which certainly takes time to get used to. We like to say “The bitter, the better.” Also, I add fat to mine to help absorb vitamins. So 1/4 of an avocado fits the bill perfectly.
I can’t stress enough having a good blender too – if you’re going to do any smoothies with greens, it is quite worth it!! I’m a blender snob now, I admit it. The ninja’s and nurtibullets don’t even come close. Vitamix and Blentec are where its at. If I wanted to chew my greens, I wouldn’t have put them in a smoothie. 😉
My husband and I drink several per week. They are a nice afternoon treat when I would typically reach for coffee.
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