Step-by-step Green Smoothie

Initial Reaction to Green Smoothies

All folks physically cringe when I describe a glorious green smoothie. And some even audibly voice their disapproval with out loud gagging noises.

But, most take a sip when offered one, especially if they watch me drink mine first.

And then they chug the entire glassful when given the "okay" to do so.

After I explain a few health benefits, they often ask me how to make green smoothies at-home...

Reported Benefits of Green Smoothies

I would say that 9 out of 10 persons I have tempted to try one of these concoctions, continues to make and chug these nutrient-dense green drinks. Reported health benefits and improvements in my circle of green smoothie drinkers include:

increased energy

diminished food cravings

quicker recovery from physical exertion 

hair, darker & thicker

skin, softer & smoother

weight loss

lowered cholesterol

seasonal allergy relief

increase in general well-being

lowered blood sugar levels

and on 

and on

For an introduction to green smoothies, click here.

And for more ideas and recipes, click here.

Making a Green Smoothie 

1. 2 cups of water

2. add large amounts of greens (I fill to near the top)

pictured here: pink chard, yellow chard, lambs quarters (yes, it is a weed)

3. blend to smooth

a hi-speed, hi-power blender (i.e. K-tec or VitaMix) works best as you want to break open the actual cell walls of the greens

4. add frozen fruit (about 2 cups)

I often use blueberries or strawberries; add in a frozen banana if you are new at it and like a creamy texture akin to a shake

5. blend to smooth

add-in some other goodies like ground flax, hemp seeds...or for sweetness, add-in a couple of dates or a dollop of honey/agave/brown rice syrup

6. drink!

not all green smoothies are green when done--but the green nutrients are packed to the rim!

Why not give it a whirl?! Yeah, pun intended. Blend yourself up a nice glass of nutrients...

By the time breakfast is done, my family has met the standard daily recommended servings of fruits & veggies! Soon, I will post the rest of our general breakfast menu, complete with photos... 

whole wheat scones

strawberry sauce

fruit salad

Strawberries!

It is that time of year when strawberries are hanging ripe and juicy, 

just waiting to be picked by an eager hand 

and popped into an anticipating mouth.

These are three strawberries on my 6'4" husband's hand. 

Those are some BIG berries!

Each of those giant strawberries was the size of 3 berries.

Yum.

After an evening of processing strawberries for the annual freezer fill-up, 

I made some strawberry syrup for my boys 

and their Saturday whole wheat pancake breakfast feast.

* Toss that store-bought pancake syrup and sugar-laden jam. Your family will love simple, fresh, homemade syrup. 

Whatever is left-over, use that week for almond butter-jam sandwiches for the kiddos!

And I made a quick fruit salad 

to go with their pancakes and our green smoothies. 

Strawberry Green Smoothie

- 2 cups water

- 3 cups of greens (red lettuce, collard)

-> blend 

- 1 cup frozen strawberries

- 1/4 cup ground flax

-> blend to smooth

Easy Summer Fruit Salad

- fresh strawberries

- frozen blueberries

- orange pieces (peeled, cut into slices & separated into small pieces

* optional: top off with soaked raw sunflower seeds and/or chopped raw soaked almonds; avocado is a surprisingly delicious add-in too

Simple Strawberry Syrup

- very ripe strawberries, stemmed & chopped

- honey

- cinnamon

- allspice

-> add all ingredients (sweetener and spices to taste) simmer 30 minutes, stirring frequently; smash berries to a thick pulp; put into jar and use within one week or process in hot water bath for long term canned preservation

If you are new to whole food, vegan, and/or living food eating, 

keep it simple and easy!  

Your taste buds will be delighted, 

your body will be healthier, 

and you will find more success 

in meeting your healthful aspirations.

Nuts for Coconut

Yesterday 4 health-filled coconuts came to our home. This morning, I took one of them and poked it's eye right out with the pointy end of a knife sharpener. I inserted a straw and let the kiddo drink. After he had his fill, I drained it's water. That most nutritious & delicious source of electrolytes was for me. What to do with a coconut missing an eye? Pop it into a plastic bag, tie it off and smash it to pieces by slamming it onto the sidewalk. Repeatedly.

Now, that does not sound like a very nice thing to do to a poor lil coconut, does it?! 

Oh there are more civilized and stylish ways to get to the "meat" of the coconut, but hey, this is Simple Raw Food Mamma and I am a farm girl...

After the rather un-fanciful treatment of one hairy little coconut, we had rawsome green smoothies for breakfast today!

- 1 1/2 cups water (preferably coconut water, if you didn't drink it all yet)

- cram blender up past the 3 cup mark with greens (garden-fresh spinach & collard)

- blend

- add about 1 cup of blueberries

- and 1/2 peeled orange

- and a chunk or two of coconut

- blend again

Viola! Yummers!

Recently...

We have made raw strawberry pie.

We have made a whole wheat crust filled with gooey, spiced plums.

We have made a farm fresh, very colorful & flavor-filled veggie salad.

Oh, the fun and the yum we had in our kitchen! Stay tuned for posts and recipes and pics on the above...

Breakfast

My son and I rummaged through our big upright freezer a couple weeks ago. I was running low on fresh greens for my green smoothies, but I didn't want to make a trip all the way to town. I knew I had stashed extra garden wonders in the freezer all last summer. I just had to find them!

After we organized the icebox, I found that I had a smorgasbord of greenery. Here is some kale. Several months ago when kale was in abundance, I rinsed it, patted it dry, gently rolled it into green smoothie portion sizes, and wrapped plastic wrap around each bundle. I put 3-4 bundles into a big sealable plastic bag and tossed them into the freezer.

I knew I needed to portion out the sizes beforehand. Frozen kale leaves all stuck together would be hard to separate for my pond sludge slurpies. ;-)

My smoothies have been as fresh and healthful this week as they were when the sun was shining and the garden was growing. 

Green Smoothie Recipe--Kale Delight:

To my kale, 

I added water (2 cups), 

frozen blueberries (handful)

a couple large frozen strawberries (more produce that I got fresh and froze for extended use), 

and some freshly squeezed lemon juice. 

Yum.

Simple breakfast. 

My son loves his fruit and honey laden rolled organic oatmeal to jump start his day. He drinks a small smoothie, but tops off his cavernous 5-year old tummy with our homemade oatmeal. 

I add hemp milk for the good fats and great protein--all essential for a growing boy!

Boil water.

Add whole oats.

and honey to taste.

Add some cinnamon.

Toss in a handful of blueberries

and some currants.

Cook for a minute.

Turn off stove.

Let concoction sit for a few minutes.

Healthy eating for my family works best when it is simple. 

For us, simple is repeatable and achievable. 

Day after day.

Do what works for you!

Simple Eating & Drinking

Simplicity. 

If you are a regular follower, you know that I am certainly a Simple Raw Food Mamma. There are two reasons I have not written much lately. The first is that I am homeschooling my son and it takes time...time that I gladly devote to him and his education. The second reason is that I have been eating and drinking so simply that I don't know what to tell y'all about! 

But alas, as the cold weather settles in, I am sure that those vegan raw comfort foods with substance will soon make a comeback in my dietary realm. So stay tuned for raw food recipes and how-to's for crackers, holiday desserts, "burgers," and even breads. With less time outside, more time will be spent inside doing food prep and eating.

So, what have I been eating that is so basic and simple for the past month? I start out the day with a green smoothie. I make a large batch and put half of it in the fridge for later.

Basic Green Smoothie

- water (1 cup)

- kale or rainbow chard (crammed in the blender to the 3 cup mark)

-> blend until smooth

- frozen blueberries (1 cup)

- frozen strawberries (1 cup)

-> blend again to smooth

Then for lunch I eat a 

Simple, Simple Salad 

- zucchini chopped

- tomato chopped 

- hemp seed sprinkled on top

or

I eat a 

Simple Raw Food Wrap

- zucchini cut into strips

- tomato sliced

- greens (kale, lettuce...)

- 1/2 avocado sliced, smeared, or chopped

- red pepper sliced

- raw (do not toast) nori sheet(s)

-> follow directions on nori sheet package; put veggies onto wrap at one end, moisten edges, roll wrap tight with sushi mat (or just use bare hands), cut if desired

~ here is a link to a previous post a nori wrap recipe & photos

And then for dinner, I usually make my two fellas something cooked (whole wheat pasta with sauce, baked potatoes, rice & beans...) and a bowl of mixed raw veggies. I either eat the veg. salad or drink my remaining green smoothie or both.

So, it has been a simple culinary autumn around here as we have been busy with dehydrating and freezing foods for wintertime...and doing homeschool.

I been requested to teach a raw food class concentrating on holiday dessert ideas. Keep an eye out for that event.

Welcome new readers. I hear there are a couple of you.

Keep it simple.

See results.

Feel better.

Stick with it!

Oh yes, watch out for some mustard greens! Yum-yum-yum. If you are a mustard green newbie, start with small bites. Oh, they are so good and add such a flare and flavor to your salad or even your smoothie. I grab wads of the greens throughout the day and cram into my mouth! Yeah, love that spicy sensation...

Blueberry Bliss

Blueberry bliss. It is hard to imagine anything coming close to the scrumptiousness of fresh strawberries--but dare I say that blueberries are truly a blissful blessing too!

Organic blueberries cost twice as much this year as they did the same last summer. Twice as much! This summer I have found that they cost about $6/pound for the frozen blue delights, but if you can find a local organic farm, they ought to run about $1 and some change for U-pick and about $2 for already-picked. Wow, what an amazing savings, especially when frozen berries are a stable of green smoothies!

1-get yourself some fresh blueberries

2-gently fill freezer bags about half full

  ~ don't bother washing or rinsing at this point

3-fold top half of bag over and gently press air out

4-zip bag & store in freezer

5-remove berries as-needed

~ if you desire, this is the time for rinsing berries (if you had done it during the initial bagging process, you would have caused the berries to stick together when frozen)

I made whole wheat waffles for the boys Saturday. It is our weekend breakfast ritual to have wholesome pancakes or waffles and fresh fruit. Instead of some gnarly-no-good-for-you-packed-with-sugar jam, I make a new jar of it each week. 

This weekend they spread the jam onto the waffles and then strategically placed a blueberry at each deep waffle hole. Yum!

I drank a green smoothie (see recipe below) for my daily breakfast fuel. Of course I always make extra for my husband and son too!

RECIPES...

Fresh Berry Jam

- 2 cups berries (I mixed strawberries and blueberries this time)

- 1/2 cup water

- 1 TSP pumpkin pie spice

[cook until mushy and smash the big hunks & chunks]

- 2 TBSP honey or brown rice syrup or pure maple syrup

- 2 TBSP tapioca pearl powder for thickener*

[cover, cook on low for a few minutes, add more water as needed]

raw food version: 

Omit the tapioca pearl powder, add all ingredients to food processor and zip away until smooth; pour over sweet living foods bread or dip banana slices in it or just eat it with spoon!

tip: Use immediately for breakfast "syrup" and store remainder in a jar in the fridge for use on sandwiches and what-not for that week

* buy tapioca pearls in bulk and run a small handful through your coffee grinder to make a powder (use this for a thickener instead of that oh-so-gross gelatin powder made of ground cow hooves! eeww)

Beet Berry Bliss Green Smoothie

- 1 whole beet (greens to root)

- handful of some other greens

- 1 cup of water

[blend 1st 2 ingredients to smooth]

- 1 handful frozen strawberries

- 1 handful frozen blueberries

[blend until smooth, lovely and oh, sooooo good!]

More Strawberries

Good morning! 

Here are some photos of

 the delectable 

summer strawberries 

I wrote about yesterday...

...in a sink of water

...rinsed, stemmed and in a bowl

...oh yummy in my tummy!

Enjoy the simple raw health-y 

culinary pleasures of summer!

Green Smoothie Recipe:

- 2 handfuls of spinach

- 1 cup of water

- 1 handful of frozen strawberries

- 1/2 to 1 frozen banana broke into pieces

Blend the first two. Add the frozen fruits and blend until smooth! Summer in a glass.