Life Is Just A Big Fat Bowl Of These Beauties...

Bounty

Perhaps I'm just a little crazy, but I have an insane amount of fresh produce in my kitchen right now. Like more produce than I've ever had at one time. Here's what I currently have:

Fruits: bananas, yellow peaches, Athena melon (a type of cantaloupe), 5 lb. bag of apples, papaya + 3 bags of frozen fruit

Veggies: avocados, English cucumbers, radishes, assorted bell peppers, button mushrooms, baby bella mushrooms, mixed baby lettuces, mustard greens, kale, romaine, yellow summer squash, zucchini, carrots, asparagus, red onions, red potatoes...and I think that's it.

And I'm loving it! I'm trying to commit to having raw fruits or veggies for my snacks in place of other food that I tend to eat for snacks (granola bars, etc.). It's been somewhat challenging to re-train the way I think about snacking, as I'm not used to grabbing an apple or some sliced bell peppers when I'm hungry. When I'm struggling, I try to remind myself of how good I feel when I eat this way. I'm also discovered that the more produce I have, the more time I have to commit to prepping all of it. This week, I've become a washin'-rinsin'-choppin'-dicin'-fool! ("I pity da' fool who don't drink green smoothies!")

Hopefully I can keep this up...

Green Smoothie Challenge Revisited

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...)

Takin' the Green Smoothie Challenge

So right now, perhaps you're saying to yourself, "Barf!! What the heck is in that glass?! Did you actually drink that ghastly-looking concoction??" Now while it may look similar to the contents of an infant's diaper, let me reassure you that the contents of that glass were quite tasty and my body thanked me for it. So what in God's good earth is it?? A green smoothie. I became a big fan of fresh fruit and yogurt smoothies a few years ago and I had heard of green smoothies, too. Then I tried a green smoothie from Trader Joe's (available in the fridge section for about $2), which was really delicious. But then I was confronted with "The Green Smoothie Challenge" on the Happy Foody blog and I finally decided to accept the challenge. Although I should clarify that the actual challenge is to have a green smoothie every day for 30 days, but I'm trying to have one at least 3 times a week. Either way, it's a great start and now there's no going back...

Why a green smoothie? While fresh fruit smoothies are great and offer all the health benefits of the fruits included in it, a green smoothie kicks it up like 50 notches in nutritional quality (givin' a little shout out to Emeril). This is especially great for people who don't regularly consume enough green veggies, because when made properly, one of these bad boys contains between 5-15 servings of fruits and veggies. You can read more about all the amazing health benefits of green smoothies here.

A green smoothie can be made with just about any combination of fresh fruit and greens. The key to making it tasty and thus, drinkable, is to create the right balance so that the smoothie is sweet. Here is what I've come up with, just for starters:

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 cup fresh or frozen red rasberries
• 1 cup fresh or frozen mango chunks (if frozen, defrost slightly in the microwave)
• 1-2 cups water
• 1-2 T. honey
• about 2-3 cups fresh spinach, ripped into smaller pieces

In a blender, combine fruit, water, and honey for about 45 seconds, until well blended. Add spinach in batches, blending well between each batch. Add slightly more water if needed. Pour into glasses and enjoy any time of day!

All of the quantities are just my approximations, so feel free to experiment. For even more ideas on ways to use different ingredients in green smoothies, be sure to check out all the recipes on the Green Smoothie Challenge post. So...are you ready to take the Green Smoothie Challenge?

Drink Your Veggies...Bottoms Up!

For reasons unknown, I don't care for carrots. (My son, on the other hand, eats carrots like candy.) But I can't deny the amazing health benefits of these root veggies, which are bursting with beta-carotene, fiber, biotin, vitamin B6, antioxidants, and many other nutrients. And FYI: Did you know that if you eat at least a pound of carrots a day, your skin would eventually begin to turn orange? This girl's friends didn't believe it was true, so she set out to prove them wrong.

Anyway, so as I've been on a quest the past few years to continually improve my nutrition, I took a big leap recently and bought some pure carrot juice. But I can't drink it straight; just like alcohol, I believe it's an acquired taste. So here are two creative (and mighty tasty) ways I've come up with to sneak the carrot juice into my daily routine:

Carrot-Mango-Apple Juice

In a glass, mix together equal parts carrot juice, mango juice and apple juice. Enjoy with breakfast, lunch, dinner, or as a tasty snack.

Carrot-Banana-Mango Smoothie

• 4 - 6 oz. vanilla yogurt (or flavored yogurt of your choice)
• 3/4 cup pure carrot juice
• 3/4 cup pure mango juice
• 1 ripe banana

Blend all the ingredients in a blender until smooth; drink up!

In case you're wondering where to buy carrot juice, I'm sure if you take a wild guess you can figure out where I purchased mine. Give up? (Drumroll please) Why none other than...Trader Joe's!! I scored a 32 oz. bottle of 100% pure carrot juice for $3.49 and also bought a 16 oz. bottle of pure mango juice there for $1.99. I'm sure these are available for purchase at many mainstream grocery stores, though they might be a bit more pricey. And beware about vegetable blend juices, as they often have a butt-load of added sugar and other junk in them, and because of this, I'm a big label-reader.

Carrots--they do a body good!

A True Gem

7 For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; 8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey. Deut. 8:7-8

I am continually amazed at God's wisdom in providing just the right food for the Israelites. The Israelites certainly didn't know when they were wandering 'round the desert that the pomegranates they would be eating in the Promised Land would be viriley rich in antioxidants, lower their cholesterol, prevent plaque formation on their teeth, and have a whole host of other health benefits! Yet this near-perfect gem-of-a-fruit has stood the test of time. Here we are, some 3500 years later, and yet it's only been recently that light has been shed on the abundance of wealth dwelling in the pomegranate. (For even more info about the health benefits, look here.)

I can't remember the exact time in my life when I first had a pomegranate. But suffice to say that it was many, many moons ago. I do remember my mom explaining to me that we only eat the seeds of the pomegranates, which was quite intriguing to me. The fact that we only ate the seeds seemed to bend all the rules of fruit-eating that I'd grown accustomed to.

So when I saw that pomegranates were in season again, and double-bonus, they were only 2 for $4, I thought I'd broaden my horizons a bit. If you've ever seen a pomegranate, you might be, as I was, a little intimidated at the thought of peeling it. But I knew that my faithful kitchen companion, "The Joy of Cooking" would certainly be able to shed some light on the mystery:

"Score the rind lengthwise in 4 or 5 places. Place the fruit in a large container and cover with cool water. Let it soak for about 5 minutes. Keeping the pomegranate under water, gently break the fruit apart along the scoring lines. Pull back the rind and separate the seeds from the membranes. In the water, the light rind and pith will float and the heavy seeds sink. Use a sieve to skim off the debris, then pour the seeds and water into a colander. Pat the drained seeds dry and store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator until needed; they will stay fresh for at least a day or two."

And, just like magic, I tried it and it worked exactly like described. But consider yourself warned--those gorgeous, jewel-toned pomegranate seeds will leave a scarlet-hued stain on anything they touch!! So it's quite important to keep the fruit completely submerged in water while you're dissecting it. I was aware that the pomegranate seeds can be used in recipes in a variety of different ways, but I didn't feel like researching and ended up just eating the seeds. Not to dismay, though, they were still delightfully indulgent. For recipe ideas, check here.

If you've never tried a pomegranate, I encourage you to branch out and enjoy this ancient fruit. I promise that you'll not be disappointed!