So it's been two weeks since I first posted about the Green Smoothie Challenge. Since then, I've "upped my game" and have been drinking a green smoothie (or even two) every day...and there's no goin' back now! These green monsters truly are life-changing, as I believe that my bodacious bod (complete with rolls and dimples) is currently undergoing a bit of detox. In addition to spinach, I recently began adding fresh kale to my smoothies. I learned from "Green Smoothie Girl" that kale is a veggie that will naturally and powerfully detoxify the body of the nasty junk that justs hangin' around in the lower digestive system. So here's the mix of what's been in my green smoothies lately:- 1-2 bananas
- frozen strawberries
- frozen mango
- kiwi
- several handfuls of spinach
- 2-4 kale leaves (stems removed)
- water and honey
Here's my tip for using kale in the smoothies: buy fresh bunches, versus the pre-cut bagged kale. The problem with the bagged kale is that while it's chopped up, the stems have not been removed. And those fibrous stems will wreck havoc on a blender!! Last week, kale was on sale for $.98/pound at Shop 'n' Save, and 1 pound is more than enough to make a whole butt-load of smoothies. Then I just simply tore the leafy part off of all the hard stems. Tear the leaves up a bit more before adding to the smoothie and then blend like crazy.
I've been trying my darndest to persuade 4 year old Calvin to try a green smoothie. I tried giving the smoothie all sorts of fun names and finally scored when I called it a "Mike Smoothie." (Mike--the one-eyed green monster from "Monsters Incorporated," voiced by Billy Crystal.) The stubborn little stinker is perfectly content to watch me blend up the "Mike Smoothie" and asks me all sorts of silly questions about it...but when asked if he wants to try it, he very politely responds, "No thank you." Argh! Little does he know that his mother is just as stubborn and she will continue to ask him until one day he submits to the mighty powers of the Green Smoothie. (Insert evil cackling noises here...)
8 comments:
I want to hire someone to shop for and blend my green smoothies. I am going to seriously sit down and figure out what needs to happen to make green smoothies a part of the Kicklighter way of life.
Becky, go for it, my friend! Here are a couple of tips for green-smoothie-making to be more practical and less time-consuming:
First, I keep several bags of quality frozen fruit on hand. Trader Joe's sells lots 'o' frozen fruit, including frozen mango, which I haven't seen anywhere else before.
Second, it's a real time-saver to prep your greens all ahead of time and keep them in gallon-size freezer bags in the frige. Bagged spinach works just fine and that's already prepped for you! Kale will last for well over a week in the fridge, which is nice since spinach usually goes bad more quickly.
And last, you can mix 'n' match all sorts of other fresh fruit in green smoothies. So if you keep an assortment of fresh fruit stocked up at home, you'll always have something to throw in the blender. (Also, for fruits that need prepping, such as kiwi, you can peel and chop those up ahead of time, too.)
I hope these tips will help you figure out how to "Kick" it up a notch for the Kicklighters!! :)Love you, Becky!
I have more to report from our (correction...it's still "my") smoothie project. I have discovered the "recipe" for making a green smoothie that is not "green" in color! Calvin may be drinking a green smoothie yet (as well as your father, Sarah) with this formula! Even I was surprised that there wasn't even a hint of green color to it.
Here's what I did (and it was purely by accident that the color turned out the way it did, as I used just what I had on hand for the fruit part): I used about 3/4 to 1 cup of fresh strawberries (frozen would also work, naturally), about 3/4 cup of frozen blackberries (I'm sure this is what negated the green color), 1 cup of fresh spinach, some honey, and about 1/4 cup of plain yogurt.
The result was that the color was a lovely, deep raspberry color, and the flavor was oh, so very berry! There was no hint of anything "green" in it, at least by flavor & I truly used a whole cup of spinach. Here's the solution for any of you trying the "Green Smoothie Project" who is having mental "issues" with the green color (or if you are trying to "sneak" a green smoothie into someone else in your family)! They'll never know! ;-)
I added kiwi to my green smoothie today and blogged about the amazing nutrition in kiwi. Yum! It was scrumptiously delicious :)
CHEERS!
Well, Sarah, I am pleased to say that your father has tried Green Smoothies twice, and enjoyed them! Although he did NOT know "the secret ingredient," nor did he even question this, as they were "berry" smoothies and the color was bright raspberry (frozen raspberries and blackberries) for the 1st one, then sort of blueish/purple for the second (dark cherries and more blackberries in this one, hence the darker color). But the secret ingredient, making them both green smoothies? Kale! Almost a cup of kale! Don't know if I'll ever reveal the secret ingredient to him or not, but for now, we'll just let him feel healthy from the fruit part of the smoothie!
Renae started doing it. And then I gave in to peer pressure. I might blog about it, but just in case I don't, thanks for encouraging me! The smoothie tasted delicious.
Yay Rebecca!! I'm so thrilled for you. See, now isn't peer pressure a good thing? (Well sometimes it's a good thing...in this case, it is!) So glad you found the smoothie tasty. Just like I promised, it didn't taste like "drinking a salad!"
Bill Said,
I am sitting here at my computer at 2AM reading all about green smoothies which I have been doing for about a month now. I use a vitamix blender and I am going hog wild with all sorts of fruits and greens and I require less sleep and my night vision is bright and clear my energy is at a great level I am also 62 young now not 62years old. America drink green smoothies and your body will greatly appreciate it and so will you.
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