Smoothie Thursday!
Turn on the TV, pick up a magazine or newspaper and you can’t help but read something about how unhealthy our eating habits have become. More and more people are recognizing that a diet of processed, highly sugared foods are much less than ideal. Adding more veggies and fruits is the number one suggestion for improving our diet!
As we transition to a healthier diet, one of the goals should be to make sure you eat your “good foods” first. The theory being that if you start with the cupcakes, you will fill yourself up and never get around to the healthy foods, depriving your body of the needed nutrients, setting up conditions that can allow weight gain and disease to occur. The easiest way to add those fruits and veggies are green drinks and fruit smoothies.
I drink one for breakfast every morning! I get a great boost with nutrients that energize me. I also get a good start on my servings of fruit or veggies, making sure that those good nutrients are coursing through my blood stream! Recently, I ran out of smoothy ingredients for a couple of days. I noticed a huge difference in energy level, mental clarity and attitude.
Today’s raw food recipe is a great mixture of spinach, carrots, cucumbers and a few more ingredients to make it especially tasty and refreshing!
Good Morning Green Drink
SERVES 2
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 1/2 cups grapes
- 2 carrots
- 1/2 cucumber
- 1/2″ piece of ginger
- 1 stalk celery
- 2 dates
- handful of ice
- 1/2 to 1 cup water
- Combine all ingredients in blender or Vitamix.
- Start with 1/2 cup water and add more to desired thickness.
- Blend until smooth.
Sheila wrote on September 18, 2010
I LOVE MY VITAMIX! Vitamix is necessesary for the best green smoothies. Especially if you have kids, they don’t like to see chunks of what they are drinking. We love making soups also, no pots to wash. I have had mine for 3 months and use it multiple times daily.
Leslie wrote on August 10, 2010
Do you find a vitamix essential to green smoothie making? I have been making them in my regular kitchen aid blender. I find the that consistency turns out fine for me. I have read that the vitamix actually breaks down the cell wall of fruits/veggies/greens and makes them more digestable. Not sure if this was just advertizing hype or not? I would love to purchase a vitamix but they are a huge investment. Trying to save up my pennies!
Susan wrote on August 10, 2010
Personally, I would have a hard time doing what I do with out a high-speed blender. I never had much luck with normal blenders.
Uschi wrote on June 17, 2010
I have read that it takes different digestive juices to break down veggies and fruit and is, therefore hard on the digestive system to combine them in the same meal. What have you found out in your research?…..Thanks for the inspiration, I just stayed up way past my bedtime because I couldn’t stop printing off the recipes to start trying them out tomorrow. I guess that’s what afternoon naps are for.
Susan wrote on June 17, 2010
Greens are different than veggies. The same rules don’t apply.
valerie wrote on May 10, 2010
can you juice this or do you have to blend it? I am dealing with some serious IBS issues so am trying to juice more than blend. Will it still give me the nutrients I want?
Cari wrote on April 26, 2010
Green smoothies are my new obsession. I was a HUGE oatmeal fan for years. I had finally found something that sustained me for more than 30 mins. I LOVED my oatmeal. Then I found out I was allergic to gluten, had to find gluten free oatmeal. Then found raw. I honestly didn’t know if I could say goodbye to my good friend oatmeal.
But I did it! =) I will try this yummy recipe tomorrow. I love my vitamix!
Just to mention about green smoothies holding you over. For me – I have a big appetite and as I mentioned oatmeal was the only thing that stayed with me long enough.
I’ve switched to green smoothies 3 weeks ago. My stomach, appetite has adjusted. At first I made a huge batch (3 glasses from breakfast until a salad for lunch) and sipped it as the morning went on. Now I’m drinking less (2 glasses). It seemed like so much to me visually but I realized its not a lot of calories. I kind of had to give myself permission to drink as much green smoothie as I wanted.
Now I’m hoping to buy a juicer to give my body the break from digesting all the fiber. =)
Stephanie wrote on April 21, 2010
How many hours does this drink hold you for?
I need something very filling in the mornings, something that keeps me going 3 hours
Susan wrote on April 21, 2010
Stephanie, everyone is different. You will need to try it and see how your body responds to it. It keeps me happy until lunch.
Beth wrote on October 27, 2009
I struggle with a breakfast choice that I feel good about… How much does this make? Is this just for one person?
Susan wrote on October 27, 2009
I can drink a whole one but it is a lot. You could easily have breakfast for two with this one.
Trevor wrote on September 11, 2009
Looks delicious. Does it matter whether you use red or green grapes?
Susan wrote on September 11, 2009
No…you can use either! The red might be a little sweeter than the green.
-Susan