(Sugar-Free) Vanilla Rosemary Soda

The first sunny weeks of the season finally hit Seattle. And, apparently, it's all we can talk about right now.

Last weekend I spent all day sitting on my back porch working on my laptop under the shield of an umbrella. Somehow a three-inch section of my wrist didn't quite make it under the shade and now I have a funky tan rectangle on my arm. I like to think of it as my Vitamin D patch.

Before we get to today's recipe, I just wanted to say thank you again to everyone who joined us the other night for Conscious Money, Conscious Eating. I teach a lot of classes in Seattle, but this was my first time doing a workshop where I didn't get to see you all face-to-face! I loved all of the emails and responses we got about the material we covered and it's so great to hear that it's already changing the way many of you are planning, prepping meals, and cooking at home! Awesome! (Psst, if you're sad that you missed out, you can actually purchase the webinar recording package-- which includes our awesome 55-page ebook! Details here.)

Now, onto the most amazing drink that only takes 3 ingredients to make!  This one is going to be a must-make as we head into late spring and summer!

Read more »

Love Your Liver Juice & SPUD Juicing Program

I'm really excited to share something fun with you today.  I was recently contacted by SPUD (Sustainable Produce Urban Delivery) and asked if I would be willing to try out their new juicing produce boxes and share them with you. An excuse to juice more fresh, local produce? Of course I was up for the challenge!

I've seen SPUD's delivery trucks around Seattle, but didn't know too much about their company until recently. The more I learn about them, the more I love their mission. SPUD was founded in 1997 as a sustainable way to directly connect local farmers with customers. 100% of their produce is either certified organic or locally and sustainable produced and over 50% of their products are sourced locally.

One of the things I love most about SPUD is that it's incredibly convenient to order produce online and since the deliveries are consolidated into specific routes, one of their vans leaves with their warehouse with over 100 orders, reducing both pollution and traffic. Pretty cool, huh? SPUD currently serves 6 urban areas in North America: Seattle and the Eastern Puget Sound, the San Francisco Bay area, Los Angeles and Orange County, Vancouver, Victoria and Vancouver Island to Nanaimo, and Calgary (see their full delivery map here).

SPUD recently started a new Juicing at Home program and now offers Organic Juicing Boxes for people who are looking to boost their health by juicing and want a convenient way to save time and money. They have five different produce boxes to choose from and, if you need a juicer, you can even purchase one through their weekly payment program and start using it right away. (I love this idea!)

Read more »

Juicing 101 [Video]

If you are looking to change your health, juicing is one of the best things you can do for yourself. I will readily admit that I am a juicing addict and I'm super excited to get you juicing as well! In today's video I'll show you how to make a basic juice at home, but first, let's talk about some important benefits:

• Drinking fresh vegetable juice allows you to consume more fresh fruits and vegetables, which we all know are full of good things like vitamins, minerals, and (since you are consuming them raw) beneficial enzymes. Fresh juice is also loaded with antioxidants that bind to toxins and help remove them from the body.
• Fresh vegetable juice is very alkalizing, meaning that it helps to restore the body to its proper pH and  assist the body in detoxing. 
• Most of the foods in the Standard American Diet cause the body to be too acidic (e.g. animal products, sugar, fried foods, bread, alcohol, etc) and this acidity builds up over time causing inflammation and creating stress for our organs and tissues. 
• On the other hand, eating fresh, alkaline-forming foods like vegetables, vegetable juice, nuts, seeds, most legumes, water and some fruits, helps to strengthen the body and keep it healthy. 
• Since the juicer extracts the insoluable fiber from the fruits and veggies, fresh juice is very easy on the digestive track (making it perfect for anyone with digestive issues) and it makes the nutrients easy to absorb. Plus, since your digestive system doesn't have to expend as much energy to break down juice, your body can spend that energy on healing your cells. 

Drinking fresh vegetable juice is one of the best ways to increase your energy and detox your system! 

I know from personal experience that I feel more energized when I drink fresh juice on a regular basis. It's basically like a supercharged liquid vitamin for your cells! I have also found that drinking fresh vegetable juice helps to curb sugar cravings!


Read more »

Green Smoothie 101 [Video]

I'm a big fan of drinking green smoothies and if there is one thing I could get you to start doing today to change your health, it would be loading up on these healthy green drinks. Today I'm doing something a bit different and sharing a video with you to help inspire you to jump start your health with a green smoothie!

Green smoothies have a ton of benefits, such as:

• Green smoothies are perfect for enhancing the immune system, purifying the blood, and rejuvenating the body. They are loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber, folic acid, chlorophyll, and many other micronutrients. Since you are consuming the greens raw, you are also getting the full nutritional value of the greens as well as their digestive enzymes.  
• Green smoothies are really easy to digest.  Since the greens are blended up, your body doesn’t have to work as hard in order to extract the nutrients and it is much easier on your digestive system. So, if you are someone that has digestive issues, this is a perfect way to add more fruits and veggies into your diet. 
• Green smoothies are fabulous for kids! If you have children or teenagers, I highly encourage you to make a green smoothie with them.  The key is to get them involved and let them help make the smoothie so they feel like they are part of the process (rather than being pressured into drinking something unfamiliar). I have honestly make this smoothie with well over 300 children over the last two years and it always amazes parents what kids will drink when they get to be involved in the process.
• Green smoothies reduce your cravings! When I work with clients in my health coaching practice one of the first things I will get them to do is start drinking green smoothies.  Most of them will immediately notice a decrease in sugar cravings because they are crowding out those less-healthy foods and their body will naturally start to crave fresh foods.  

If you are ready to have more energy and change your health, start with a green smoothie.  

Read more »

Cranberry Rosemary Refresher

I have been told by numerous people that the life of a food blogger seems really glamorous. I think sometimes when we see a picture of a beautiful dish, we imagine the chef/photographer standing in their kitchen, leisurely making a delicious meal about to be served to their family, while casually stopping to snap a photograph or two. As a food blogger, I can tell you that this is rarely how it happens. At least, not in my house.

Instead, here's the scene: a rainy Saturday morning.  At home, alone, with two crazy cats. The best light in my house is in my living room, with giant windows that face a main road. There I am, still in my pajamas, standing on a stool above a table to get the best angle as people walk by and shoot me puzzled looks.

Randomly a rogue cranberry falls from the table, inspiring one of my cats to bat it around the living room with all his might. As I'm trying to balance on a stool, ignore the passerbys, and get a decent shot, I knock over the martini glass and spill cranberry juice across my living room.  By now both of my cats are engaged in a cranberry-chasing battle and all of this running has managed to make one of them lose his lunch. Clean-up on aisle five, please?

Nevertheless, I managed to get a decent photograph of an amazing drink that you need to try this holiday season. Whether you leisurely enjoy this at a beautiful dinner with your loved ones, or simply use it as a reward for cat clean-up duty, I promise that it will energize your taste buds while flooding your body with nutrients.

Read more »

Beet Detox Juice

If you live in the United States like me, yesterday was Thanksgiving; a time when most people eat their weight in stuffing and gravy. After all that heavy holiday food, I'm guessing that some of you might need a break. At the very least, maybe your digestive system does? I have just the thing: my favorite beet detox juice.

I'm a big fan of fresh vegetable juices and I always notice a huge difference in my body when I juice regularly.  (If you're new to juicing, check out my vegetable juice tutorial.)  I'm not one of those people who advocate extreme juice fasts, but I think there are a lot of benefits to adding juice to a healthy diet.  

This detox juice is one of my favorites because it's naturally sweet, even without adding fruits to the juice.  If I've had a big dinner the night before, I like to start my day with a glass of water and then drink this juice before my morning smoothie.  Beets are loaded with iron, antioxidants, and a cancer-fighting agent called betacyanin (the pigment that is responsible for its purple-red color), making this juice a powerful blood cleanser.  Drink up!

Read more »

Chia Agua Fresca

I am not one of those gals that enjoys clothes shopping.  In fact, it downright stresses me out.  What basics do you need in your closet?  How do you figure out your size?  What is the heck is the difference between flared and boot cut jeans?  Do shoes that look nice, don't hurt your feet, and are waterproof even exist?  

The nice thing about summer is that I tend to do well with bright colored tops, capris, and sandals.  This is a winning combination in my book.  And if I lived somewhere where these things could be worn year-round I would probably be a much more fashionable person.

My talent lies in the kitchen.  I can stock a kitchen pantry like nobody's business.  I can take random bits from your fridge and create a meal any day.  And I can always take some produce just-past-its-prime and turn it into something incredible.

The inspiration behind this week's chia agua fresca is that I just needed a way to use up half a watermelon.  Done and done. And delicious.

Read more »

Simple Sun Tea

In our neighborhood we have seven different cats that roam around being adorable and causing trouble.  Lucky for me, my desk sits right next to our kitchen window where 24/7 I have a live show of sleeping cats and feline mischief happening in the neighbor's yard.  Today, that mischief involved a squirrel.

This crazy little squirrel kept jumping from rooftop to rooftop, and made his way to the roof where our neighbor throws old loaves of bread for the birds.  And as he sat, happily munching away, one of the neighboring cats, snuck up right behind him.  I had already seen a close-call chase go down this morning  and was horrified because the squirrel wasn't turning around to notice the feline behind him.

In a situation like this, you have a couple of options.  You can keep watching and hope for the best.  Or, you can look away if you expect the worst.  Well, unless, you are me, that is...  because if you are me, your solution would be to open your window and begin yelling for the squirrel to run. Yes, at 10 am on a Sunday, I opened my kitchen window and yelled at a squirrel like a crazy person.  (And, yes, this really happened.  Who would make this up?)

Sure enough, the cat quickly made its move and that badass squirrel made a break for it -- bread and all.  Impressive little guy.  I guess when it comes to wild animals, they really don't need anyone looking out for them.

Luckily the rest of my day was not as eventful.  I stuck some fresh herbs in a pitcher of water, let it sit out in the sunlight, and then stayed away from my window.  I think my neighbors appreciated it.

Read more »

Super Antioxidant Smoothie

I think it's time we talked about the good, the bad, and the super awkward.

First, the good:  I am learning how to swim. After conquering a lifelong fear of water, drowning, and most certain death, I recently signed up for adult swim lessons. And I'm loving it! I'm loving it so much that I've been trying to practice in between lessons so I can keep improving... which leads me to the bad.

A bad idea, that is. It is a bad idea to go to the community pool for public swimming time on a Friday night. I was expecting to find the pool empty with maybe myself and a couple of adults getting in some late-night cardio. No such luck. Instead, the pool was packed with children of all ages and every single floaty device ever created. I could instantly tell I was going to be the oldest person there by over a decade, but I stuck with my (bad) decision and stayed to practice my kicks. And then it happened.

The super awkward. After 45 minutes I grew tired of getting kicked in the face by tiny feet and hit over the head with floaty things so I retreated to the hot tub to take a breather. Note to self: the next time I hear a prepubescent male voice say "Hey, what school do you go to?" get up, and leave. No explanation needed. Because things only get super awkward from here.

But my former naive self, who didn't want to seem rude and had no idea what was coming, politely responded, "I don't go to school." To which my young male friend asked, "Well what college do you go to?" Me: "Uh, I am sorta... post-college." I was met with widened eyes and an "Ohhh."

Ladies, you should know that what follows this will be the following three questions: "So, are you here with your friends?" then, "Do you come here often?"  and finally, "What are you doing next Friday night?"

It's awkward enough to get hit on by junior high boys in junior high... but in your late twenties, it's just a sign that you should stay away from public swim night.
Read more »

Energizing Green Smoothie

Hey dude that works the gym front desk every morning at 5 am.  I know I look like a crazy person.  I know that you see me stroll in here, half asleep, most likely still in my pj's.  I know that you notice me sometimes glaring at you from my one-awake-eye, wondering how you can be so perky at this time of the morning.  Don't get me wrong;  I'm not a grumpy person.  In fact, I'm pretty nice.  But until I've had my morning smoothie, don't mess with me... k?

The scary thing is that the dude that works the front desk every morning at 5 am knows what I really look like. The me without the shower, without my makeup, and without my kale.  It's horrifying, believe me. Green smoothie to the rescue!

Read more »

Rainbow Carrot Immune Booster

Right now I've got a mega-cold, a cat with severe skin allergies, and a cat that's just plain crazy waiting for me at home.  Life is a bit complicated. 

Let's uncomplicate things a bit, shall we?  I think it's time for a fresh juice.  This one is an intense immune-booster.  This healing concoction involves rainbow carrots, garlic, and ginger for a powerful punch.  It's a cure for the common cold, vampires, and crazy cats.  Okay, maybe just the cold.

Read more »

Coconut Ginger Smoothie

I can't tell you how many times that I have made this smoothie in the past couple of weeks.  I also can't tell you how many times I have made this smoothie while dancing around to the piña colada song.  Too many times.  That song is now burned into my brain.

Consider this the after-work or weekend drink for those that don't drink cocktails. This smoothie is like a healthy piña colada without the heavy coconut cream or pinapple.  It's sweet with a bit of spiciness from the ginger.  (If you are not a fan of ginger, then you can easily decrease the amount or leave it out entirely.)

This smoothie is wonderful at a mocktail party, for post-workout hydration, or for any time you are in need of a fancy, but-not-so-fancy refreshment.  If you like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain, this one is for you.

Read more »

Green Lemonade

I drink fresh vegetable juice almost daily, but I tend to filter the juices I show here. See, I have a feeling that if I posted a juice recipe that said "juice 1 giant bunch of kale and a peeled lemon" some of you might actually drink it.  And, if you aren't a hard-core juice fanatic, you'd take one sip of that and never come back here. 

But this green juice?  This one is actually doable.  Let's talk about it.
Read more »

Ginger Orange Carrot Juice

Sometimes, when I am really on top of things in my life, I monitor where web traffic comes from. Most people stumble here through Foodgawker, Pinterest, Finding Vegan, or Google searches. If you do any Google searches for kale smoothies, roasted beets, or kale chips, apparently I'm your gal.

And, as I learned the other day, if you search for "images of nasty looking but good food," you will find your way here as well.  Or more specifically, you will find your way to a very old post where I once made a rather gross-looking, but amazing split pea and yam soup (aka Sexy Ugly Stew) and told some jokes about how Mick Jagger is "sexy ugly." Oh how your internet past will haunt you.

Lucky for me I refuse to make sexy ugly food anymore. Just sexy food. Food that is beautiful and will make you feel beautiful from the inside out.  Hello ginger-carrot-orange goodness...
Read more »

(Non-alcoholic) Ginger Spritzer

Here are some places that you should take this spritzer:

• Family gatherings
• New Year's Eve parties
• Any place you are in need of refreshment

Here is one place that you should not take this spritzer:

• Your partner's basketball game at the local community center

Apparently if you sit on the bleachers reading cookbooks and sipping this from a glass jar, it appears that you are sneaking in an alcoholic beverage.  (Believe me, I wish I had... but I totally didn't.)  But, should you find yourself in a situation where you are confronted by community center staff about the beverage in question, simply explain that it is a non-alcoholic ginger spritzer and tell them how you made it. If they're decent folk, instead of kicking you out they'll just ask for the recipe.

This spritzer is totally easy to make, but with a few lemon peel spirals it becomes uber-fancy and party-ready.  All you need is some fresh ginger root, (filtered) tap water, sparkling water, and lemon and ice, if desired.  You'll start by boiling the ginger and tap water to make a concentrated ginger tea.

If you wanted, you could even stop after this step and just enjoy the tea.  Ginger is wonderful for aiding digestion, nausea, and abdominal cramping.  This tea is a bit spicy, but it is one of my favorite treats to have after dinner while eating dark chocolate.

Once you have your ginger tea ready, chill it until serving. Then mix your tea with sparkling water, add ice and lemon, and serve!  I don't typically sweeten mine, but you could easily add some agave syrup or stevia in if desired.  If you are serving this for a crowd, then double or triple this recipe as neccessary. You can also adjust how strong you want the spritzer by adding more or less ginger.  This spritzer is the perfect non-alcoholic refreshment for New Year's and is a healthy, tasty treat that your body will enjoy as much as your taste buds.  Cheers!

Ginger Spritzer
Serves 2

one two-inch piece of fresh ginger root, chopped
1.5 cups of plain (filtered) water
16 oz sparkling water
Ice
Lemon for garnish

Bring water to a boil, add ginger, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes - 1 hour.  Drain tea and chill in the refrigerator until serving.  Mix tea with sparkling water, add ice and garnish with lemon wedge or spiral.

Kale and Pear Smoothie with Herbs

Hello dear partner, and love of my life.

I am sorry.  I am sorry that while you were out running errands I did nothing that I said that I would do.  I did not clean the kitchen.  I did not prepare your dinner.  I also forgot about the laundry.  My sincerest apologies.

Instead I accomplished many, many important, but totally non-important things, such as:

1. I updated our Netflix queue.  I put all of my most favorite romantic comedies (i.e. your least favorite movies ever) at the top.  They will be here on Friday.
2. I rated 46 movies on Netflix so that it would provide the best suggestions for us whenever we log in. Of course, since I rated them, I gave 5 stars to movies that I love, like Eat Pray Love, 13 Going on 30, Julie and Julia, and My Best Friend's Wedding.  I am sorry that Netflix will now recommend items like Sweet November and Something Borrowed, instead of movies that you like.  I am also sorry that I will most likely add these new recommendations to the top of the queue and delay your movies even longer.
3. I was really dehydrated from all of that Netflix work so I drank some water.  I found that I still felt a bit dehydrated so I made some fresh juice.  I left all of the pulp sitting out on the counter and now the kitchen is attracting fruit flies.  Whoops. 
4. I spent exactly 12 minutes petting a cat.  I know this because that is how much time was left on the timer that was supposed to remind me to grab the laundy from the dryer.  Instead, I turned off the timer and continued to pet the cat.
5. I went on Etsy and found an awesome merchant that sells adorable puppy blazers and fancy white collars for cats.  It looks like this cat is wearing a suit!  So cute.  I know that you hate the idea of dressing pets in clothes so I am hesitant to tell you that I ordered two for the cat's Christmas gifts. Don't hate me. 
6. I also read a bunch of articles about superfoods aiding in cancer prevention that were mentioned on Twitter.  Even though I am certain that you don't want to hear about this, I plan to tell you about all of it when you return home.  Get ready. 
7. I oiled the wooden cutting board.  It's pretty now.  So pretty that I would like you to refrain from using it.  It is now reserved for blog photos only.  Thanks.

But after all that, I made you this smoothie.  I filled it with nutritious and tasty things like ripe pears, fresh kale, and zesty parsley.  You're gonna like it.  Promise.

P.S. I love you. :)

I've been experimenting with different herbs in my smoothies recently and I really love the sweet pear and parsley combination in this one.  (If you are new to green smoothies, check out some of my other recipes: Green Smoothie 101, Green Smoothie 2.0, and Kale Smoothie for Kids.)  Nondairy milk or fresh juice can also be substituted for the water if you want to add a bit more flavor or sweetness.  This is my favorite breakfast smoothie at the moment and the addition of flax seeds, protein powder (I use Omega pumpkin seed protein powder), and avocado make it more filling as well as delicious.

Kale and Pear Smoothie with Herbs
Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water

2 cups greens (I used kale)
1/4 cup herbs (parsley and cilantro both work great)

2 ripe pears, cored
1 frozen banana (remove the peel, cut into 1-inch slices, and freeze in a plastic bag overnight)
1 cup ice
1 Tablespoon flax seeds (optional)
Protein powder (optional)
1/4 avocado (optional)

Instructions:
Blend water, greens, and herbs for 15 seconds - 1 minute (depending on your blender) on high. Then add the pear, banana, ice, flax seeds (if using), protein powder (if using), and avocado (if using) and blend for an additional 30 seconds - 1 minute. 

Pumpkin Spice Smoothie

Do you ever blare Neil Diamond in your kitchen?  I mean... really blare it?

While dancing?

And tripping over you cat?

And spilling pumpkin smoothie on yourself?

No?  Really?  Come on, how else does a twenty-something spend her Monday nights?



If you made my Pumpkin Spice Body Scrub over the weekend I have a feeling that you might be needing more pumpkin in your life.  And, if you licked a good deal of the body scrub off your face (*guilty*), you also just might be craving something a bit more substantial.  I've been enjoying this smoothie for breakfast lately and love the addition of oats, flaxseeds, and hemp seeds for a little extra fiber and protein.  It's a great grab-and-go breakfast or the perfect afternoon treat to power your kitchen dance party.  


Pumpkin Spice Smoothie
Makes 2 servings

1 cup pumpkin puree
1.5 cups almond milk
2 bananas

1 cup ice cubes

1 Tablespoon ground flaxseeds and/or hemp seeds (optional)

1/4 cup regular rolled oats (optional)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Add ingredients to blender and blend until smooth.  Drink up!

Summertime Sparkling Fruit Slushie

Should I start with some good news or bad?

Today I found myself Googling "When does summer end in 2011?"  And there is was, staring me in the face:  September 23rd.

The doomsday is approaching us, people.

The bright side of this is that we all have three weeks to get out there and live it up before we have to part ways with sun, sandals, and summer salads.  Oh how I'll miss the salads.

The other piece of good news is that I discovered one of the most refreshing and delicious drinks I've had all summer.

What's been keeping you hydrated this season?  Besides good, old-fashioned agua, I've been a huge fan of iced chamomile tea, fresh coconut water, fresh vegetable juice, and green smoothies.  Last summer I kept my freezer stocked with these little goodies, but I've been a little lax in my popsicle-making duties this year.  So, when you're in a pinch and you have to have a tasty cold little treat, the slushie becomes your next best friend.

Slushies traditionally involve crushed ice, water, and some flavored syrup.  This slushie is a much healthier version that uses fresh fruit and a little agave for sweetness.  And, the best part:  it can literally be made in less than one minute!

This is the perfect drink for summertime because you get to experiment with all of the wonderful fresh fruit we have in season right now: cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries... yum.  I used a mixture of lapin cherries and blackberries in this particular slushy, but I absolutely adore a mix of peaches and cherries.

Summertime Sparkling Fruit Slushie
Serves 2

2 cups ice cubes
1 cup fresh or frozen fruit
16 ounces sparkling water
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1  Tablespoon agave nectar (or more to taste)

Pulse ice in blender until pebble-sized.  Add fruit and continue to pulse until it reaches a slushy texture.  (You want the ice and fruit to be crushed, but you don't want it to be melted into water.)  Add sparkling water, lemon juice, and agave nectar.  Stir and serve. 

Fresh Cantaloupe & Beet Juice

I hate to admit this, but I think I've fallen victim to bad reality television.

It all started about a month ago when I decided it was time to find out more about Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.  Three different people mentioned it to me within the same week and I figured it was worth checking out.  So I downloaded ABC's media player and began searching for episodes.  But ads for The Bachelorette kept popping up.

I'd heard of The Bachelor before, but The Bachelorette?  This sounded worse... and yet, somehow interesting.  I thought it would be really funny to watch five minutes.  Then five minutes turned into an hour.  I should have gotten out then, but I figured I might as well finish the episode.

And if you watch one episode?  Well, you might as well watch another, right?  That's how they get you.  You've been warned, my friend.

So every Monday night, there I sit on my couch... watching Ashley Hebert in her quest to find her true love and secretly rooting for her to pick JP.

The only thing that redeemed me last night was this juice.  I usually don't put fruit in my juice, but I was in the mood for something sweet and this fit the bill perfectly.  If you think you hate beets, I would definitely encourage you to try this because the sweetness of the melon complements the beet perfectly and gets rid of that "earthy" taste that tends to go along with beets.  If you're really nervous about the beet flavor, you can also leave out the beet greens or use a more mild green like spinach.  And if you're new to juicing, check out Vegetable Juice 101 for some basics.


Fresh Cantaloupe and Beet Juice
Serves 2 (or 1 giant juice just for you!)

3 medium beets
1/2 cup beet greens
1/2 cucumber
1 lemon, peeled
2 large sprigs of basil or 1 sprig of mint
1/4 of a medium cantaloupe, rind removed
1/2 cup watermelon, rind removed

Run the ingredients through your juicer.  Pour into a glass and enjoy.

Green Smoothie 2.0

 

Dear Earth, 

I love you.

Thank you for these first few days of spring.  Thank you for supplying my body with water and nutrients each day.  Thank you for giving me fresh air to breathe without me having to think about it.  I'm lucky to have you.  Please stick around awhile?

I think about you often.  I think about how you take care of me and how I try my best to take care of you too.  I think about you when I take short showers, ride my bike, compost, reuse paper, shop at the farmer's market, and pick up trash on the ground.  Hey, did you hear that I started my own worm bin this year?  Yeah, I thought you'd be proud. 

Thank you for all that you do.  I am grateful for you.

Sincerely,

Me

 

Is it weird that I love Earth Day?  One of my New Year's Resolutions for 2011 is to lead a more sustainable lifestyle.  A few months ago I gave myself a goal to have half my garden planted and thriving by April 22.  Of course that was before I knew too much about gardening and learned that there isn't much that you can plant in Seattle before late April.  Luckily, I love greens and those were safe to start in mid-march.  My indoor herb gardens are also coming along quite nicely.  But, I can't wait until my greens are ready to eat. 

Speaking of greens, let's talk about green smoothies.  I've been drinking green smoothies since back in the day.  Heck, I had my first green smoothie even before I went vegetarian.  Green smoothies seem to be kicking up quite a stir lately as more people have grown to love their green goodness.

And what's not to love?

• They're super quick and easy to make!
• They're a great breakfast, pre- or post-workout meal, and make a great anytime snack!
• They help get more greens into your diet!
• They use raw greens so you're getting the full nutritional value of the greens as well as their digestive enzymes!
• And they're delicious!

Maybe you avoid all green things.  Maybe you strictly avoid green things in glasses.  Or maybe you've been burned by a really bad green smoothie before.  I won't judge.  But maybe I can help mend the wound?

Once you're ready to hop on the green smoothie wagon, you'll want to start with the basic recipe.  These are my versions that I've adapted throughout the years, but there are hundreds of variations out there and you can even make it 100% raw by substituting fresh juice for the milk and leaving out any non-raw supplements.  I covered some basics in my first green smoothie tutorial which is a great starting recipe for beginners.

Basic Green Smoothie

Ingredients:
2 cups nondairy milk
1 frozen banana (remove the peel, cut into 1-inch slices, and freeze in a plastic bag overnight)
1 cup of frozen berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and/or blackberries, etc)
1 scoop rice protein powder (soy or hemp work well)
Greens: spinach has the mildest flavor and for a beginner, I would recommend starting with 1/2 cup.  As you become used to the taste, you can increase to 1 - 2 cups or try other greens like kale, chard, or collards.

Directions:
Blend milk and greens for 15 seconds - 1 minute (depending on your blender) on high. Then add your fruits and blend for 15 - 30 seconds. Add the protein powder and blend another 15 - 30 seconds.

Once you master the basic recipe, it's time for an upgrade.  The great thing about smoothies is that it's pretty hard to mess them up.  If you put in too many greens, just increase your liquid ratio.  If your smoothie isn't sweet enough, just add a little more fruit.  Experimentation is your friend.

I like to add extra supplements to my smoothies and I have a variety of things that I use. You can pick and choose depending on your taste buds and nutritional needs. 

(A quick note about blenders: I get a lot of questions from readers about what type of blender I use. I use a Vitamix 5200 and absolutely love it! I bought it in 2007 and have used it almost every day since. It was an investment, but I think it was worth it to have a high-powered blender that will last many years.)

Green Smoothie 2.0
Makes 2 Servings

Basic Ingredients:
2 cups chopped kale or greens of your choice (you can remove the thick stems if desired)
2.5 cups nondairy milk
1 cup water
2 medjool dates, pitted
1 cup frozen bananas (remove the peel, cut into 1-inch slices, and freeze in a plastic bag overnight)
1 cup unsweetened frozen fruit (mango, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, your pick!)
1 scoop rice protein powder (soy or hemp work well)

Add 1 or all of the following:
1 Tablespoon wheatgrass powder (contains chlorophyll for healthy blood function)
1 teaspoon spirulina powder (contains chlorophyll for healthy blood function)
1/2 teaspoon maca powder (contains nutrients which help the body's endocrine system)

Add 1 of the following:
1 teaspoon flax seeds (high in fiber, Omega-3's, and B vitamins)
1 Tablespoon hemp seeds (high in trace minerals, Omega-3's and Omega 6 fatty acids)
1 Tablespoons chia seeds soaked in 1/4 cup of water for at least 10 minutes (Chia seeds are full of fiber and Omega-3's.  Soaking them makes it easier to blend them into the smoothie.)

Pick at least 1 of the following for your fat source:  (Fat is needed to absorb the nutrients in the greens.  It also helps you feel full!)
1 Tablespoon nut butter
1/2 avocado, pitted and skinned
1 Tablespoon borage/flax oil (This borage/flax oil blend is a good source of Omega-3's and Omega 6 fatty acids.)
1 Tablespoon pumpkin seeds

Directions:
Blend milk and greens for 15 seconds - 1 minute (depending on your blender) on high. Then add your fruit, dates, any supplements, and any other smoothie additions and blend for 30 seconds - 1 minute. Serve immediately. (It can also keep for a few hours in a fridge or by adding ice cubes. However, the longer it sits the more "green" it starts to taste.)