Green Smoothie Mini-Seminar

[Holli]

I have been asked to give a class on nutrition at my church. It is completely up to me what I want to cover. I don't necessarily want to give a raw food class because I will be dealing with so many different people who are looking for and ready to hear different things, plus I'm very new at this and don't feel prepared for the questions that would come up. But, I do want to focus on raising the amount of raw produce in our diets, especially the leafy greens, so I thought I'd do a class on green smoothies! If I could share a bit about why they are so good for us, so easy to prepare etc. even if people start adding those to their SAD diets, their health would benefit. I am brainstorming ideas and would welcome any thoughts or advice that I should bring up during my class. I read Green for Life recently and I want to use a lot of that info in my class. Also, I want to prepare a few blenders full and give out samples of gs after the class so people can taste how good they are...or maybe I'll make some right in front of them so they can see how easy it is. Anyway, I'm looking for 2 or 3 killer gs recipes to really get my class excited. What do you all make your non-raw friends when they come over that they just love? (smoothie-wise, that is) Thanks!

[Aleesha Sattva]

i'd love to hear the recipes as well.

*waiting...*

[Amuzon1]

I really like the flavor of the green grapes and romaine lettuce recipe in Green for Life. It's SUPER easy! Tastes sweet and easily digested. I like to add a bit of ice to my smoothies to chill them a bit. They seem to go down easier for me that way.

Congratulations and good luck to you!

Danielle

[Aleesha Sattva]

holli,

i did a search and came up with a HUGE amount of recipes. ;)

[burgespj]

Hi, my fave is Kale and Pineapples, I put water and ice cubes and mix it all up.It is delicious.

[dalimeindacoconut]

Sometimes it is hard for me to follow recipes exactly especially when I have just whatever is in my kitchen, but I am finding these are the basics that make my smoothies tasty and healthy:
-frozen bananas (one or two) I always make sure I've got frozen bananas in my freezer
-flaxseeds (Hippocrates talks about flaxseeds)
-tsp. coconut oil
-tsp. agave (if I want it sweet)
-whatever greens I have (love to change those up)
-whatever fruits I've got (like to change those up)

Sounds like you are going to have a great time!

[CaliRaw]

I think you should keep it simple and not put too many different types of fruits and vegetables into one sample. I like spinach/banana, romaine/banana, or another fruit instead of banana. I'd do most of the blenders that way and maybe make one with a more complex mixture. If you'll have access to a sink/water, you could make more blenders full of them if people have suggestions for combos to try!

If you put a lot of things in them, they may taste good, but people may end up with a belly ache. Then, they will be :mad: and be reluctant to try another green smoothie again.

[EZ rider]

I agree with CaliRaw, keep the smoothies simple with one fruit and one green for easier digestion. Also I would not use very much green as newbies have trouble with lots of greens in a smoothie.

[Cinnamon]

Great ideas from everyone!

This is what I usually do especially when I am making a green smoothie for a newbie.

bananas-1 or 2
berries-frozen and usually blueberry or strawberry
one other fruit-like pineapple or mango or peach
greens-usually spinach and/or romaine because they are mild and I don't add too much

If it is on the sweet side more people will enjoy the flavor but people can see that they can eventually add more greens to the smoothie and their diets, that would be great! Have fun with it too, enjoy sharing your knowledge and ideas!

[Rawlicious]

Bananas or cantelope are always great with spinach. Sometimes I add about 1/2 cup of almond milk to make mine creamier. They are fabulous!

[fuzzywater]

My two favorites:
1. mango, banana, spinach
2. pineapple, banana, mache (or spinach), coconut oil (very pina colada-y)

Nearly everyone that I've had try these two has liked them.

[Dr. White]

while you have the blender out, you may want to sample raw chocolate pudding for them. It is a big hit in my classes and it shows how they can have foods that taste good and are healthy for them.