Target #1: Green Smoothies!! No better place to start.

As Green Smoothie Girl, Robyn Openshaw, says repeatedly (and rightly so) in all of her materials, green smoothies are the "highest and best" use of your time in the kitchen.  If you do nothing else this year to improve your health and the health of your family, implement the consumption of green smoothies (ignore the initial repulsive reaction and give them a try--you will be amazingly surprised and pleased)!

Why Green Smoothies?

I know, I know, the thought sounds repulsive, but learn to work past this thought and give them a try.  You'll see that they actually taste great.  What better way to get the jam-packed nutrition of greens (particularly the superpower of the chlorophyll in the green leafies--Boutenko discusses this very well in her book, Green for Life--see below for reference)??  By drinking even one green smoothie a day, you will get more servings of veggies & fruits in that one smoothie than most people get in a whole day (or sadly maybe even days plural) than the average American.

Drinking a green smoothie will ensure you get the complete enzymes, nutrients, and fiber from the veggies and fruits, since heating them (past 116 degrees) kills the much needed digestive enzymes.  Also, by using a blender, you are able to brake down the cellular walls of the green leafies that we don't break down just by chewing (because we don't chew for hours, regurgitate like cows, and chew again to break them down enough).  Breaking down these cellular walls releases the full potential of nutrients that we don't actually get by having in salads or by cooking (which are both great to do as well -- get those veggies in your daily diet any way you can!).

After having had 1-2 green smoothies a day since November 2010, I am fully and entirely converted.  I can hardly begin to tell you the positive health ramifications I have experienced (reduced, almost non-existent serious migraines that I have been battling my whole life, improved skin, more energy, less moodiness and fatigue, and on and on).  I also eliminated as much sugar (esp. refined) as possible, which is CRUCIAL to your health and will be the subject of another post.

For green smoothies, I have compiled information from a few sources to come up with a basic recipe (very similar to Openshaw's) that is a great place to start.

Excellent Sources for Green Smoothies:

These sources discuss the science behind the immense health benefits of greens--much better than I ever could.

- GreenSmoothieGirl.com - If you sign up for the free newsletters, you get some recipes and tips too.  You can also check out her website and YouTube for some how-to videos.  The information in her "12 Steps to Whole Foods" program/book is absolutely excellent, and I highly recommend it.  Her "Green Smoothies" book is pretty good too.
- Anything by Victoria Boutenko is great. Her book "Green for Life" is truly excellent and an absolute must read in my mind. The book discusses the science (in a very readable/easy way) behind green smoothies and includes recipes as well. Her website www.rawfamily.com is good too.
- You can also find many ideas for green smoothies by doing a Google search and checking out YouTube. 
 

My Basic Green Smoothie Recipe:

I've adapted what I've learned for my own MO for green smoothies, including what I learned on my elimination diet from last fall through JJ Virgin (to test food allergies, which I will discuss in another post).  My favorite twice daily green smoothie is as follows (you make it in two steps):

Step 1 - Blend:
-10-12 oz. water (8 oz. = 1 c)
-A blender full of greens (spinach, kale, chard, collards, and cabbage to start--then branch into beet greens, carrot greens, dark lettuces, mustard greens, or really dark green leafies of any kind) (You can go lighter on the greens at first and then increase the amounts, trying to bring the greens up to 20-24 oz. after blending and before fruit.)

Step 2 - Add to above green smoothie & blend well:
-1 apple
-1 banana (key to give it the smooth creaminess)
-1/4 lemon (including peel)
-1-2 c frozen berries (or any fresh or frozen fruit of choice for variety)
-Healthy fat (4 Tbsp. of freshly ground flax seed or 1/8 c regular, full-fat coconut milk)
-1 Tbsp. chia seeds
If it's not sweet enough, you can add some grapes, pineapple, mango (all high glycemic fruits), or freshly squeezed orange juice to sweeten it up.  (If you must, you can add a little raw agave, raw local honey, or stevia to sweeten it, and then gradually ween yourself off it.)

The goal is to have 2 quarts of smoothie a day (one with breakfast and one with lunch works for me--or just sip throughout the day).  The desired blend is to have 1/3 water, 1/3 blended greens, and 1/3 blended fruit.  For example, if you added 12 oz. of water to begin with, after blending in the greens you would have 24 oz. of liquid, and after blending in the fruit (and healthy fats) you would have 36 oz. of smoothie.  If you're hard core, you don't even need as much fruit.

This blender full is enough for my husband and me to each have a 15-16 oz. smoothie and for my son to have a 7-8 oz. one.  If you want it smaller, you can change the amounts accordingly.  You can start here, and then when you increase consumption, you can make either make a fresh batch at breakfast and lunch, or do two batches and refrigerate the leftovers for lunch.  (I just recently bought the big jar for my Blendtec to not have to make 2 batches a day--much easier).

The smoothie will last for around 48 hours in the fridge (just make sure you stir it since it separates a little).  If you do this, you might want to have it in an opaque cup or thermos.  It might look a little unappetizing after being in the fridge, but it still tastes good.

Tips:

-You must grind your flax seed fresh (you can just use the blender--but the blender must be fully dry).  If you buy already ground flax seed, it likely is already devoid of much of its nutrients/benefit (but would still give fiber).  It loses them within a day or so of blending/grinding (when not refrigerated or frozen).  I grind a few days worth and keep it in the freezer.  That way, it keeps its nutrients, etc. and is more handy.

-Berries help turn the smoothie a purple or reddish color so kids/husbands don't freak out about drinking something green.  Although some kids like it green when you call it a "Shrek Smoothie" or the like.  You can experiment with different fruits to find your favorites.  Berries are also crazy high in antioxidants and nutrients and are the lowest glycemic fruit, so they are the best to use regularly.  It's best to rotate your berries though, instead of eating the same ones every day, because the body can develop antibodies, giving an intolerance/allergy, to foods by eating too much of them all of the time--which is a problem with dairy, gluten, corn, soy, peanuts/peanut oil because they are in EVERYTHING packaged--you'd be surprised (discussion for another post).

-You also want to rotate the greens you use, since some raw greens have "alkaloids" that in large quantities can be harmful, but when rotating greens, you don't have that problem.  (Alkaloids are a protective mechanism the plants have to keep grazing animals from eating it until extinction--it's natures way of getting animals, including us, to eat a variety.)  Moderation and variety are the key.

-My Blendtec Total Blender blends the greens and fruits incredibly smooth (I use the "Whole Juice" button).  But, a normal blender can work too (smoothies are just a little more fibrous-y).  Just make sure to let the blender go for a while (a couple minutes) to get it smoother.

-I like to use the fat smoothie straws to drink mine.  It's good to let the smoothie gulps be in your mouth for a second or two to "chew" so that your "bites" are infused with digestive juices from your mouth.

-They are best when cold, so if you don't use frozen fruits or veggies, you can replace some of the water with ice cubes to make it cool.

Hope this helps get you going!  I would love to hear your favorite smoothie concoctions!