I am in Green Smoothie Delight!!!

[Lay-Lay]

Hi everyone, I was starting to not feel as well on raw foods as I did in the beginning. I would have a green smoothie once in a blue moon, but never often. Well I had posted that I was having some difficulties recently and Revvell replied back for me to up my green smoothies. I thought about it and was kind of thing, yuck! I hate those things.

So I got out Victoria's book Green for Life (AGAIN, Read it a long time ago) and found it inspirational. I have been LOVINGS green smoothies and starting to feel the improvements in my health. It trully is the missing link in my raw food diet. I am now up to about a 1/2 gallon of green smoothie a day and my goal is to enjoy 1 gallon of green smoothie each day.

Kool news is I get up every morning and fix my hubby breakfast and lunch before work and then I go to my parents house and fix them both Green Smoothies. THEY ARE IN LOVE WITH GREEN SMOOTHIES!

One day I didn't come fix them and they were so disappointed. I told my mom she has to buy her own vitamix, LOL!

My mom said she craves green smoothies now. That is sooooo AWESOME to me!

Anyone who has not added green smoothie to your diet I HIGHLY Recommend it!

My favorite recipe so far:

2 bunches of kale
4 banana
1 peach
7 strawberries
1/4 cup blueberries
1 kiwi

Vitamix, pour, and enjoy! :D

[Bingka]

I am going to try green smoothies....yuck.

Here is my morning smoothie that I have about 3x a week (Vitamix):

1 frozen banana
2 inch slice pineapple
6-7 frozen strawberries
10-12 frozen blueberries
2 oranges

What type of greens do you suggest I add to this or how to modify it?

My other drink is a juice (Champion juicer):

1/2 - 3/4 beet and greens
7-8 carrots
1 apple
large handful spinach
small handful parsley

I prefer the smoothie because it is easier to make and clean up. I have a juice when I feel my body is a little sluggish. It seems to help get me past any detox I might be stuck in.

Thanks Ken

[Revvell]

Yayyyyyyy!!!! :D ^5's Lay-lay

[Revvell]

I am going to try green smoothies....yuck.

Here is my morning smoothie that I have about 3x a week (Vitamix):

1 frozen banana
2 inch slice pineapple
6-7 frozen strawberries
10-12 frozen blueberries
2 oranges

What type of greens do you suggest I add to this or how to modify it?



Whatever greens you have on hand. Just add them to what you currently drink. Add a bit of parsely one day; then maybe kale the next; collards; spinach. There wont be much difference in the taste if you just start with a leaf or a sprig at first. Then, as you get more use to it, add more and more until you really get into the groove. Is good stuffs!

Revvell

[Lay-Lay]

I am going to try green smoothies....yuck.

Here is my morning smoothie that I have about 3x a week (Vitamix):

1 frozen banana
2 inch slice pineapple
6-7 frozen strawberries
10-12 frozen blueberries
2 oranges

What type of greens do you suggest I add to this or how to modify it?

My other drink is a juice (Champion juicer):

1/2 - 3/4 beet and greens
7-8 carrots
1 apple
large handful spinach
small handful parsley

I prefer the smoothie because it is easier to make and clean up. I have a juice when I feel my body is a little sluggish. It seems to help get me past any detox I might be stuck in.

Thanks Ken

Ken I started out with just a handful and then worked up. They really aren't yuck at all. Any greens will work. I have been using alot of Kale because I can buy it cheap. I am also using dandelions from the yard and kudzu.

[Lay-Lay]

Yayyyyyyy!!!! :D ^5's Lay-lay


Thanks Revvell. I appreciated the suggestion. Sometimes we need are little reminders.

[Revvell]

Thanks Revvell. I appreciated the suggestion. Sometimes we need are little reminders.

Yuh. Remind me when I ferget, 'k? :)

[Lay-Lay]

oh I will Revvell, trust me, haha!

[misslinda]

What were mostly eating before Lay Lay? :)

[Sharon in Colorado]

I may try those. I tell you, I am so burned out on green smoothies, I can hardly look at one now.

The evolution of our smoothies:

In 1999, we started making smoothies. We had a borrowed Vitamix which made things so easy! Back then we made them with 100% pineapple juice from a can, bananas and frozen fruit, but we also added many, many supplements like flax meal and oil, oat bran, wheat germ, green powder, vitamin C powder, lecithin, nutritional yeast and several other "additions" that we kept in 2 huge baskets in the fridge.

Around 2001, when I starting getting into raw and attended a Graham lecture, we phased out all the supps, and those smoothies tasted sooo much better, and we still felt great. By that time we had gotten a K-tec HP3 Champ blender.

A couple years later, I finally made the decision to stop using that canned pineapple juice and start using fresh squeezed orange juice. Having one blender container was too time consuming to make 2 batches one after the other for everyone, so I started using 2 containers.

Then about 2 years ago, I started doing the "green smoothie" thing.

However, lately I've been making more 'nut shakes' and the like since I have gotten so burnt out on those green smoothies.

The family misses the smoothies, so I am planning on going back to them, but doing all-fruit again.

[Lay-Lay]

What were mostly eating before Lay Lay? :)


Typical day:

Breakfast
Fruit Smoothies

Snack
fruit

Snack
Fruit

Lunch
Big romaine salad with guacomole

Dinner
some watermelon or hummus on celery or cucumbers

[Lay-Lay]

Pick up Victoria's book again and read it. It will motivate you and maybe give you some fresh ideas.

[Sharon in Colorado]

Pick up Victoria's book again and read it. It will motivate you and maybe give you some fresh ideas.

Thank you. :) I may do that. I have her video Greens Can Save Your Life as well.

That was actually what "motivated" me to start a couple years back, but I believe it's just time for me to eat straight fruit and greens instead of mixing it all up in a blender. Not that I'm that pure (no way, I still struggle for sure), but between all the blooper recipes and the green smoothies, it's just lost a lot of appeal to me.

The thing I liked about it the most was getting it all in a quart jar without having to "eat" it, but I can barely get through half of the jar before getting sick of it. What I will do is go back to the one blender container, a large glass instead of a quart for me, and then get some fruit and greens on the side.

[Lay-Lay]

I hear ya Sharon!

[Veganforlife]

Lay-Lay - Kudzu? For real? Wow! Why? What are the health benefits of kudzu?
I absolutely love my green smoothies! I too LONG for them. It was missing from my diet. I was juicing my lunches, but now I have smoothies instead. WHOA! They are very good and filling!
I agree - VB's Green for Life is an amazing book and has some good recipes in it as well.
I'm gonna get off here and go fix one!!! Ya'll talked me into it!

[sunflowery]

yeah!
congrats Lay-Lay, welcome to the green smoothie lovers!

;)

[carolg]

Does Green Smoothie have to have fruit?

It always has to have a green leafy veggie like kale or romaine?

Just made this fabulous blended soup or salad dressing. I don't have greens at moment so I assume it's not Green Smoothie. No fruit added either.

Here's ingredients made with Tribest Personal Blender which I love:

tomatoes
bell pepper
onion
garlic

Lightly pulse. Yum to the max. I tasted it so know it's a yum!

carolg

[MacaMan]

If you're getting sick of something I believe that is your body's way of forcing you to add variety. You shouldn't have to force yourself to eat anything, or work up to a certain measured amount. One serving of smoothie a day is it for me...I believe that you are made to chew your food. I even "chew" my smoothies to stir up the enzymes in my mouth....this is where digestion begins.

[Lay-Lay]

Lay-Lay - Kudzu? For real? Wow! Why? What are the health benefits of kudzu?
I absolutely love my green smoothies! I too LONG for them. It was missing from my diet. I was juicing my lunches, but now I have smoothies instead. WHOA! They are very good and filling!
I agree - VB's Green for Life is an amazing book and has some good recipes in it as well.
I'm gonna get off here and go fix one!!! Ya'll talked me into it!

Kudzu is tasty. It is plentiful here and FREE. You can eat all parts of it. It is a dark leaf so I assume it is loaded with benefits.

Enjoy your smoothie.

[Lay-Lay]

carolg Does Green Smoothie have to have fruit? no Victoria has a whole section of recipes that have NO fruit.

It always has to have a green leafy veggie like kale or romaine? no the options are almost endless

sunflowery THank you!

[spicyfull]

Great.......So happy it is working for you............

[Lay-Lay]

thank you spicyfull.

[carolg]

Thanks Lay-lay for your continued wisdom. Kale is on sale this week so getting a great price so plan on making drink with kale. I need to pull out Victoria's book that I have hidden somewhere around here. Gosh. Thanks.

OT: I'm thinking green drink at the moment as I have 7 large bags of leaves waiting for me to snag from the neighbors yard for composting. Sure heavy--a few tons. They were either going to the dump or my yard. Saw it, got permission, so moving them here soon.

So I will be popeye in a few minutes.

carolg

[Lay-Lay]

Enjoy your yummy smoothies carolg. Yeah Victorias book is an awesome inspiration for the benefits of smoothies.

[JinxieKat]

Hmm.. I just made one with a peach, frozen banana, and a big ol handful of spinach this morning. Ymmmm.. Green smoothie delight!

Jinx

[Lay-Lay]

sounds yummy Jinx!

[carolg]

It looks like green applesauce. I'm calling it a green smoothie. It's delicious! It's simple. Is this a green smoothie really? Here's my recipe:

In Tribest blender add:

Little water
kale, handful
parsley (w/o stems--seems to make process not as smooth for blending for some reason)
2 apples
1 pear
slice lemon
blend all

Wow, is that heavenly to eat/drink

So did I make a green smoothie today? I have been hesitant all along, even as lover of kale and parsley, to add to smoothies, but wow, I'm sold!

carolg

[Lay-Lay]

You just had a green smoothie carolg. That is awesome!

[Maria]

I love my green smoothies! I only use one orange and one apple, and then whatever greens. Kale is my favorite (but I don't like to EAT it as in salad.) If the greens make the smoothie too bitter try adding some agave nectar.

Maria

[carolg]

Lay-Lay,
Thanks for the confirmation it is a green smoothie I made. It was totally fabulous and great way to get the greens down besides salads by the truckloads. I know juicing is a possibility to get more, but I love this way best. Wow. Can't wait till tomorrow AM. I must say those beautiful yellow pears are so sweet and awesome to use.
carolg

[sanjay_sahani]

my dear friend i am also a big fan of green smoothies but since i am based in india organic spinach are not available (which is the only green avialable) do you think i can use cabbage as green for green smoothie? as i did have stone problem in kidney in past and i am afarid of oxalic acid produced from spianch

[jaurequi]

sanjay_sahani,

Can you use lettuce? Lettuce is very nutritious. Try using the leafy greens from the vegetables, like the tops on beets, carrots, and broccoli, and radishes.

Best,

[Sharon in Colorado]

Parsley is a great green to use as well. Surely parsley is available in India? It comes from the parsnip.

[sanjay_sahani]

my dear friend do you have any idea what is the indian name for parsley & spring green?

[carolg]

I'm using spring green mix in my smoothies...yum!
carolg

[jaurequi]

sanjay_sahani,

I found THIS SITE (http://www.soupsong.com/fgreens.html) which says that Purslane is native to India. Do you know how lucky that is?! I've been looking for purslane here for ages and haven't found it yet. It is one of the most nutritious of all greens. Look for it.

I came across THIS BLOG (http://www.sailusfood.com/categories/greens_leafy_vegetables/) which mentions tamarind leaves as an edible green - sounds lovely. It says it's mild tasting; so that sounds perfect for smoothies. I'd love to try them myself. I hadn't heard of tamarind leaves.

I think you just need to look around some markets for whatever looks like leaves being sold in markets and ask.

Best,